Show VIA ir vic V e n ute DODD awad in bleil JR ma ill CHAPTER VII continued is 18 oh I 1 what makes you think such a thing 7 A young teacher at william penn chool who la Is suspiciously ignorant of f these united states and occasionally when she on her guard falls into rather an english accent 1 ashes supposed opposed to be sam tons niece or cousin she lives at his farm and her name la Is ton but ashes quite unlike tho the other county teachers rather distingue a thoroughbred ough bred the only teacher in the county that ventures to cheek check met mel be grinned gracious dont let it make a prig of you this job of superintending super intending a lot of women teachers teacher sl I 1 its enough tol to I 1 i wont have hare you spoiled like that I 1 but your suspicions they seem rather fantastic dear I 1 yes res marvin gave it up 1 I suppose they do may I 1 see the photograph pleaser please mrs creighton pointed to a book on the table behind the couch holding a cabinet sized photograph near the table lamp lie he examined it eagerly it was the face of a girl of fifteen short curly hair fine features a sensitive mouth a serious rather melancholy expression undoubtedly there was a resemblance the same wide open innocent eyes and sensitive mouth and yet it was not definite or strong enough to be unmistakable by any means he could not feel sure far from it what resemblance there was might easily be a coincidence this photograph gave no suggestion of that vivid sparkle of his young teachers face her gay riot of color her charra charm it looked rather insipid and yet well asked his mother of course it your young teacher 1 I can hardly tell im not sure but Is there any resemblance she asked incredulously ye yes he answered hesitatingly yes tes there Is slay may I 1 keep this of course but marvin the t thing hing Is if too impossible 1 I suppose so look here mother will you call on miss bliss ton and see what you think about her notice her accent sometimes she seems to me to be deliberately disguising it ill I 1 but dear what possible excuse could I 1 give for calling on her she and aind the tons think it very queer id feel embarrassed I 1 but aside from my little suspicion rd id like you to call on her just because so BO worth knoN knowing vIng find her a lot more your kind than that quo non Ascend us crowd 1 nia ilia mothers ears detected something in his voice her swift glance saw something in his face that caught her breath all right dear suddenly she turned to him and clasped his hand almost convulsively oh marvin dear do you realize that if you took up op with a county school teacher a relative of sam ton that would be the last straw to your father 1 hed never never look at you again I 1 of course I 1 know that could not stop you it if you loved P marvin laughed dont worry dear I 1 youre the only girl ive ever been in love what makes you imagine rm im going to take up with miss bliss ton now perhaps she said rueful as she noticed that his bis face had grown red ive just put it into your head 1 perhaps you have he slowly answered perhaps if she our english cousin which she surely dearl dear living livin in at the ton farm and ad teaching that school andy sylvia st unthinkable 1 well if she it if sties shea just herself she certainly Is fetch fetching ingi 1 but if ashes the some n g more th than an mee meets ts the eye that I 1 half suspect I 1 touch her with tongs longs I 1 tut but why that unreasonable prejudice not deot at all it if ashes a tr tricky icky schemer out after our money ashes not the sort of girl she seems to be and its only the sort of girl she see seems to be that I 1 might fall for though I 1 hasten to assure you ive to no idea sd shed tall tail lor for me I 1 nis his mother laughed she had never yet met the girl who if given a chance would not fall for either one of her line fine sons and of course with the additional lure of their millions who could ree them surely not a county teacher of the ton breedt breed I 1 though of course she must be as aa marvin insisted far above her relatives or he could hardly find her so interesting and so presentable that he would ask his mother to call on her well this certainly needed looking looking antol she would lose no time in ca call ag ang on the young woman im curious to know mother Mot lier how size up miss bliss ton will you iou go to see fre her soon on monday Blon day what ume time will she be home from school ir school closes at four by the way war to avoid the curiosity of the farmers far mera family it might be better perhaps to call on her at her school just at closing 1 I time ill be glad to avoid the curiosity of the farmers family his mother as dented so it seemed that our young school mistress was booked for something of a reception at her schoolhouse school hoose at tour four on monday afternoon sir mr crelghton creighton plotting to visit her with will the determination to bundle her out of the neighborhood because ho be saw raw la in her the final and strongest hindrance to his sons desirable marriage with lady sylvia st croix mrs crelghton creighton planning to discover in the course of a friendly call whether the girl were no other than she whom her husband desired as his elder sons bride desiring it so 80 urgently that he would stop at nothing to gain its fulfillment the stage was all set it seemed tor for a scene dramatic enough to satisfy even neelys insatiable love of histrionics cs CHAPTER vill VIII ii neelys idea in addressing the county teachers on saturday morning at their monthly institute was not so much to be instructive and pedagogical as to be entertaining so she chose for her subject Shake women that title white while looking educational on the I 1 I 1 a 1 AM IMS A veil eIl asked aked the mother of bourga oursa it your young teach abr or program program would give her a chance chaale to riot in a dramatic orgy speeches ot of lady macbeth ila cbeth portia desdemona juliet she would have the time of I 1 her lie life lafel I 1 and as he would never see these women bome again the she need not bother with her a accent dicent which would be a great relief meely bad assured herself before launching forth that the superintendent en was not present and once she got going she was too transported frob from the world about her to notice towards the end of the session while she was giving the balcony scene that mr air crelghton creighton had slipped unobtrusively tru and alid quite noiselessly into a back seat when therefore the meeting being over and she putting on her wraps she suddenly saw him coming coining toward her across the length of the room she was startled and rather perturbed ive got my roadster out here ill drive you home he stated she did not quite fancy this form of axi X I MK X address why didat he ask her abeth or r lie be might doivo her hornet home oh I 1 wont trouble you the trolly trolley will take me nearly all the way she ib lightly dismissed him but my roadster will take you the whole way thank you no but why he asked surprised tin orm not going home I 1 thenh ill go la in to sunbury and od treat myself to a hotel meal and a cinema movie she h hastily corrected herself goedl im going to sunbury myself nave have lunch with me will you ill even go to see a cinema with you I 1 in her pleased surprise at uch such a jolly invitation for to be in marvin mariln Creigh creightonn tons company was rather perilously exciting and meely was lonely the she dropped her cool manner with rather startling suddenness and as seated with childish delight the flie day was clear the air delicious the roads in good condition earvins Marv Mar vIns ln car delightfully e easy and comfortable and meely freed from schoolroom school roo room drudgery and for the first time in weeks from the atmosphere of the ton household felt a sudden hilarious gayety gaiety a tingling in her blood such as she bad not experienced since she had undertaken the serious profession of the teacher ohl she laughed gleefully fairly bouncing in her seat what a lark I 1 it makes me feet feel young again I 1 me ale tool responded marvin his eyes snapping pedagogy could dry one up at the roots it ft if he conscientiously added one fight to keep it a living thing 1 I try not to take it too seriously said meely A shockingly imprudent thing to admit to your superintendent I 1 I 1 sup up pose he remarked ironically you look upon your work merely as a step ping stone to something else oh dear yes besl I 1 I 1 dont expect to be a school teacher all my bayst gracious I 1 A steppingstone stepping stone to marriage I 1 suppose what a good guesser you are I 1 but why be high hat about that womans comans place Is in the home it its not been tor for the past ten years yeara you are a back number I 1 you surprise me I 1 thought I 1 was ahead of my times because the she said with sad conviction im our ure I 1 make any man happy if I 1 had to do his housework r k will you tell me he inquired in a tono tone of dulcet gentleness why you adopt a pennsylvania accent when you talk to me and an english accent when you recite shakespeare oh she lightly responded just my platform iti manner anner ive acted quite a bit professionally he demanded startled both in private theatricals and professionally fessio nally what then made you yon ever turn to teaching working my way to hollywood marvin looked rather staggered for this knocked out his suspicion as to who she was and put a very wet blanket indeed upon a hope he was halt half consciously cherishing do you think ho he asked somewhat stiffly its right to use our schools as a steppingstone stepping stone for your ambitions eions rl id use every school in this county for rny my ambition it if id the chance to I 1 and all the trustees and even the superintendent himself now throw m me e out of your car I 1 take my job from ul me if you think me base and cl pledl I 1 dont caret care ive nearly enough money saved anyway to get to hollywood nOl lywood anyway I 1 believe I 1 could get gat there sooner by cooking my way out cooks earn so much more than college c ol 01 presidents in americal america 1 do your parents uphold you in this ambition of youral yours now you are a back number parents influence having passed out eleven years ago your parents are living Y yes e s where A perceptible pause reading many any brothers and sisters no my only brother was killed in the world war and m she stopped short she had spoken impulsively marvin wondered whether emotion for her slaughtered brother or something else had bad checked so abruptly her statement of 0 a coincidence ile he would test her a bit odd he remarked 1 I have an english cousin whose only son was killed in the world war and his only other child Is a daughter about your agel odd about it rather a coincidence dont you think why no there must have been thousands of such coincidences surely ITO TO BE BB CONTINUED X X X X X X X at X X X |