Show S lk I 1 G SAI SYNOPSIS the th tutor future of tho the still youthful and nd comely marcia howe recently released by death fro roni in her filling selfish elfish ausba husband ad Is a c conversational anve r sat ional tit bit among housewives of t th he little hamlet of wilton r eligible bachelors bachelor find and widowers also are interested te marcia despite her unfortunate un orf matrimonial experience finds pleasure in her life but Is lonely at times and has invited her late bus bands band niece sylvia hayden whom she b has never seen to visit her the girt arrives and marcia takes to her at once while sylvia expecting to set se a somewhat nomo what elderly aunt finds mar c ia more mar like a sister CHAPTER ir II continued 3 you bring a trunk but you yon are to make a long lon visit child 1 I 1 I sure that id want to sylvia replied you see gee I 1 was a wee bit afraid of 0 you I 1 had find no idea what you were like it if id brought my things id have been obliged to stay youre a cautious young person was SIar clas dry observation atwould serve you right if I 1 sent you home at the end of a fortnight oh please dont do that begged sylvia its in the alton city courier that I 1 have gone cast to visit reli relatives tives for a few weeks it if I 1 should come right back everybody would decide id stolen the family silver or lone done something thing disgraceful resides my trunk la 19 all packed locked strapped and ive brought the key added she with disarming frankness it can ba sent for in case 1 I see seel nodded marcia her lips curving into a smile in spite of herself 1 I said you were cautious dont you ever watch your own step As the myriad pros and cons she had weighed and eliminated before inviting her guest passed in quick review before marcias ilar clas mind she chuckled sometimes I 1 do the she conceded fridly CHAPTER III the village store grandiloquently styled by a red sign the wilton emporium was thronged thron ged with the usual noontime crowd it was a sull still gray day murky with fog and the odors of wet oilskins oil oli skins steaming alog rubber coats damp woolens blended with a mixture of tar coaree and tobacco smoke made its interior thick and stuffy long ago the airtight stove cad bad consumed such remnants of oxygen as the room contained the windows reeked with moisture the floor was gritty with sand these dis comforts however failed to be of consequence to the knot of men who rain or shine congregated there at mall mail time they were accustomed to them indeed a drizzle far from keeping the away rendered the meeting place unusually popular shuffling over to the counter where his friends were huddled zenas henry unostentatiously joined them yes yea siree therell be so methin doln doin in wilton now enoch morton the fishman fish man was saying that sand bars goin coin to be the center of the tha town if I 1 dont miss my guess therell there be moren charlie eldridge bisbin la the channel A laugh greeted the prediction chos seen berv her captala captain benjamin todd inquired 1 I have came the piping voice of lemuel gill me and becca rowed over from Bel BeUc leport port saturday the girls jasons niece all right sameli folks say though she looks no more like him than chalk like cheese A prettier little critter atwould lie be hard to find and ashes bead over beels in love with the place im almighty glad ashes come too tor for its goin to be grand for marcia barcla who must he lonely enough out there with only the setter fetler for company its hor her own fault she could have other companions was she so minded declared captain phineas taylor significantly antly oh we all know that chinea agreed the gentle lemuel uail theres plenty of folks han banker kerla ln to be comrades to marcia the only trouble la Is she ebe want lem em with this girl at her elbow sh shell ell want em even less I 1 reckon asaph holmes Inter interposed debbe ll ebbe still I 1 fl ger that aint a coln 0 in to discourage her admirers none why within the week Sil SI vias vlas b been e e n here I 1 happen to know marcias had four buckets of clams a catch of aloun ders an it a couple of cuts of swordfish presented to her ephream Ephr larn wise the mall mail carrier announced that stray bluefish blue fish of charlie must a swelled the collection some too put in lemuel when I 1 asked charlie what he done with it tie be owned he be left it over at the homestead lie said be never wanted to see another fish longs he lived that aint all the gifts the wid ders dera had neither volunteered silas nickerson the postmaster who now joined the group moren SI oren one lobsters been sneaked to barcla after dusk 1 I dunt so fo much mind folks makin friendly donations captain jonas baker declared with ith guilty haste in my opinion its right an proper thay should rut but when it comes to eleazer crocker whoa head of the fire department an undertaker as well coln over there tor for the entire evenin with the keys key to the engine house in till his pocket I 1 think the town oughter aughter take cake some nome action bout it IL spose there wu was to tx be a fire ere an him hemmed la in by joy by sara ware bassett copyright by the th penn rub pub co service the title tide side the channel the whole village might burn to the ground tore fore ever lie he could be fetched b home ome well anyhow im glad this niece ot of marcias come broke in lemuel gill ashes a pleasant little critter an will kinder stir things up oh theres no danger but shell do that all right Leni lemmy tny zenas henry drawled you can generally depend on a pretty girl to ralso raise a rumpus give her a month in town an shell most likely have all the male population cutten one an others throats fortunately both marcia and sylvia were at the moment too far out of earshot for this menacing prediction to reach them cut off by curtains of toe fog and a tide that foamed through the channel they were standi standing Ag in the homestead kitchen it was a room boasting space enough for an old fashioned brick oven an oil stove two sand scrubbed tables snow white and smooth as satin a high backed rocker cushioned in red calico braided rugs and shelves for plants A regal kitchen truly one that bespoke both comfort and hospitality before the fire stretched upon his side lay hal his body relaxed hla his eyes drowsy with sleep while from her vantage ground on the rocking chair above the tiger kitten winkle wee gazed watchfully down upon his slumbers it was sylvia however nho ho in a smock of flowered chintz lent the room its supreme touch of color she el I 1 11 lit 71 I 1 4 shet a pleasant little critter looked as if all the blossoms in all the world had suddenly burst into bloom binom and twined themselves about her slender body with her coming a new world had opened to barcla to see sylvia jauntily sweep aside old conventions to behold the dIffer different eat emphasis slie she put upon familiar problems to witness her audacious belittling of 0 issues issue 9 her elders had been wont to grapple gra aple with was an experience that continually shocked stimulated challenged and amused marcia found herself half balf reluctantly admiring this splendidly normal outlook this mixture of sophistication and her nieces novel and definitely farmed opinions for youthful though sylvia w was as she had personality character stratums stra tums ms of wisdom far in advance of her years A very intriguing companion barcla admitted one of whose many sided ness she would not soon tire now what shall our menu be mar cla dear she was asking her ber according to our compact it Is my turn to get the dinner anything but flohl marcia answered with a groan im so tired of saltwater salt suit water products it seems as it if never again could I 1 touch another but my dear if you will have a 11 stag line of nautical admirers what can you expect you must pay the penalty besides I 1 think youre ungrateful graf kul sylvia pouted 1 I lovo clams and other sea foods youve not had so many of them in your lifetime as I 1 have besides Bes idea I 1 suspect you are not telling the truth come cor confess dess arent you a wee bit fed u up on clams clam chowder monday night steamer clams tuesday noon clam fritters tuesday night and then that bluefish why it wa was big as a shark 1 I 1 used to t think hink I 1 it t would be romantic to be a lorelei aal an live deep down beneath the waves but this avalanche of elsh 1 1 despairingly she shrugged her shoulders sylvia laughed 1 I dont feel at all like that ive had a feast of fish and enjoyed it 11 but it if I 1 were to express a preference it would be for the hard shelled suitors do select one of those for a husband marcia begged she whimsically the others are all very well indeed that bluefish swain was magnificent in his way but me for the crustaceans Sylv sylvia lal 1 you absurd child just consider the clam character for a moment so silent so close mouthed neier stirring up trouble tir nr wanting to be out nights in in illy opinion he would be tin nn ideal help matsi loata yet not sensitive either j ous marcia do marry one of the clams I 1 sylvia you are ridiculous f marda protested you yon forget I 1 am your aunt my mistake I 1 did forget it ill 1711 confess and what more I 1 probably always shall to roe me you are just i j girl id be bead over oscr heels beels in love with it if I 1 were a marl man I 1 dont blame all the clams lobsters and flounders for flocking over here acre to make love to your you stop talking nonsense but it nonsense ita the truth you tou certainly are not deluding yourself into thinking these men come gallivanting liv out here over the flats with the mere philanthropic purpose of seeing you dont starve starre to death do you sylvia demanded perhaps they come to see you hedged marcia feebly me I 1 now marcia pray do not resort to deceit and attempt to poke this legion of mermen off on me As a re rel nUie lathe I 1 insist on having baying a truthful respectable aunt consider my youth it your christian duty to set me a good es example ample whether you wed any of these nautical worshipers or not Is your own affair but at least honesty compels you to acknowledge your property A shadow fleet as the rift in a summer cloud passed over marceas Mar clas face but transient as it was sylvia sensitively attuned nt tuncil and alert al ert to changes cli anges of mood in others other noticed it what a little beast I 1 am marcia she cried throwing her arm impulsively about the other woman farrl forgive For rl my thou thoughtlessness gh I 1 have hurt you for the world you know I 1 never saw uncle jason lie ile left home when I 1 was wag a child and Is nu no reality to me even mother remembered him film only as he was when a boy mother felt sorry hurt that ancl i jason should have left home as he did and never come back to see her if he was an impulsive hotheaded hot headed boy and she said he be resented her watchfulness and authority cut but even though he ran away in a moment of anger one would think years of absence would have smoothed away his resentment I 1 jason jason loved your mother marcia murmured in a voice scarcely audible 1 I am ain sure of that but it if he be loved her why he come to see her I 1 know it was a long journey but it if he be could only hava come once just once it would have meant so much men ilen are selfish unfeeling they forget replied marcia arcla SI bitterly you yoa give your life to them and ka tjien toss aside your love and devotion as it if it ft were so much rubbish the outburst sharp with pain burst from her involuntarily awing sylvia into silence what did she know of jason that dim heritage ot of her childhood of marcia of their life together she suddenly asked herself to cover the awkwardness of th the moment she bent to caress prince frince hal who had rhen and stood alert and listening beside her only an instant passed before marcia sp spoke oke a agian aln this time with visible effort to recapture her customary manner ina oDer suppose we have lobster newburg this roon noon suggested she rn ill get the chafing dish the matter hal old man you look worried dont tell me die you hear bear more fish swimming salm ming our way the nose of the setter quivered and going to the window he growled he does hear something asserted silvia what do you suppose it Is gulls most likely they circle above the house in clouds was siar mar clas cureless careless answer the prince regards them as his natural enemies ile he delights to chase them up the beach an and d send them whirling into the air apparently he resents their chatter again the dog growled almost lanm immediately dla tely a hand fumbled with the latch and as the door swung open a man staggered blindly anto the room he was barless bat ha less wet to the skin and shivering with cold and before siar mar cla could reach his side he burchel forward and fell at her feet quick sylvia close the door and heat some broth the poor fellow Is exhausted lies chilled to the bone who Is hel be no ko one I 1 know a stranger brin that pillow and help me to slip it under his head well let him rest when he Is a moment iier her fingers moved to the bronzed wrist lies iles all right she whispered just cold and worn out uell hell be himself presently she swept the matted hair lightly sprinkled with gray from the mans forehead and wiped his face an interesting face it was Int intelligent eill and highbred high bred with well cut tw fear tures and a firm determined chin A sweater of blue wool a blue serge suit socks of tan and sport shoes lo 10 0 o match them clung to the tall slender figure and on the band lying across it sparkled a diamond sunk in a band of wrought gold it was not the hand of a fis fisherman berman tanned though it was nor yet that of af a sailor there could be no doubt about that Pt nather ather it belonged belong ged to a scholar a writer a painter or po pos poi s sibly to a 11 in for it was as stron as uell ns as beautifully formed sylvia beut bent to adjust thi II dillu Ilu aina niini her ries eyes and marcia s imil who uis tills this iiii V lri up ennie III lir HO P rl I 1 |