| Show ir A ct the 1 ut e SERKE DODD MEAD A ak elen re mcirvin Mci rtin CHAPTER vil VII continued is 18 ohl oh what makes you think such a ebing A young teacher at william penn school who Is suspiciously ignorant of these united states and occasionally when she on her guard falls into rather an english accent 1 ashes supposed tup posed to be sam tons niece or cousin she lives at his farm and her name la Is ton but ibes ashes quite unlike the other county teachers rather distingue a thoroughbred ough bred the only teacher to the county that ventures to cheek me I 1 he grinned gracious dont let it make a prig of you this job of superintending super intending a lot of women teachers I 1 its enough to I 1 I 1 wont have hare you spoiled like thrift cut but your suspicions they seem rather fantastic dear I 1 yes gave it up 1 I suppose they do may I 1 see the photograph pl please ense mrs crelghton creighton pointed to a book on the table behind the couch holding a cabinet sized photograph near the table lamp 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 month and yet it was not definite or strong enough to be unmistakable by any means ue he could not feel sure far from it what resemblance there was might easily be a coincidence this photo photograph gave no suggestion of that vivid sparkle of its ills young teachers face her gay riot of color her 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 rut cut Is there any resemblance she asked incredulously yes he answered hesitatingly yes there Is may I 1 keep this of course but marvin th ething Is too impossible 1 I suppose so BO look here mother will you call on miss ton and see what you think about her notice her accent sometimes she seems to me ine to be deliberately disguising it I 1 cut but dear what possible excuse could I 1 give tor for calling on her she and the tons think it very queer id feel embar bawd I 1 rut cut aside from my little suspicion id like you to call on her just because ashes so BO worth knowing Ln owing find her a lot more your kind than that quo zon non Ascend Aseen dus us cro crowd will 1 his III 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 mamin man in dear do you reallie that if you took up with nith a county school teacher a relative of sam ton that would be the last straw to your father hed never never look at you again I 1 of course I 1 know that could not stop you if you loved man alarin in laughed dont worry dear loure the only girl ive ever been in love with what makes you imagine rm im going to take up with miss bliss cliton ton now perhaps she said rue fully tuly as the she noticed that ills his fare face had bad grown red ive just put it ft into your head bead perhaps you have he slowly answered tw ered perhaps if she our english cousin which slie she surely dearl dear liv ing at the ton farm and tea teaching that lady sylvia st croix unthinkable well it if she fhe it if ashes just herself slie certainly Is I 1 fetching 1 but if 11 sties the more than mets meets the eye cye that I 1 halt half suspect I 1 touch her vi with ith tongs I 1 bat bihy ihy by that unreasonable prejudice not at all if ashes a tricky schemer riner out after our money sties not the sort of girl she seems to bf be and its only the sort port of girl she seems to be I 1 might fall for though I 1 lii stin to assure you ive no idea shed glied fall tor for rod mel ills his mother laughed she had bad never yet met inet the hie girl who it if given a chance I 1 would no not ira fall for either one of her ber line flue sons pin and of course with the lure of their millions who ho rould could resist rei them surely not a county beuc lier of the breed I 1 of course slie she must be as martin insisted far above her rela ties or lie aoud hardly find her so sc intel estling and so EO presentable that be b would iak uk ills lil mother to call on her wol V cl tills this certainly needed looking cookii loo kii lulo silo she would lose no time in call lug ing on nn the llie yung wornie 1 im I m curious to know mother lion bois sze stze up bliss ton wll will ou go to 0 o bee ae her soon on monday what time will she be home from school school closes at four by the way to avold the curiosity of the farmers family it might be better perhaps to call on her at her school just at closing time ill be glad to avoid the curiosity of the farmers family his mother assented so it seemed that our young school mistress was booked for something of a reception at her schoolhouse at four on monday afternoon mr crelghton creighton plotting to laft her with will the determination to bundle bund leber her out of the neighborhood because he saw 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 urgently that he would stop at nothing to gala gain its fulfillment the stage was oil all set it seemed tor for a scene dramatic enough to satisfy even neelys insatiable love lore of histrionics tri onles cs CHAPTER vill VIII ulelya 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 tor for her subject Shake women that title while looking educational on the y I 1 W I 1 6 atas well asked the mother adf of course it your young teacher program would give her a chance chaale to riot hot in a dramatic orgy spec speeches elies of 0 lady macbeth portia desdemona juliet she would have the time of her life I 1 and as ale he would never see these there women again she need not bother wito with her accent which would be a great relief meely had assured herself before launching forth that the superintendent was not present anti and once she got going she was too loo tralis transported ported from the world about her to notice towards the end of the session while the she was giving the balcony scene that mr creighton had slipped unobtrusively tru and quite noiselessly into a back seat when therefore the meeting being over and abe putting on her wraps she suddenly saw him coming toward her across the length of the room slie she was startled and rather perturbed ive got my roadster out here ill drive you home he stated she did not dot quite fancy this form of address why lie be ask her ber whether he might drive her home oh I 1 wont trouble you rou the alie i trolley will take me nearly nil all the way she lightly dismissed him but my roadster will take you the tb whole way thank you no but why he asked surprised surprise d im not going home I 1 think ill III go in to sunbury and treat myself to a hotel meal and a cinema movle movie she hastily corrected herself goedl im going to sunbury myself have lunch with me will you ill even go to see a cinema with you I 1 in her pleased surprise at such at jolly invitation tor for to be in marclo Creig tons company was rather perilously exciting and meely was lonely she dropped her cool manner with rather startling suddenness and assented with childish delight the day was clear the air delicious the roads in good condition Mar earvins marvins vins car delightfully easy and comfortable and meely treed freed from schoolroom school room drudgery and for the first time in weeks from the atmosphere of the Shw eckton ton household felt a sudden hilarious gerety gayety a tingling in her blood such as she had not experienced since she had undertaken the serious profess profession lon of the teacher ohl oh she laughed gleefully fairly bouncing in her seat what a lark barkl I 1 it makes we me feel young again I 1 me too responded marvin his eyes snapping pedagogy could dry one up at the roots 10 it if he conscientiously added one fight to keep it a living thing 1 I try not dot to take it too seriously said meely A shockingly imprudent thing to admit to your superintendent 1 I 1 suppose he be remarked ironically you look upon your work merely as aa a step stone to something else oh dear yes I 1 I 1 dont expect to be a school teacher all my dayal gracious I 1 A steppingstone stepping stone to marriage I 1 suppose what a good guesser you yon are arel I 1 but why be high hat about that womans comans place Is 19 in the home it its not been tor for the past ten years you tou are a back number I 1 you surprise me I 1 thought I 1 was ahead of my times because she said with sad conviction im sure I 1 make any man happy if I 1 had to do his housework r k will you tell me he be inquired in a tone of dulcet gentleness why you adopt a pennsylvania accent when athen you talk to me and an english accent when you recite shakespeare oh ob she lightly responded just my platform manner ive acted quite a bit profession professionally ally he demanded startled both in private theatricals and professionally fessio nally what then made you ever turn to teaching working my way to hollywood marvin looked rather staggered for this knocked out his suspicion as to who aho she was and put a very wet blanket indeed upon a hope he was half consciously cherishing do you think he asked somewhat stiffly its right to lose our schools as a steppingstone stepping stone for your ambitions id use every school in this county for toy my ambition if id the chalice chance to and all the trustees and even the superintendent himself now throw me out of your car I 1 take my job from me if you think me base and unprincipled I 1 dont care ive nearly dearly enough money saved anyway to get to hollywood anyway I 1 believe I 1 could get there sooner by cooking my way out cooks earn so much more than college presidents in americal america 1 do your parents uphold you in this ambition of yours now kow you are a back number parents influence having passed out eleven years ago your parents are living yes where A perceptible pause reading pennsylvania any brothers and testers sisters no my only brother was killed in the world war and slie she stopped she had bad spoken impulsively marvin wondered whether emotion for her slaughtered brother or something else elgg had bad checked so abruptly her statement of a coincidence he would test her a bit hats odd he remarked 1 I have an english cousin whose only son was killed in the world war and ills only other child Is a daughter about your agel odd about it rather kather a coincidence dont you think why no DO there must have been thousands of such coincidences surely TO BE CONTINUED |
