Show Y k ii n by 4 Y 7 7 J rY r 1151 f i A A i A V FY-V Po to r i. i s ft 9 MARTHAI MARTHA p oo ue ofle IO I- I OIS A y I V V JV f 4 ti r 44 iw oi 0 O MARTHA SERVICE k THE STORY THUS FAR Lovely Independent Autumn Dean returning home to British Columbia from abroad without her fathers father's knowledge stops at the home of Hector Cardigan an old family friend He tells her that she should not have come home that things have changed Arriving home at the Castle of the NorDS she is greeted lovingly by her father Jarvis Dean who gives her to understand that she Is welcome wel wel- come for come for a short visit Her mother former belle bene named Millicent Odell has been dead for years Autumn cannot understand her fathers father's attitude though gives Rives him to understand that she is home for good She has grown tired of life llIe in England where she lived with an aunt Her father gives a welcoming dance at the castle Autumn meets Florian Parr dashing well educated young man of the countryside Late in the evening c Autumn leaves the dance rides horseback to the neighboring ranch where she meets Bruce Landor friend and champion of her childhood da days s He takes her to see his mother an Invalid His father is 15 dead thought to have killed himself As soon as ns his mother sees Autumn she commands commands com com- mands Bruce to take her away that death follows In the wake of the Autumn is both saddened and perplexed by the Invalids Invalid's tirade Bruce apologetic can offer otter no reason for his mothers mother's attitude Autumn calls cans again on Hector Cardigan Cardigan- this time to find out the reason for tor Mrs Landor's outburst From his conversation she inferred that Geoffrey Landor killed himself because he loved MIllicent Dean her mother CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 5 5 There was no mistaking Hectors Hector's meaning He would say no more about it at present On the other hand his very manner was in itself a confession Autumns Autumn's question had been answered She had no desire to leave her old friend in an unpleasant unpleasant unpleasant un un- pleasant frame of mind She looked up at him and laughed Hector you old goose she said I ul believe you are almost angry After all all there isn't much that ei either either either ei- ei ther of us can do about it now Come along darling and show me your flowers In Hectors Hector's orderly garden at the rear of the cottage blue flags stood tall and brave cupping the sunlight Autumn stared at them and tried desperately to check the shaking uncertainty of her own heart it was in Bruce Landor's eyes that she had seen that same clean and gallant blue The moods which had attended Bruce Landor all day had been of two disconcerting extremes In one moment he would be swept up to heights of emotion as he thought of how Autumn Dean looked at him on their meeting last night the quick shy veiling of those luminous gray- gray green eyes of hers a concealment that had brought a strange throb to his blood In the next moment he would be in the depths remembering remember remember- ing how she had been beers sent away Wen Ven Autumn had gone he had done his best to soothe his mother and dissipate the fears that had beset beset beset be be- set her wandering mind When he had finally succeeded in getting her herto herto herto to sleep he had sat beside her for fora a long time reluctant to call the nurse from her room All his l life e it seemed Bruce Lander Landor Landor Lan- Lan dor der had been compelled to adjust 1 himself in one way or another to his mothers mother's humors He had scarcely known a day at home that had not been marred by her variable variable variable varia varia- ble temper that often flared up over 1 0 T. T I. I had 1 h hl the uie Ule merest merest tri iru I es e. e It 11 1 Il nau begun Ut UlI w wu en u uhe he was eight twenty eight twenty years ago now and and very soon he had grown in his pathetic boyish way to understand understand understand under under- stand that his mothers mother's sudden outbursts outbursts outbursts out out- bursts were her only means of preserving preserving preserving pre pre- serving her sanity after what had happened to his father that dashing dashing dashing dash dash- ing figure romantically and tragically ly limned in memory She must have loved Geoffrey Landor with a singular and rather awful intensity and Bruce could imagine the dreadful dreadful dreadful dread dread- ful scene in the hung birch-hung gully recurring to her with cruel suddenness sudden sudden- ness in the midst of some familiar task He could imagine her lifting her eyes from her sewing or from her work among her flower-beds flower and beholding again the stark verity of Geoffrey Landor lying face downward downward downward down down- ward in the shallow clear amber-clear creek his head lying downstream and the white stones under the water there becoming red as sullen gar gar- nets Out of his own young heartbreak heartbreak heart heart- break had grown a great pity and patience for her In all those twenty years Bruce had never heard his mother speak the name of M Millicent Odell Oden until she had spoken it last night His memory memory memory mem mem- ory of his father was on the whole very vague But he could recall one afternoon in summer summer summer-it it had remained remained remained re re- re- re with him like a vivid dream when they had ridden together down the filled birch-filled gully where they had gathered pocketfuls of rounded pebbles from the creek and Bruce had used them in the slingshot slingshot slingshot sling sling- shot his father had made for him He did not know how he had come com come cometo to think of his father and Millicent Dean as friends but somewhere in that dimly recollected past he had seen them riding together down some forgotten trail and his boyish fancy had clung to the picture so that he had rarely been able to think of them apart He remembered remembered remembered too the day when Jarvis Deans Dean's wife had died He had forgotten forgotten forgotten for for- gotten the words his mother had spoken that day but the bitter spirit I in which she had spoken them had lingered with his curiosity concerning concerning concerning concern concern- ing the relationship of the two women And now after nearly twenty years Jane Landor had once more spoken the name of Millicent Odell with a bitterness and hatred that time itself had failed to vanquish Of late he knew there had been something something something some some- thing almost fanatical in the proud manner in which his mother had spurned Jarvis Dean but Bruce had found some excuse for that in the haughty arrogance of the old Laird himself who for years had lived almost as a recluse in his formidable ble turreted house Jarvis Deans Dean's inner mner to the world in general U h ha been hostile people said ever since the death of his beautiful ul wife If Bruce was perplexed at the Lairds Laird's stony refusal to acknowledge him even as a neighbor there was at least some consolation in the fact that the dour treated everyone everyone everyone ev ev- ev- ev alike granting each a sort of individual eclipse with the extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary extra extra- ordinary power of his unseeing eye It was mid afternoon the light falling moist and sweet from the green of the hills into the curved valley where the Landor ranch seemed to hide in humility from its more magnificent neighbor the domain domain domain do do- main of Jarvis Dean The ancient willow weeping-willow trees drooped like a ceaseless lovely rain into their own own dark and earthy shadow and like a phalanx of tipped green-tipped paint paintbrushes paintbrushes paintbrushes brushes the long avenue of Lombardy Lombar- Lombar dy poplars stroked the sky swaying swaying swaying sway sway- I ing in a whispered rhythm from the corrals to the Landor ranch house In the tiny patch of sunlight that lay like a gilded shield between the house and the somber poplars Jane Landor's irises bloomed purple yellow yellow yellow yel yel- low and then again purple on each satin lip a brilliant sunny stain Jane Landor's hands would probably never never never nev nev- er trim those beds again Bruce thought as he strode down the walk leading from the house to the cor cor- rals The voices of the ranch hands the bleat of sheep the occasional barking of a dog were rarefied to unreality through the blue filament of the air From the woolshed came the whir-r-r whir of the shearing machine Two or three hundred sheep stood in the corral outside a ranch hand running them into the shed as quickly quick quick- ly as the signal came from within These were the pick of Bruce's flock of more than three thousand they were great year three-year-old Merinos their bodies richly He went into the shearing pen where the great tall hemp sacks were rapidly filling with wool As the nervous sheep passed from the hands of the shearer they were being being being be be- ing caught by the brander who gave cave each a sm smear ar from the the branding brush Bruce stood by and laughed at the ungainly look of a great- great horned ram as shorn of his magnificent magnificent magnificent mag mag- coat and duly branded he dashed to freedom When he had inspected the work and instructed his men Bruce went out and made his way to the small pasture back of the poplars where he whistled to his horse When he had saddled him he mounted and rode off to the southward to too visit one of his camps He found the camp deserted The flock he knew was grazing to the eastward close to the edge of the Dean property He caught sight of the sheep edging their way across the face of a h hill ll The herder was bringing them back to camp for the night Bruce rode out and circled to the rear of the flock where he found his herder at work with his dog bringing bringing bringing bring bring- ing up the stragglers and keeping the sheep on the move toward cam camp p. p Well be ready for your bunch tomorrow Ned he told the man Right sirl sir Ill I'll start em in first thing Bruce ran his eye over the flock nock Youve seen nothing more of that big coyote hanging around Im yell see little o 0 that one from now on on said the herder Them two shots I got at him day before yesterday come close to him away for keeps But since yere askin I di did hear som something thing this afternoon over on the Dean place Seemed like it was down there somewhere near the Gulch Gulch or or beyond You heard something Bruce asked It sounded like one o 0 them cats we get up in the hills sometimes sometimes- like a young-one young crin it was Did you go down to see what it was I went as far as the Dean place but I could hear I heard it once or twice after then an I could a swore it was a kid When did you hear it last an hour back back after after I 1 started headin for home I thought Id I'd come out in the even evenin in just to tomake tomake tomake make sure Bruce turned his horse about and looked eastward beyond the line that separated his own that of Jarvis Dean Perhaps Id I'd better ride down that thai way he said then bethought him self sell When he had been very much younger he had heard the men talk among themselves of the haunted I gully known as Landor's Gulch His I f herder had doubtless been loath to toI I venture too far that way alone I i Youre sure you YlI heard a cry o of 01 I v rr ITA rn Q sort ort Nt rl Bruce asked rIsked hin Oh indeed I did sir As I say- say like a young-one young it was Ill go down and take a look said Bruce and rode away At the entrance to the ravine Bruce swung his long body out of the saddle and walked slowly into the birches letting his horse wander wander wander wan wan- der off to nibble the sweet young grass On a little rise of ground he stood and listened The shimmering air held a sad stillness even the coquettish young leaves of the birches drooped in a melancholy quietude He had been standing there only a moment when from somewhere deep within the birches came the tiny bleat of a lamb Iamb Bruce knew it could not be one of is own flock Ned was too experienced a herder to permit any of his wards to stray Besides the sound had come from well within the land of Jarvis Dean The responsibility was not his and yet yet yet-he he stepped down from the rise of ground and strode through the birches till he came to the creek He followed the shallow stream downward until he came at last to the fatal spot which he had marked years ago and which he had visited occasionally during the summers that had come and gone since his boyhood the boyhood the spot where the sheepherder sheepherder sheepherder sheep- sheep herder had found the still form of Geoffrey Geoffey Landor lying in the shallow shallow shallow low creek He paused a moment and looked about him The light of the waning t ti J r r rd 1 a 4 I I I I r Ji I i iI I hope you will try to forget what happened last night afternoon was a pure amber sprayed with lacy leaf Here it was and on such a day as this that Geoffrey Geoffrey Geoffrey frey Landor had last looked upon the world he had loved He lifted his eyes suddenly at the sound of a childs child's whimper Only a afew afew afew few yards away hidden half-hidden behind the shining birches a small boy was leading a lamb at the end of a rope At first he could not believe his eyes But when he called and the boy turned his face toward him and began began began be be- gan to cry Bruce knew him at once It was the young son of Tom Willmar Willmar Will- Will mar Jarvis Deans Dean's foreman In a moment he had the boy in his arms I Why U Simmy Where did you come from he asked Simmy buried his face on Bruce's I shoulder and sobbed The lamb Iamb promptly lay down in the fern that grew beside the water Bruce laughed as he hugged the boy close Where in the world do I you think youre you're going Simmy he asked I want to go home Simmy sobbed I want to go home Sure you yop do Come along son and Ill I'll take you home Bruce comforted comforted comforted com com- forted him I He caught up the lamb under one I arm and carrying the boy on the theother theother theother other made his way quickly out of the birches and whistled to his horse Almost at the same instant he heard a womans woman's voice call caIl from the hilltop to the northward and I looking up he saw Autumn Dean riding toward him He hailed her herand herand herand and waited until she had come down downto to him and had dismounted beside him Where did you find him she asked Bruce Down DO there in the gully He looked as if he was getting ready to put up for the night Simmy you little imp Autumn said stretching her arms out for him Come to me darling Bruce surrendered his charge and stood by the lamb Iamb still in his arms while Autumn wiped the boys boy's eyes and cheeks with her handkerchief and kissed him to still his crying Dont cry darling Autumn will take sake you back home She looked at Bruce Could anything be sillier she said and laughed Momo Momo Mo Mo- mo you have in your arms The Themen Themen Themen men told Simmy that they were going going going go go- ing to dock mos Mo tail this afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and Simmy just wouldn't stand for it He ran off ofT to hide Mo-mo Mo in the hills He must have been gone for hours before anyone missed him How did you know where to look hit lur him Bruce asked We have young Dickie to tn thank itier I tier Jr ir that After all hands had made mude a frantic search about the place Dickie confessed he had seen Simmy Simmy Simmy Sim Sim- my go away in this direction and I rode out at once The men are scouring the hills I had no idea he would have come so far It uIt was sheer luck on my part Bruce told her One of my men was over this way and told me he thought he had heard a child cry cry- ing I took a run over and and and- Simmy you little idiot I Autumn scolded the boy We HWe might never have found you If it hadn't been for Bruce Bruce- She cuddled the |