Show Carolyn o oBY l of the Corners BY RUTH BELMORE ENDICOTT i i Copyright 1918 ms by nose Dodd sew a Company Inc IDa I I CHAPTER Continued Continued 17 17 No I should say they're not Aunty Rose lose observed with grimness Far from it Its It's a fact I wouldn't have believed it if jf T i hadn't seen it with my myown myown myown I own eyes Holding Ro hands In there like Uke a pair of of- of Well do you know what It means menns Carolyn May That they love each euch other the child said boldly And Im I'm so glad for them 1 So am I declared the woman still sUll sUllIn In a- a a But It means changes here Things Thing's wont won't be the same for forlong long I know Joseph Stagg for what he is What Is he Aunty Rose asked Carol Carolyn n May in some trepidation for forthe forthe forthe the seemed to be bo much moved Hes a very determined man On Once he hc gets set in a avay way vay he be carries evor everything every every- thing before him Im Mandy Is going to be made Mrs Joseph Stagg i so quick that it'll astonish her Now yc you believe me Carolyn May I Oh 1 wl was wa's s the little girls girl's comment Therell be changes here ver very su sud- sud den Twos company threes three's a crowd Carolyn May Never was a truer sa say say- ing Those two will want just each other and other and nobody else Well Carolyn Carol n May If youve you've finished finIshed fin fin- your supper wed we'd better go up t to tobed bed Its It's long past your our bedtime Yes Ies Aunty Rose said the little girl gir in muffled voice Aunty Rose did not notice that Can Caro- CaroI Carolyn Caro- Caro I lyn n May did not venture to the door c of the sitting room to bid either Uncle Joe or Miss Amanda good The Th child followed the woman upstairs with wit faltering steps and in the unlighted bedroom that had been Hannah Stagg Stagg's sh she knelt at Aunty Roses Rose's knee am and murmur murmured d fer her usual petitions Do bless bles c Uncle Joe and MIss Mis Amanda now they're so happy wa waa was wasa a phrase that might have thrilled Aunty Rose at another time But sh shwas she was so deep in her own thoughts that tha she heard what Carolyn May said per per- With her customary kiss she left lef tb the little girl and arid went downstairs Carolyn Carol n May Mar had seen so much excitement excItement excitement excite excIte- ment during the day that she mIght have been expected to sleep at once and that soundly But it was not so The little girl lay with wide open e eyes es her imagination at work Twos company y threes three's a crowd She took that trite saying In which Aunt Aunty Rose had expressed her own OWE feelings to herself If Uncle Undo Joe and Miss Amanda were going to be married married mar mar- ried they would not want anybody else around Of course not 1 I And what will become of me thought Carolyn May chokingly All the emptiness of the last few months swept over the soul of the lIttle little lit lIt- tle tie child chUd in a wave that her natural cheerfulness could not withstand Her anchorage In the love of Uncle Joe Joeand Joeand and nd Miss Amanda was swept away The heart of the little child swelled Her Hor eyes overflowed She sobbed herself herself her her- self to sleep the pillow muffling mulling the tha sounds more forlorn than ever be- be before before fore fote since she had come to The Cor Cor- ners CHAPTER t i The Journey It was certainly a fact that Amanda Parlo v immediately usurped some power in the household of the Stagg homestead She ordered Joseph Stagg not lo to go down to his store that next day And he did not I I hur l ur could he attend to business for forse sew sew-al se days thereafter He was too sti stiLt and lame and his burns were too painful Chet Gormley came up each day for instructions and was exceedingly full of business A man would have to be beer bevery bevery er very exacting Indeed to find fault with the Interest the boy displayed ed In running running run run- ning the store just as his employer desired de de- sired It to be run I tell you ou what it Js s Carlyn Chet drawled In confidence Im mighty sorry Mr Stagg got hurt like he did But lemme tell you its it's just given me methe methe methe the chance of my life Ilfe 1 Why maw says that Mr Stagg and Miss Mandy git married for sure now 1 I Oh yes es sighed the little girl b be married Well when folks git m married they allus anus so go O of off on a a. trip Course they will And me Ill me-I'll Ill I'll be the business business business busi busi- ness ness all by myself It'll be great 1 I Mr fl Stagg Stagg- will Stagg-will will see jest how much value alue I 1 Ibe Ibe be to him Why It'll be the makIn of me 1 cried the optimistic youth Yes Carolyn May heard it on all sides Bides Everybody was talking about the affair of ot Uncle Joe and Miss fiss MissAn MissAn An anda unda Livery Every time she saw h her Eer r uncle and her pretty lady together the observant observant observant ant child could not but notice that they were were ere utterly wrapped up in each other Miss Amanda could not go past the eary chair In which the hardware dealer deala deal deal- a D er was enthroned without touching R him Hint lIe He as bold as ns a boy x j seize her hand had and kiss It Love u a mighty warm throbbing spirit had cau caught ht them up and swept them m away out of ot themselves themselves out out of their 01 old 1 selves elves at least They had bad 0 T c eyes es only for each other thoughts other thoughts only for each other Even a child could see something of this The absorption of the two made Aunt Aunty Roses Rose's remarks very impressive to Carolyn May 1 A week of this followed followed-a a week In which the trouble In Carolyn Mays May's heart and brain seethed until it became became became be be- came unbearable She was convinced that there would soon be no room for her in is the big house She watched Aunty Rose puck pack her own trunk and the old lady looked very glum Indeed She heard whispers of an immediate marriage here In the house with Mr Driggs as the officiating clergyman I Carolyn Carol n May studied things thing's out for i herself Being a child her conclusions conclusions conclusions were not always wise ones She felt that she might be a sturn- sturn wing block to the Ute complete happiness of Uncle Joe and Amanda Parlor They might have to set aside their ow own desires because of her She felt vague vague- vaguely ly Jy that this must not beI beI beI be I can go home she repeated ove over and over oyer to herself Home Heme was still in the New York Tor city apartment house where she ha had lived so happily before that day when her father and mother had gone aboard the Ill fated Dunraven Their complete loss out of the lIttle girls girl's life had never become fixed ii In her ller mind It had never seemed a surety suret not not even after her talks tall with th the sailor Benjamin Hardy Friday afternoon the little girl wen went to the churchyard and made neat the tin three little graves and the one longone longone long loni one on the plot which belonged t to Aunty Aunt Rose Kennedy She almost almos burst into tears that evening too when she kissed Aunty Rose gooc good goodnight goodnight night at bedtime Uncle Joe was dowiat down at the He and Mr actually smoked their pipes together In harmony on the cottage porch Aunty Rose was usually an early riser but the first person up at The Corners on that Saturday morning was Carolyn May She was dressed a full hour before the household was usually astir She came downstairs very softly carrying the heavy bag she had brought with her ller the day she had first i iI ii i I Rl J 1 1 IM I q 1 Lj 1 4 he The Brakeman Was Waa Nice Too and nd Brought Her Water In a Paper Cup come come ome to The Corners She he had her purse In her pocket with all her money In n it and she had in the bag most of her necessary possessions She washed her face and hands Her hair was already combed and neatly raided braided From the pantry she secured some ome bread and butter and with U s sIn In do n her hand unlocked the porch do door r rand and nd went out Prince got up yawning and nd shook himself She sat on the steps tops to eat the bread and butter di- di dividing dividing viding iding it with Prince This is such a beautiful place Princey she whispered to the mon- mon grel rel We are going to miss it dreadfully dreadfully dread- dread fully ully I spose But then then then- Well VeIl well we'll have the park Only you cant can't run un so free there Prince whined Carolyn May got up and nd shook the crumbs from her lap lop Then hen she unchained the dog and picked up her bag Prince pranced about bout her glad to get his morning run The little girl and the dog went out ut of the gate and started along the road oad toward Sunrise Cove The houses had all been asleep at athe atThe atThe The he Corners So was the cottage cottage cot- cot tage ige when she trudged by She would have ave liked to see Miss Amanda to kiss Iss her just once But she must not think of that 1 It brought such a feeling into her throat Nobody saw Carolyn May and Prince until she reached Main street Then the lie sun had risen and a few early per- per persons persons sons sons ons were astir but nobody appeared who rho knew the child or who cared anything anything any- any thing about her At the railroad station nobody spoke to o her for tor she bought nc- nc ticket She was as not exactly clear in her mind about bout tickets anyway any She had found the lie conductor on the train coming up from rom New York a kind and pleasant man lan and she decided to do all her business with him Had she attempted ath to buy a ticket of f the station agent undoubtedly he would Quid have made some Inquiry As it was when the train came camo along Camlyn Carolyn Carolyn Caro Cam lyn May after seeing Prince put Into the baggage car climbed aboard with the help of a brakeman Of or course if he howls awfully she ehe told the who gave her a check without question I shall have to go I In that car and sit with him There were not many people In the car They steamed away from Sunrise Sunrise Sunrise Sun Sun- rise Cove and Carolyn May dabbled her e eyes es with her hel handkerchief and told herself to be brave The stations were a long way apart and the conductor did not come through for some time When he did open the door and come Into the tiie car Carolyn Carol n May started up with a grad cry It was the very conductor wh wh had been so kind to her on the trip up from New York The railroad man knew her at once and shook hands most heartily with her Where are you going Carolyn May he askedAll askedAll askedAll asked All the way with you sir she ehe re re- plied To New York 1 Yes sir Im I'm going home again Then Ill I'll see you later he said without asking for her ticket The conductor remembered the IIttI girl very well alth although ugh he did not remember all the details of her story He was very kind to her ber and brought her satisfying news about Prince Inthe inthe In la lathe the baggage car The brakeman was nice alee too and brought her water to drink in a paper cup At l lust last st the long stretches of streets at it right angles with the tracks appeared ap ap- ap- ap asphalt asphalt streets lined with tall apartment houses This could be nothing nothing noth- noth ing ng but New York city Her papa had told old her long ago that there was no nother other ther city like it in the world She knew new One une Hundred and ty-fifth ty street and its elevated station That was not where she had boarded the train goings going north when Mr Price had placed her l In ili the conductors conductor's care but It was nearer her old home that home thai she knew So she told the brakeman she wanted to get out there and he ho arranged to have Prince released The little girl alighted and got her dog without misadventure She was down on the street level before the train continued on its Us Journey down down- town At the Grand Central terminal the tho conductor was as met with a telegram sent from Sunrise Cove by a certain frantic hardware dealer and that telegram telegram telegram tele tele- gram told him something about Carolyn Carolyn Carolyn Caro Caro- lyn May of which he had not thought to ask CHAPTER The Home of Carolyn May It was some distance from the railroad rail ran road station to the block on oil which Carolyn May Cameron had lived all allier her ier life until she had bad gone to stay with Uncle Joe Stagg The child knew she me could not take the car for the conductor conductor con- con ductor ductor- would not let Prince ride She started with the dog on his leash cash for he was not muzzled The bag ag became heavy y very ery soon but she staggered along with It Her disheveled appearance with the bag and the dog gave people who vho noticed her ber the impression that Carolyn May had been away perhaps for or a fresh air vacation and was now ow coming home brown and weary to o her expectant family But Carolyn May knew that she was coming home to an empty apartment apartment- to o rooms that echoed with her mothers mother's mothers mother's moth moth- ers er's voice and In which lingered only memories morles of her fathers father's cheery spirit Yet it was the only home she felt that hat was left for her She could not blame Uncle Joe and Miss liss Amanda for forgetting her Aunty Lunty Rose ROEe had been quite disturbed too oo since the forest fire She had gIven the little girl no hint that provision provision pro- pro vision ision would be made for h hr r future Wearily Carolyn May traveled through the Harlem streets shifting the he bag from hand to hand Prince pacing lacing sedately by her side Were getting near home now Prin coy cey ey she told him again and again Thus she tried to keep her heart up She he came to the corner near which she had iad lived so long and Prince suddenly sniffed at the screened door of a shop Of course poor fellow I That's the butchers butcher's Carolyn May said She bought a 11 penny aft afternoon paper paper pa- pa per cr on a news stand and then went Into ito the shop and got a nickels nickel's worth of f bones and scraps for the dog Th Tha clerk lerk did not know her lieI for fOl he was wa waa a new man TO BE CONTINUED |