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Show iaiiniiinninimnMiiiiiim fj Ell! HURST j E By RUBY RIDLEY. I riiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiir "John, I received a letter this morning morn-ing from Laura. She says that Violet will be here next Thursday. I wonder If she will like the country. She's probably used to city ways and things. Suppose she should be stuck up and carry her nose In the air. No, I can't believe that any child of Laura's could be like that. Yet I've always believed that city-bred children were always more or less stuck up." Matilda stopped, stop-ped, only because she bad to. By the time site got her breath again her husband hus-band was speaking. "Pooh, Matty. You ain't going to think that of little .Violet, 'cause I ain't going to let you. Did you say that she was coming Thursday? Well, I'll take a look at the calendar. Why, that's tomorrow i You'd better start right in now making some cookies and pies, while I finish my work in the barn. Violet Barclay, a girl of nineteen, nine-teen, was just the opposite of what Aunt Matilda said about being "stuck up." Being in poor health, her mother had decided to send Violet to her aunt's home in the country. Thursday morning dawned nt last and Uncle John harnessed Maggie and drove her to the little station. At last he spied Violet coming towards him. Violet greeted her uncle with nn enthusiastic en-thusiastic kiss on either cheek, which quite took his breath away. "I feel better all ready, Uncle John," she cried as they were driving home. "I knew I should the minute I got out of that hot, dusty city." Three days after her arrival Violet hue; donned her new farmerette suit find started a garden. One day Aunt Matilda asked her l( she wouldn't like to visit Elmhurst. "'Vl-.y. Where's that, auntie?" Violet aske-x "'ill, It's the most beautiful house I ever saw!" replied Matilda. "There are elms all round it and well, i verily believe that I should get lost in it." This aroused Violet's curiosity at once. . , "Who owns it?" she asked. "Mr. Preston used to own It,' but he's deal now," was the reply. "The sister d.d here, so be wanted to live here; ,e built that house. It's for sale, furniture and all. I heard t'other t'oth-er jfay that a certainMr. K. Roberts h'iends to buy it. I hope he's nice if "e's going to live there." "Oh, where Is It, auntie? It sounds very Interesting. Is it very far from here? May I go this afternoon?" "No. Violet, It Is not very far from here. I thought you'd like to see It. You'll find it easy If you keep to tills rond for about one mile." That afternoon Violet started. She reached the place and found It more beautiful than Matilda had said it was. Violet wandered around under the elms and then went toward the house. "I wonder If they keep the doors locked." she said to herself. 'T suppose sup-pose they do, but I'd love to go Inside." To her surprise, as she tried the door It opened. Going inside, she found herself in a large hall. "It won't do any harm If I do look around a little," she said to herself, so she cautiously opened a door nearby. near-by. Seeing nothing very Interesting In this room, she wandered on. All the rooms were luxurirusly furnished. After n while she went upstairs. Looking In one of the rooms she saw a bedroom. She crossed the room to glance nt herself in the mirror so as to fix her hair. Whnt she saw, however, how-ever, was a young man lying on (be bed and apparently fast asleep. lie was dressed in a dark blue suit. Instantly In-stantly Violet thought of the Mr. Roberts Rob-erts of whom Matilda bad spoken She supposed lie Ijad arrived, today and, feeling tired, had lain down. And then to her horror she found she had to sneeze. She started for (Indoor, (In-door, mul ing funny little noises. She had just time to get out of the room and cover her face with her handkerchief handker-chief before she sneezed. She was just beginning to go down the stairs on tiptoe when the door opened and the man came out laughing. "I suppose I should have told you that I was not asleep," he said, "but I beard somebody coining upsjalrs. and you can Imagine my surprise when you came In. I (nought I'd burst when you had to sneeze." "Are you Mr. Roberts?" asked Violet. Vi-olet. "I am. and you 7" "Miss Barclay," she said, smiling. Soon (hey were talking as If they bud known each other all their lives. After (his they saw each other often and It was not long before Ralph risked Violet to share his lieauttriil home wllh blm, and because she hud already begun to love Elmhurst and also lis owner, she did not refuse. (Copyright. IIS. hy M'-flure NewiiiT Hyn'll'-atn.) |