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Show In Stress of Pity By M. C. ENGLAND (Copyrisbt, 1911. by Associated Literary Press.) "Work is work, but picnics is only picnics," summed up Aunt Hepzibah tartly. "I'm goln' to town and you'll stay here and do that lronin', so don't let's have another word about it." Barbara Larsen stood, meek and submissive, bravely holding back the tears till her aunt's gaunt form had turned down the road and disappeared disap-peared trolleyward. Then she threw herself down in the old rocker and Bobbed unrestrainedly. She had. told Jasper Burnham she was going Jasper, who had never before be-fore mustered up courage to ask her to go anywhere. And now he'd think she was doing it on purpose that she didn't care. She rose at last. The ironing must be done. But as she reached the kitchen door some wayward impulse turned her steps and forced her upj into her own tiny bedroom, where lay In all their dear, seductive glory her "best things" that she had laid out ready to wear. Sob3 shook her anew as she gazed at them. She moved over to the bureau and opening the bottom drawer took from it a shining length of ribbon that matched the little rosebuds on her dress. With a sudden Impulse she began to unhook the unbecoming brown gingham that was her invariable week-day garb. "I'll try them on, anyway," she resolved. re-solved. Fully arrayed, the pink ribbon gleaming around her waving brown hair, she surveyed herself with a mournful satisfaction. She hadn't known she could be so pretty. She looked longingly out at the radiant afternoon. Swinging down the road, with furtive, bashful glances toward the house, came Jasper. Barbara's heart beat hard. Turning, she ran down the stairway and out on the vine-covered porch. "I'll let him see I was ready, anyway," any-way," she thought defiantly, "and then he'll think something happened afterward." Jasper paused uncertainly at the gate. 1 1 "Coming?" he called. Barbara looked up the road and saw the other girls chattering along with their sweethearts,' all bound for the a! llfefSll a Aunt Hepzibah Sat Waiting. great picnic of the year. Then she looked again at Jasper. Shyness, in the face of all the advancing crowd, was overpowering him. He had turn- ed to go. Barbara's heart gave an agonized throb. "Yes," she called suddenly. She ran down the path, through the gate, and paused beside him. Without a word he started on, hands plunged deep in his pockets, speechless speech-less and overcome by his own daring. Barbara walked beside him with downcast eyes. Presently, stealing a glance at her, he saw the signs of tears on her face. A rush of pitying Indlgantion banished self-consciousness for the moment "Who's been hurting you?" he demanded. de-manded. "No one," she denied. "Then what've you been crying-for?" crying-for?" "Because because aunt said 1 (shouldn't go," she stammered. A sudden, terrifying sense of what she had done overwhelmed her. Then the sound of happy, laughing voices behind brought a wave of defiant exultation. ex-ultation. "What'll she dor' asked Jasper shortly. 'T don't know don't let's think about It," she begged. But Jasper's mind clung to the sub-lect. sub-lect. "Darn her:" he burst forth. "Why don't you leave? She's not your real aunt, Is she?" "No, but she took me when I was little, and she's kept me and raised me, and all for nothing." "For nothing, yes, and you've worked work-ed like a. slave for her. She couldn't pay a hired girl to do what you've done," avowed Jasper heatedly. As silence fell his shyness returned. return-ed. He walked awkwardly, kicking at the stones In his path or switching aimlessly at the tall reedy growth by the roadside. When they reached the picnic ground, a wide, cleared space In the woods by a rushing stream, he withdrew to a distance and Barbara joined a group of chattering girls by one of the swings. He kept shyly apart from her during dur-ing the afternoon, though his eyes followed her everywhere with a dumb -worship. When twilight came and they began to flock homeward in chattering groups of twos and threes, Barbara had an Instant's pang lest he should fail her, nut a moment later he fell into step at her side. With the homeward walk cams back the crushing fear of what might befall her as' a result of her disobedience. disobe-dience. She knew only too well the harsh ill-temper of her aunt. She lagged more and more slowly, till all the happy, laughter-loving crowd had left them. Jasper lagged even one step slower, seeming loath to bring the silent walk to an end. Yet the twilight, the solitariness, the very nearness to the object of his devotion devo-tion bred in him a paralyzing shyness, a very agony of self-consciousness. Never, perhaps, would he have a chance like this again, yet the very thought of speaking, of even reaching out and touching the little hand that swung near him, brought the perspiration perspira-tion in great beads to his brow. Barbara, with the growing intuition of awakened - womanhood, vaguely realized all this. As they came in sight of the house her heart began to beat painfully. She moved closer to Jasper. f "I'm frightened," she whispered. For the second time that day a fire j of indignation swept Jasper's Eelf- J consciousness from him. His hand I went out suddenly and grasped her small one. "Don't you be afraid," he said soothingly. They came opposite the window. Inside Aunt Hepzibah sat, waiting. Her jaws were set in a heavy, purposeful pur-poseful revenge. Barbara grasped Jasper's arm with a little half-sob. "Oh I I hate her!" she whispered. Jasper stood silent, staring at the woman, and with the helpless, trembling trem-bling touch on his arm there surged up within him a mighty passion. He shook Barbara's hand from his arm almost roughly and took three great strides toward the house. Then he halted, suddenly, and turned. "Tou come with me." he said. She had to run to keep up with him. There was no breath left for speech. Presently they turned in at a gateway. "Why, it's the minister's," panted Barbara. Jasper knocked loudly at the door. "We want to get married," announced an-nounced Jasper, a steady fire burning in his eyes. "Well, now, I'm sure!" exclaimed the minister's wife bewiideredly. , "Why, it's little Barbara Larsen and and' Jasper! Well, v. ell. well!" She led them into the front room and disappeared. "Mighty good thing!" they heard the minister say. "That child leads a dog's life." He strode into the room. "Well, well!" he said kindly, "so you want to get married! That s right, Jasper. You're doing tine with the farm now. A wife is just wbat you need to make the old place loo right." He stood them up before h" When it was over and they wpre again outside. Jasper took Barbaras hand in his. "Come," he said. They walked, hand In hand and speechless, down the village street and along the road that led to Jasper's Jas-per's farm. As they reached te gateway the moon peeped out h0 under a cloud and flooded the or' chard with silver light. JasPef stopped and gazed dazedly about the familiar scene, then down, at n" wife's drooping head. "Barbara!" he whispered unbele'' Ingly. . She looked up, her eyes still dar with wonder. He took her suddenly In bis arm The, pent-up longing of two evAleSt years seemed to culminate In moment "Why, Barbara!" he cried pass.o ately, "you're mine you're n'r;f' And I didn't know I was dclns it: I |