Show t STEVES investment by william hamilton osborne cop right 1906 by joseph bowles yoong lorimer stepped down the is irrow lai and entered upon the box wood path 1 a house was dark save for one loom lorimer entered this lighted parlor extending his hand toward a girl who rose cordially but bit indifferently to meet him lorimer was a fine looking chap with a good u a good chin and straight embros ee bros perhaps a bit too serious in appearance apie arance nervously seizing both of the girls hands he drew her gettly toward him beleas ing her as he d d so kitty he esplain ed with a queer catch in his vo ce i I 1 I 1 have some thing to say to you he ped and laughed in an embarrassed embair assed sort ot way then be went on faster than before kitty my hoube the little house upon the hill ou know about it it will be finished in the tall I 1 I 1 want you to come and be its mistress kitty I 1 went to 1001 at it to night the work is progressing we we can live there you and I 1 kitty and be so happy he stopped and fu tor an in stant in a pocket from whence he drew forth a small white packet see what I 1 ve brought you sweet heart he whispered I 1 dared be cassari felt so sure I 1 knew that the girl toyed with the ring tor a moment then with a taint cry sprang to her feet no no no she said excitedly I 1 can t lake it steve you say you dian didn t mean it I 1 can t marry you I 1 fear I 1 don t love i ou enough I 1 no don t ask me why I 1 can t do it that s all I 1 thought you understood I 1 can t do it that s all stephen lorimer stood stupidly erect twirling on the smallest finger ot his hand the ring which she had returned to him do you really mean this kittye pe asked at length Is it all over you ve been a good friend to me eteve she answered simply and not u alv jve thought it over I 1 can t change 1 lorimer 1001 ed keenly at her he was satisfied that she meant what she said he was well assured of it in fact lui minutes later he walked out iri the darkness knowing not chith a was going and caring less M at day bonmer met a selectman ot t ie town teve lorimer said the man some clumsy attempt at playful it either you or J T 0 under don t marry judge pollard s girl t that right away I 1 m blamed it I 1 step in and cut you both out lt a move on 50 i underwood muttered arto himself as he went along IP u i know 1 few months later underwood newly married addressed his young I 1 steve lorimer s fek u k wn they ve made superintendent it monroe a hun id miles down the road I 1 saw him i borning men who go away as went and who at the new scene of opera alons find their constant presence very necessary go back but seldom to the old place lorimer had no family he had himself stephen loramer that was all in the course of three or houi years e n abc u I 1 i to the old place he r but little word from there fa the meantime it was many norths since be had received a check for rent he wanted to know to see with his own u how things were going he went there underwood who met him was not quite so dashing in appearance as formerly although he was still neat he had grown far bolder with his flag a A slight started at one end of the n and some new houses had T n berwood claimed the loom but the boom underwood s door Iga docio he was poor f as a man can be was more beautiful alte of the two little f fared in her youthful attel dinner underwood man of chemes procured from some place ln credit in old rig he drove lorimer about the place for an hour underwood showed him a tract of id that was aa it could be ight cheap t was worth its weight old lorimer knew it in tact it be d to kitty and he knew every sit it but all through the recital dp ri d one thing and that was that and r d anted it be gan there b it 11 d not end there he saw another thing that was that kitty needed the ahls was cometh not get out of his ya nor p bibly poor daj monca he knew bat kitty dian didn t inov the object p livery e cursione but he knew 1 the necessity tor it lia od at the station and boarded bis train promising the ma hat he would think the matter ove he did so coldly but politely und arwood paw it was no go that lie I 1 d not really convinced stephen S aen lorimer had 5 he pea J what he had intended to do a lib he knew J where that I 1 that ho owned except the bouse just where that five e d in order t multiply clr tony sixty perhaps a 1 I thousand dollars he and him knew the bill the M P R R co aching monroe he went to the a i 1 is check tor 5 cw dollars balance he tool and he 1 new it but kitty irving and they needed money tier was a plodder EO he plod 1 eld bis i lace it was a fair n he was a valuable man but n was conservative and it him by the time he larf Lj rf busand M P by reason of a favorable went to its highest po nt his friends sold out and one of them retired it only had five thousand a few years ago steve one exclaimed II 11 I 1 only had steve nodded la assent one day back in the little village a man died he d d not die obscure ly he was a comparatively youns man and had been a very successful one the name of this man was john ogden underwood he was the richest man in the town he left a most of it in stocks and bonds his holdings in M P were large he left his young widow a handsome competence his life had been a gibat success A long time after this stephen lorimer understanding but little 0 the truth went back to ohp small vil lage he called on mrs underwood when ou were here last she said to him ogden took you tor a drive I 1 remember I 1 shall do so this time in a tar different equipage now they went and alone tor mrs underwood herself preferred to drive lorimer actually rubbed his eyes chy I 1 hardly know the place he said on account of the improve ments what a difference yoi see said mrs underwood the advance went all the other way your little house on the hill Is th only one in that section and it i tenantless I 1 had a few acres near I 1 you know which father left me bu I 1 loved you ever S nee that N they aie not worth a cert mo a than they were ten years ago everything went the other way ou still own byoir acress lorimer coulden couldn t resist asking the question oh no she sail ogden sold them ears ago to son e man he was a foolish buyer lorimer smiled assenting es indeed he was mr underwood was very successful he added they had just reached the little house s little ho ise it seems yeara since I 1 built this place said lorimer ears it is ears airs underwood re plied suddenly still a strong oung man despite his vears of hard worl and quiet life 1001 ed mrs underwood full in the face it Is years his deep voice echoed kitty said lorimer I 1 I 1 can t forget no please don t stop me et I 1 can t forget just why I 1 built this place I 1 can t forget the long long time I 1 worked tor it and planned tor it I 1 cant forget the happiness to which I 1 looked forward to think kitty that ou and I 1 and no one else ild hae lived in this little house and been happy yes happy mis underwood stepped toward him with a little cr steve steve she exclaimed don t don t recall the past think or stephen lorimer 1001 ed into the glowing ees of this beautia 1 vo ng woman what he saw th e filled him with hope and made him brat til ihen you do he ventured and paused she bowed gerheld her held I 1 lovel ou ever sine hai night b r vo never came again atti ion I 1 orl mer caught her in his arms kitty kitty he exclaimed say that a in say it again it was I 1 the young woman n fessel who made a m stake 1 I 1 would rather have been poor with yo i during all these vear tha i stephen lorimer stooped and 1 saed her not once or twice or thrice but many times poor with me then he thought of the and the M P in vestment th he she sha i neer know he whis aped to himself |