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Show I'll' -NA. '? WHITE A Now Romanco of i ho Storm Comrtrtj "DEAR CHILD!" Synopsis. Lonely and D'ienrtless, Tonnibel Devon, living on a canal boat with a brutal father and a worn-out. discouraged mother, wanders wan-ders into a Salvation army hall at Ithaca, N. Y. There she meets a young Salvation army captain, Philip MacCauley. Uriah Devon, Tony's father, announces he has arranged for Tony to marry Reginald Regi-nald Brown, a worthless companion. compan-ion. Mrs. Devon objects, and Uriah heats her. Their quarrel reveals that there is a secret between them in which Tony Is the central figure. Tony refuses to marry Reginald and escapes & beating by Jumping into the lake. She finds a baby's picture with offer of reward for its delivery to a Doctor Pendlehaven. With the Pendlehavens, a family of wealth, live Mrs. Curtis, a cousin, her, daughter and son, Katherine Curtis and Reginald Brown. Katherine Kath-erine is deeply In love with Philip MacCauley. Tonnibel returns the picture to Doctor John, and learns It belongs to his brother. Dr. Paul Pendlehaven. It is a portrait of Doctor Paul's child, stolen In infancy. in-fancy. Doctor John goes with Tony to the canal boat. Mrs. Devon is deeply agitated and makes Tony swear she will never tell of Devon's Dev-on's brutality. The older Devons disappear and Tony is taken into the Pendlehaven house as a companion com-panion to Doctor Paul. Philip saves Tony from Reginald, after a fight. Uriah appears, orders Philip off and locks Tony up in 'the canal boat. Philip again rescues her. - - 4 CHAPTER IX Continued. "When?" asked Philip, eagerly. "Today?" "To-day?" Tonnibel shook her head. "Nope," she replied wearily. "I'm dead beat out." "And I forgot that," cried the boy. "Tony, darling, will you will you kiss me before you go?" Two arms shot out and clasped around his neck. Two eager Hps met his in such passionate abandon that for a long time after Tony and Gussie hud-gone away toward the boulevard Philip MacCauley lay face downward on the shore, the sun peeping at him : lrom the eastern hill. Paul Pendlehaven lay wide awake In his bed, his sunken eyes' tilled with darkened sorrow. His brother had stayed with him the most of the night and now sat beside him. "Will . you sleep?" asked Doctor John. "I'll try," was the response. "I could If I knew where she was." Doctor John reached over and took his brother's thin hand. "The morning may. bring her back," he said soothingly. "And Paul, old man, if you worry like this, you'll be back where you were four weeks ago." The invalid sighed heavily. "I've grown so accustomed to her," he said in excuse, "and somehow since you told me of her people, I fear something some-thing may have happened to her." "We'll hope for the best," said John Pendlehaven, rising. "Now if I run down for a wink or two will you lie quietly while I'm gone?" "Yes," came In a breath, and true to his word, Paul Pendlehaven scarcely breathed for a long while after his brother went out. although his heavy gray eyes stared at the breaking dawn. If anyone had told him a month ago, he could have longed for any human being as he now longed for Tony Devon, De-von, he wouldn't have believed it. He dreaded the day without her dear smile bending over him. Perhaps she would never come back. At that thought he groaned. If he could only go to sleep. Only close his eyes His lids sank slowly down, and he slept fitfully. Mingled in his dream of Tony Devon came a sharp sound. That, like Tony, must be a dream, too, that sound that was out of the ordinary noises of the day, for although the sun had called into life the bees and birds. Ithaca still slumbered. The noise came again, striking against his nervous brain and waking him. Suddenly, with panting breath and healing pulses, he lifted himself on his elbow. The screen had fallen from the window and perhaps ten seconds sec-onds passed us he stared mutely at it. Then like a shot from a gun. Tony Devon sprang through the window into in-to the room, l-'or a moment the sick man gazed at her with mingled emotions. emo-tions. Something dreadful had happened hap-pened to her. She was so white, so wraithlike and changed, yet blotching the pallor of her face were reddish blue bruises. Then the bare feet took the distance between them In a bound. The dimples at the corners of her Hps lived a moment and were gone. When Paul Pendlehaven dropped back on the pillow, she spoke. "Me and Gussle's back." she said brokenly. "I climbed up (lie tree and got to the roof, fearln' to wake up j the other folks In the house." She sat j down beside the bed. "Somehow 1 knsw you'd b lookin' for me, sir." It was because she had passed through such a dreadful night and was so terribly tired that she cried a little as a child cries after it has been cruelly cruel-ly puuished. Paul Pendlehaven let his thin Iii.thI drop on the frowsly head. Tears stung his own lids like nettles. "Dear child," he breathed, "dear pretty child, I've waited all night for you. My God, what's happened to you ?" Tony covered her face with her hands. "Somebody beat me up," she moaned. "I ci.n't tell anything now. And I lost my pretty clothes." Sudden strength came to Paul Pendlehaven. Pen-dlehaven. He sat up straight and "forcibly lifted the pitiful hurt face so he could look at It. "Tony," he began gravely, "I command com-mand you to tell me what happened to yon. Tell me instantly. If I knew, I could ti.ke steps to punish the ruffian who dared to do this thing." That was just what Tony didn't want. Hadn't she sworn to Edith in the presence of the infinite Christ, that good Shepherd who had given up His life for His sheep, that no matter what L'riah did she wouldn't peach on hiin? The tears were still rolling down her cheeks from under lowered lids. "You hwve so helped me, Tony," continued con-tinued Pendlehaven, "and yet you refuse re-fuse to let me do what I can." She tried to think of something to comfort hiin. "But sometimes daddies and husbands hus-bands beat their women folks," she explained. ex-plained. "Then your father whipped you?" quizzed the doctor. "That I can't tell," said the girl. "Don't make me. . . . Oh, Lordy, I'm all tuckered out." It was of no use to put questions any more, thought Pendlehaven. He was persuaded that her father had done this dreadful thing. At eight o'clock, when Dr. John Pendlehaven softly entered the sick- g--'!'l'J'lifiriMJW-'t'''tJ'i'l B r i ? i . fAf ril 1 w ul ' vii I 1 Hi! ' ;w-' ?-. I i v 4 j! J 1 h '1 t 3 1 1 1 1 "Me and Gussie's Back," She Said Brokenly. room he found his brother in sound slumber, and Tony Devon, her face discolored with bruises, fast asleep in the chair by the bedside. It was a stubborn Tony that facet Docior John that morning. Adroitly he tried to draw from her the reason for her extreme paleness, for the dark marks stretched across her face, and the meaning of the shudders that suddenly sud-denly attacked her. "I can't fell," she reiterated in distress dis-tress as she had to his brother. "Please don't ask me." That her mother was dead, she firmly firm-ly believed. This she did tell the doctor doc-tor between many sobs and tears. "I'll never see her ever any more," she told him tremulously. "And if you'll let me, I'll live here forever and forever and take care of Doctor rul." "My brother can't get along without you. dear." he said, deeply touched. "If you had seen how he grieved last night, you wouldn't have made that remark." "I know he likes me." said the girl, sighing, "and I love him. Why, 1 love him " She searched the man's face and ci. light his smile. "I'etter than you do me?" he came In with. "Yes." said Tonnibel. honestly, "hut you next " Then she thought of 1'hlllp. of the hours he had held her against his breast, of the kiss in the morning's dawn, and she fell Into a bashful silence. When Doctor Pendlehaven fold Mrs. Curtis that Tony had returned, her face drew down in a sulky frown. "Put we needn't care," Katherine said afrorward, "she doesn't bother us much. For my part I can't see how Cousin Paul stands her." "John says Paul almo died last night," to.ik up Mrs. Curtis. "I sup- 1 pose she's one of the things we've I pot to stand In k house run by an old bachelor and a grieving widower." "To say nothing of a father with a daughter lost somewhere In the world," supplemented Katherine. "There's no danger of Caroline's returning re-turning after all these years," said Mrs. Curtis, "if if tlut girl hadn't come, Paul wouldn't have lived long. John told me so himself. I almost hoped that " "That he'd die?" Interrupted Katherine, Kath-erine, maliciously. "Well to be truthful truth-ful I have wished it aiany times. Cousin John would have to think of somebody else then. Perhaps he'd turn his attention to you, mother darling." "He won't while Paul lls-es," sighed Mrs. Curtis. "I don't know Jut what to do. I've thought of every ooncelv-able ooncelv-able way to get that glri out of th house, and John forestalls me every time." "I'm glad Philip hasn't seen her," remarked Katherine. "He's just the religious maudlin kind who would fall for art appealing face like hers." Mrs. Curtis made En Impatient gesture, and Katherine proceeded, "We can't deny she is appealing, mamma, even if' we hale her! And God knows I loathe her so I could strangle her with these two hands." She held up clenched fingers, fin-gers, then relaxed them and laughed bitterly. "Heavens! What's the use of butting our heads against a stone wall? . . Give me a cigarette, my dear Sarah. Philip won't be here until un-til night, and I can get rid of the odor before that." Meanwhile upstairs Tony Devon was fast getting back to her normal self. The blessed assurance she had that she was needed by her sick friend lifted her spirits. She grieved inwardly for her mother, but shuddered when she thought of her father. Now all ties were cut between them. She had no doubt but that both Uriah and Reggie thought she was dead in the lake. She hoped they did I She'd never see either one of them again. She was sitting thinking deeply when Paul Pendlehaven spoke to her. "Little dear," said he, reaching out his hand toward her, "come over a minute. I want to talk to you !" Tonnibel went to him instantly, " as she always did wdien he called her. "You will promise me something," he insisted, as his hot hand clasped hers. "Tony, don't go out again like you did yesterday.. I shan't be able to stand It If you do !" Tonnlbel's mind flashed to Philip. She felt sure he would go to the corner cor-ner of the lake every day to meet her, as he had gone to the canal boat. Yet as she gazed into the imploring eyes of her friend, site had no heart to deny him his wish. "I'm selfish, perhaps," the man went on, "but, Tony dear, if you want to go out, there's lots of cars In the garage, and horses In the stable. Won't you promise me?" Tony thrust the memory of Philip's face from her mind. She put the wish to be In his arms again, to feel his warm lips once more on hers behind her, and tremblingly smiled In acquiescence. ac-quiescence. "I promise," she said in a low voice, but a sob prevented her from saying anything more. CHAPTER X. The Stoning. Never before since he had taken up his work of redemption had Philip MacCauley found the hours so long and so difficult to live through. Day after day he canoed to the place Tony had promised to meet him, only to return re-turn to Ithaca more at sea than ever. He had the sickening idea that the girl he had grown to love was agaiu in the clutches of her brute of a father fa-ther and Reginald Brown. Tony, too, began to lose the high spirits that had returned almost immediately im-mediately after her escape from the canal boat. The gray eyes grew darkly dark-ly circled, the lovely mouth seemed to have lost the power to smile. Paul Pendlehaven noted all this with apprehension. He questioned the girl time after time, asking her if she felt well, if there was anything she wanted, but she always replied In the negative. One dav after they had had their dinner, he sat looking at her curiously. She was close to the window reading a book, when he caused her to look up by calling her name. "Run downstairs. Tony dear," he went on, "and tell my brothur to come up here before office hours, will you, boney?" The girl rose, laying 'aside her book. She dreaded venturing into Mrs. Curtis' Cur-tis' presence and shivered when she remembered the critical Katherine who looked her over with supercilious toleration tole-ration whenever they happened to meet. Rut she made no complaint and went slowly downstairs. The dining room door was closed, but the sound of voices from within told her the family was at. dinner. She opened the door slowly and stepped inside. For o?ie moment her vision was obscured by the fright that suddenly sud-denly took possession of her. As the blur cleared from her eyes, she saw John IVndleb.-iven smiling at her. Then j a sharp ejaculation from some one else ( swung her gaze from the doctor's face, ; and it s-cttled on Philip MacCauley. j "I thought, oh, 1 thought you were dead." (TO BIO CONTINUED.) I |