Show CLARK Nf D 10 W anu N V SE V I 1 C C 4 THE STORY THUS FAR fani while voyal ing from england Ene lanil to america lark larh shannon ship phlp goes down she li is cast upon an island and galt gait withe a bound ant rescues her at the inn where she he li Is taken the she li Is made prisoner but escaped and li Is found aund by iser her sweetheart david north who Is disguised as a cipy gipy to get a line oi on one dr matson blatson and hit his thady shady dealings deall nes lark larh and galt gait tall fall into the hands ot of dr matson and at a he requires each male tipsy to pass pas before bedfor e him and her in review lark li Is required ree quiren d to say that li Is not david north I 1 As the last lant man passes in front aront of 0 her lark taints faints lark and galt gait escape from dr matson on swift horses and make their way to norfolk CHAPTER XV mara said dont be ridiculous air where would you go lark said oh galt gait I 1 dont know what to do im so tired I 1 could die come child maras tone softened a little now ill send cupole up with the kettles feel better after youve had a bath and a nap dinner is at three meet tny my sisters then and well discuss sensible plans tor for your future dinner was something of jon an ordeal the food was sparse and not very well flavored lark thought but in spite of that fact she ate it with keen relish the eyes of the misses hastings seemed to say my what greedy young peopled a as th they ey watched lark and galt gait accept cup urgings of second and third helpings hellings hel pings lark herself felt extremely young untutored and hoydenish as she accurately folded her fringed napkin in emulation of the misses hastings they were she supposed forever conscious of having to be an example to the young how trying that must be she thought on the impulse she fhe said id thought maybe I 1 could help out with the teaching miss hastings david suggested that but now I 1 wonder 1 I dont think captain north quite realized the situation mara began choosing her words carefully nor folk is an extremely conservative town my sisters and I 1 cater to td its most select clientele the two older misses hastings inclined their heads condescendingly lark knows a lot galt gait said truculently ashes a parsons daughter and can read whatever ashes a mind to lark smiled at him gratefully as mara said well give her a trial mr withe my sisters and I 1 wish to accede to captain norths requests in every way indeed we do miss sara broke in enthusiastically hes such a lovely lovely gentle gentleman manill I 1 mara rose with a frown ana motioned lark to follow her into the adjoining room where th the h hum 0 of f young voices could be her heard gait 1 t excused himself to see to the horses the children shuffled to their feet as their entered and stood at attention like little puppets their clothes were exact duplicates of their mothers and fathers and they were prim faced and solemn A pale shadow of a teacher ro rose e quickly from behind her high desk dek and bowed nervously mi miss s mimms mara said this Is your new assistant you may put her in charge of your classes while I 1 observe her capabilities she seated herself at the desk while the startled miss mimms whispered instructions to a bewildered lark and handed her a rhetoric book at the end of an houy hour lark was quite ready to acknowledge lidge her inadequacy as a teacher the children had tripped her on many points end and feeling her lack of poise and assurance had behaved like thoroughly undisciplined young cubs 1 I failed IV I 1 lark lifted discouraged eyes to maras unemotional face 1 I know what it was going to be like any of this I 1 thought david would be here that he would be so glad to see me I 1 dont know why I 1 thought welcome me that there would be a place for me I 1 guess I 1 was stupid to think that mara stood looking down at the younger girl 1 I do welcome you she said still with her air of complete detachment any friend of my flance fiance captain worth is naturally welcome under this roof lark said ohl in a flat small voice and sat down quickly on a nearby near by bench 1 I know I 1 thought it was then that cupsta who had been eavesdropping came forward and with a black look at mara put a kindly arm about larks waist and helped her to her feet you come down to my cabin chile she laid tenderly youse kin see it aint much but such as it is its open to you an young master id be proud to home you mara said sharply Cups cupsie le you borget yourself miss shannon is our guest buest take her to be bed d at once give her a glass of win wine e we will can call dr selden to see to her lark said miss hastings nothing I 1 do seems to please you Is it because you think david loverme lov esme I 1 know now that he its ita taken ken me a long time to realize that ile he very frank with me or perhaps I 1 just believed what I 1 want id to believe and because I 1 loved tarn m inca I 1 was a little girl earl imag ined that he was a different man from the one he Is I 1 thought that things would be right and happy between us I 1 understood that you were just a kind friend to him 0 an n older woman who was fond of him and whom he admired hall half an hour later the adieux were made in the square parlor galt gait offered one of his remaining gold pieces as payment for their entertainment the misses hastings declined it haughtily and lark took it and gave it to cupole whose flawd bless you honey lent the one pleasant and warmhearted warm hearted note to ay a painfully sinfully strained leave taking for some time after they left mara hastings gloomy square house lark and galt gait rode along quietly the hoofs of the mare dosta and red baskall echoed softly on the street the towering rusty magnolias drooped stiffly over them lark could sense gaits sympathy with her his embarrassment for her turned out by mara unwanted by david once he said lark I 1 take what mara hastings had to say too much to heart maybe if wed waited till north came back from baltimore lark said oh loidl do we have to talk about it galt gait im sorry they pulled th their air horses up to walk the curving steep hill ahead theres no call to be sorry I 1 think mara hastings was lying about being engaged to north no lark said she david was funny about her in eng 41 at I 1 A I 1 8 k u ra a I 1 ki j Is 0 it was four when they stopped to rest land if id used any sense at all I 1 would have known theres a point I 1 want to settle with you lark when if we get the hundred pound reward for thit horse gelald his hand on the ras kalls neck its yours you caught him and the way its lt going to be you really think id take it dont you why lark honey why lark send forty pounds to matson lark said shortly youre certainly not going to run any risk of him or the vurness malting making a claim on your service again I 1 wont let you wont you amusement was in his voice there was surely nothing of the bound boy in galt gait now the change subtle at first was plain in his look his talk hla his manner he said ill get work and send matson his money dont you fear the thing im afraid of Is that you dont realize what youve done for me lark for heavens isake bake dont thin kyou have to try to make me feel bet terl I 1 do anything for you and please dont tell me idida been trying to get away from that place tor for years one day have made it I 1 help you I 1 slowed you down have caught the horse alone you dad help me get away galt gait said quietly and you caught the horse but I 1 maan mean that lark maybe I 1 quite tell you bat what I 1 do mean you mean you feel sorry tor for me it do any good for me to ask as k you not to yet the last lad th thing ing anybody wants galt gait said 1 I do feel sorry tor for you lark but not that way not mot the way you mean I 1 feel sorry that the things you want arent put into your hands im sick and sorry I 1 cant put them there I 1 want to so very badly why I 1 hope be slow to believe mara hastings when north comes 1 I dont want to see him lark said oh galt gait I 1 awant want to find and some ome place to go some work to do because david wl will U come and hell feel bad about my leaving maras and the way I 1 acted that showed how I 1 felt jealous and hurland hur tand you acted all right tow toward rd mara hastings galt gait snapped gaits easy silence made talk easter easler tor for lark gave her the release of words plain words sometimes I 1 think david does care about me Sometime sI know he yet I 1 come came to this new land without any plan of my own beyond david I 1 picture it see it I 1 mean the way we see that valley down there or saw the town of norfolk or the oyster coast it was just big and fresh and wonderful with no form or detail I 1 could vision galt gait said lark you tor for a minute think about letting me take care of you I 1 ne mean an all the time lark I 1 know ive got nothing compared to north but when I 1 try to think of a a better thing than working to care for you lie he hushed bushed watching her face lark said gently ill never forget the way you have cared for me already galt gait 10 he pulled up red baskall from munching weeds headed down hill weve got twenty five miles to go hebald he said that doctor fellow said we miss Great ways and you said squire terraine Terr alne was friendly to you on the boat ile he might know the very thing for you to do he here re lark and have a little money and dostale yours youre not to fret you know that it was about four our when they stopped to rest a while in a shady grove below a mill they unbridled the horses supping slipping on their soft rope halters tethering them to a young tree taking off the saddles saddies and laying them in the deep shade to cool near a rocky stream the girl and boy walked to the stream and cupped up the cool water drank and drank again lay down adwa in the deep fragrant grass in the shade of a huge gold sycamore that was losing its bright leaves the afie old tree warm sleepy contented stood with its feet in the water its ts big bald body bleached by the october sun behind it the water rushed over the dam losing itself in the deep pool reuniting here with the sullen leaf flecked brown water of the mill race lark said 1 I wish we have to go on I 1 wish we could just stay here forever the horses were tethered on long ropes red baskall went quite far into the water quite deep into it until only his head was above it his breath ruffled the water galt gait pushed up watching him ill hate to give him up wont you gait lark galt gait said listen lark it if red baskall really belonged to us the way you said it just now we could raice him and breed him he shows his blood lines if he belonged to us while youre about it lark said why not pretend that big farm we just passed belonged to you you said belonged to us a minute ago all ali right suppose we own owned edthe the whole valley and all the horsell hors esl ke he sighed 1 I remember when I 1 was wa little my father got me a chin co teague pony I 1 thought id burst with pride I 1 used to love to keep him nice he was waa a right pretty little pony at that A man wearing a big dusty smock came out of the mill door and stood on the tiny bridge over the race looking down at the two by the creek bank when lark smiled he waved an and d cupped his hands and called strangers here galt gait nodded he got to his feet and shouted how far Is it to great ways plantation twelve mile cant miss it two hills and then dawes perry place couple mile from minnie nie Bux trees tollgate toll gate and then youre headin for Great ways Y you out goin to the wedding big weddin up to Great ways I 1 hear tell miss dana an ills his voice was lost in a breeze that rustled the sycamore leaves and stirred the water he called something else unintelligible and waved again disappearing into his mill she and galt gait rode at a good clip until they saw the black shadow of the tollgate toll gate bar far ahead there was a foot path that dipped into a ravine nearby near by and seemed to skirt the gate they turned their horses there a quarter mile from the tollgate and the low rambling whitewashed house on the very lap of the pike lark could see a man in a straw jimmy and overalls guarding the gate could tee see a white chicken strolling leisurely across the narrow porch of the house then the ravine dipped below the level of the road the path cutting away among blackberry bushes andun and undergrowth der growth they followed it for some time and then lark riding ahead reined dosta in sharply something was blocking the path just ahead just beyond a big russet apple tree it was something enor inous and dressed in violent pink a figure shapeless and relaxed in w big split bottom chair set directly across the little path the woman la in the pink dress was minnie she was sleeping comfortably in tier her chair head back mouth open snoring deeply lark tried to turn dosta back qui etly tried to motion galt gait back but it was too late of course minnie minni 10 stirred leaped from her chair tow toward ard them shouting TO BE CONTINUED |