OCR Text |
Show ti . i The Consolation Purse By MARTHA M. WILLIAMS i ti (CocyriKht.) T TTIIAT makes you ask me? You VV know I don't know," frotr Polly Prim, otherwise Miss Sarah-Mary Sarah-Mary Heath, the neighborhood gossip. "Because you somehow always manage man-age to guess mighty close to the facts," Lucy Bayley, her cross-examiner, twinkled wickedly. "I know this much the Negleys are claim-kin to you they were poor as church mice before the railroads sent Old Man Negley to congress. How did he get so rich in one term?" "Why, somebody struck oil on that old land down in Texas I thought everybody knew that," Polly Prim interrupted. in-terrupted. "So he got half a million out of the air, you might say," Lucy ran on. "The lies people tell !" from Polly Prim, casting up hands. "Mighty bad but it's truth that really hurts," from Lucy. "And this Is true my brother's got the inside dope a strictly private Investigation shows it." "Of course, he'll believe any lie against the Negleys, just because Arthur Ar-thur cut him out with Sue Gordon," Polly Prim exploded. Lucy laughed provokingly as she shook her head, saying: "That's not the Bayley way. We take what's coming, com-ing, win or lose, so long as the fight Is fair but cheating Is something else." Lucy was Just turned thlrty-flvie, tall, handsome, audacious, the last person to be suspected of sentiment, yet it was ache of love and loss that edged her disdain of the Negleys. Susie Su-sie Gordon, not yet eighteen, might have been her daughter but for n foolish fool-ish quarrel In her early youth. Leon Gordon had flung away from her, mad with anger and outraged pride, rich Maroella Train had caught him "in the rebound." married him out of hand, bore him this one child and died. At seventeen Susie was the joy, the pride, the very life of father and grandmother, the nntrel of all dreams to young Tommy Bayley, Lucy's only brother. Lucy hail had such Joy In the prospect of Leon's grandchildren owning her blood at last that It had been a crushing blow when young Negley had made Susie's acquaintance, acquaint-ance, and seemed almost Instantly to captivate her. Hi! was college bred and city bred Tommy n born land-lover, the moral and pattern of a fox-hunting squire of the elder time. Lucy was to crafty-wise to permit Tommy's blazoning abroad the startling star-tling Negley news. "We'll let Polly Prim do it." she counseled, being absolutely ab-solutely sure that Polly Prim would. "She'll think we've told and go everywhere every-where denying II," she said to Impetuous Im-petuous Tommy. She sent him to Florida with money In both pockets and an earnest request to stay there until It was spent. Polly Prim waited a week for further fur-ther moving on gossip's water then came the faintest ripple a line in the county paper that there might soon be startling developments In railway matters of special local Interest. In-terest. It set her off In full cry. Before she had made half the round of the countryside she had started something that rolled ns far ns Washington, Wash-ington, where Instantly It gathered volumes as It moved. Arthur sensed the peril of It and rushed to Wake Ways, the Gordon plantation, resolved re-solved Id marry Susie out of hand (tit whisk her nway to Kuropo with what remained of his share In the paternal loot. But he found her In-conveniently In-conveniently and conspicuously absent ab-sent In Floridn In ward of Granny Gordon and her dear Aunt Lucy. Arthur rushed South on the swiftest swift-est train. No trouble whatever to trail the Bayley out lit. Tommy's welcome was something to remember, as was that of his woinenkind. lie had said when Arthur's telegram came: "Remember, nil of you, this Negley fellow's under the harrow maybe ho deserves It, but we can't rub It In. Give him Ihe glad hand for a space we know he's due lo get his come-uppa nee after nil he's human " "How do we Imow?" from Aunt Lucy twinkling maliciously. Tommy stuck out his chin, saying: "Look at mo and judge." "No, I'm better worth looking nt," Susie had shamelessly Interrupted, then ran to hug her aunt. "Oh," said that lady, "so after all I've got a little now sister one I raised on purpose lo have her suit mo." "By spoiling her outrageously," Granny Gordon snlil, smiling through happy tears. Tommy grinned. "A line Job you did of II betwixt you. But I'll hear up, knowing V was born lo stand I rouble." Then happiness spilled over so lav-bihly lav-bihly 1 1 1 1 1 1 even when Arthur came there was no gloom, lie looked, nod undoi'Hlood what he saw, held bis tongue decently, and ended by having a gorgeous three (lay flirtation with n middle western belli-. ('niching them I ogi-l her upon his last nt'ler noon, mm the whole parly sal staring nl the moors by-coiirlcNy ornament-log ornament-log the track, Tommy will;. pored lo Sii-ile: "Your young man has got real nense nt'ler all. I.oalng the bb; prl.e, he cloe;in'l 1 1 1 mi In i ii n eonnol n I loll JMll :-." ".Nobody would eiei foolish you." Suale wild, smiling lliniigli I -y lug tin i-il to pool |