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Show Her Good Sense X- , By FRANCES A. COREY (Copyricht, ign, by Associated Literary Press.) There was a succession of discouraged discour-aged grunts, and the little narrow gauge engine came up to a dead halt In the isolated Vermont, valley. "Stalled!" exclaimed a chorus of voices in varying degrees of annoyance annoy-ance and disgust. Mrs. Van Brunt sat suddenly erect. She was a magnificent personage, aggressive ag-gressive and overbearing, much too martly dressed for a journey into the wilds. "How exasperating! ' There's no telling how long we will be delayed! And we are due at Stormcliff In an hour. What's wrong. I wonder?" The male passengers were pouring out of the dingy little coaches on a Itour of investigation. Mrs. Van Brunt watched from the car window as they burrled down the track, then her cold eyes swept the landscape. An exclamation ex-clamation was smothered in her ithroat. She turned hastily to her niece, a very pretty girl with dark, velvety eyes and copper gleams In her bair. "Constance, my dear, didn't we bring fruit and sandwiches along? They'll help to pass the time." Connie opened a small handbag and laid it on the seat. "Here they &re, Aunt Helena. I don't want anything." She had risen ris-en and slipped quietly into the aisle. "Til get out and walk about." "Don't you stir a step! You'll get left!" "No danger. I just heard one of the trainmen say we'd be here for a halt hour or longer." "I forbid you to leave the car," cried Mrs. Van Brunt, majestically. Rebellious red came Into the girl's cheeks. "What is, the harm? You aire unreasonable, Aunt Helena." And she started for the door. Mrs. Van Brunt sailed after her. There were angry splotches in the elder woman's face "Perhaps you think I don't know, but I do!" 6he hissed. "That farm- IE fljl "Each Nook Had Its Memory. bouse up yonder Is where you went last summer with the McAllsters! I know it from the picture on your dressing table at home." "Yes, said Connie, a queer little lilt in her voice. "It's such a dear old place! I want a good look at it. The McAllsters are in Europe. The bouse is closed nobody will know." And she moved on again with shining eyes. There were times whe- even Mrs. Van Brunt dared not cross the girl. Why not let her have her way? Fate bad played a shabby trick In permitting permit-ting the train to break down at this particular point. But the worst that could come from it was the awakening awaken-ing of memories that migb ', better slumber. "I thought you had more sense," ahe said ungraciously, lifting her skirts to alight from the car. "Of course I can't let you go prowling about the dreadful place alone." Connie climbed the hill slowly, glancing from right to left. Each nook and corner had Its bitter-sweet memory. But for the ponderous figure fig-ure close beside her, she would have been unable to restrain her sobs. Presently a curve in the path brought them close to the old house, a. rambling alTalr nestling confidingly confiding-ly under great trees. Connie stopped short So did Mrs. Van Brunt The windows were open, the curtains swaying sway-ing in the breeze. "Somebody's there!" the elder woman wom-an exclaimed. A face appeared and vanished, the outer door swung open, and a tall young man Duncan Vance himself came forth. "Miss Kirkby you!" he exclaimed with a warmth of greeting that deepened deep-ened the color in Connie's cheeks. "Oh, I see!" as his glance fell upon the train below. "The little dinky got tuckered out. It usually does, somewhere on the road. Lucky it should be at my very door!" "I thought I had heard you were abroad," Connie faltered, all her dimples dim-ples flashing and playing bewilder-lingly. bewilder-lingly. "Yes, my friends believe I went with the McAllsters In June. But I stole away all by myself to study up for the book I'm writing on Forestry. I've put in six weeks of solid work." A look passed between the two that made Mrs. Van Brunt writhe. Was all her plotting and wire-pulling to come to naught? She had counted on definitely settling her niece's future fu-ture within twenty-four hours. Now the one man who could spoil her little lit-tle game had unexpectedly crossed their path. "I hear the warning whistle," 6he exclaimed. "We must hasten back." Duncan Vance walked down to the train with them. He and Connie chatted in accents of suppressed excitement, ex-citement, but Mrs. Van Brunt "kept close at their heels. She hurried Connie into the coach, but the young man stood at the window until the train began to move. "I shall see you again soon," he called after them. "Not if I can help it!" Mrs. Van Brunt ejaculated to herself. Some hours later Connie stood on the broad veranda at Stormcliff. The sun had gone down behind Stratton mountain. All the lesser heights, the fir-crowned slopes, were wrapped in a wonderful opal haze. Several things had happened since their arrival. Colonel Calvert, their. host, a railroad president, with no immediate family of his own, had shown them over the beautiful house. Then Jack, his handsome nephew, had escorted Connie through the grounds. Afterward Mrs. Van Brunt had unearthed from her trunk a very lovely gown, her latest purchase for her niece. "Of course this is no mere pleasure trip," was her cold-blooded declaration. declara-tion. "Make the most of your opportunity, oppor-tunity, my dear. You will never have such another. There's another nephew, neph-ew, a graceless scamp, I imagine; but Jack ought to get the lion's share of the money. If you let him slip through your fingers because of any foolishness, you'll get no more help from me." Nervous sobs were very near the surface as she stood there and watched watch-ed the sun go down. Her fate was 1l her own hands. She liked luxury lux-ury and hated poverty. It was perfectly per-fectly clear why this Invitation to the Calvert summer home had been extended. A firm, quick step crossed the veranda. ver-anda. She saw Jack coming and her heart leaped Into her throat. What should she say to him? Ten minutes later it had been said all uncertainty was over forever. Jack had rushed away, snapping at her angry words. And now she must face her aunt's bitter upbraidlngs. She knew the price she would have to pay poor clothes, plain living, uncongenial tasks; but her heart sang within her. Mrs. Van Brunt would call her a sentimental sen-timental fool; but she felt that she had done the wise and sensible thing. Slowly the last gleam of daylight faded; stars flashed into the darken, ing sky. Colonel Calvert met her as she re-entered the house, and drew her into the big drawing room, into the brilliant gaslight. "So you have refused Jock?" There was an amused gleam in his shrewd gray eyes as they searched her face. "Why? Don't be afraid tell me, my dear. Why did you do it?" Down went her head upon his shoulder. shoul-der. "I found I couldn't sell myself," my-self," she faltered. Colonel Calvert stroked her rumpled rum-pled hair tenderly. "That's where you showed good sense. Now, I wonder won-der if there isn't somebody else who has a better show thin poor Jack?" Connie started back, pale and trembling. trem-bling. The sudden fear was unfounded. unfound-ed. He gave a low whistle, evidently a signal. A man in a long motor coat came Bwiftly down the hallway. "My favorite nephew, Duncan Vance," Colonel Calvert said, with twinkling eyes. "I wanted to be sure you were worthy of him, my dear; so I let Jack have the first chance. But I knew you'd stand the test all right" |