Show HI a 1 1 J y I r s 1 J y L TT y v 1 r 0 T I 1 i 1 0 P KY K Y JA R by EMILIE LORING by tile PC pann co C CHAPTER V continued 8 nothing can hurt him again milly you P so ive run milly mill gooch to earth at bastl mademoiselle and with you gerard 1 she would bet be 1 with a smothered imprecation rodney wheeled to face len calloway who leaned against tile the side of the door with difficulty he kept his bis voice low dont you see sec what has happened it if you cant keep your dirty mouth shut get out the sound calloway CaI Ioway made was more a snarl than a laugh though an expression of sardonic mirth doubtless had bad been his intention im going ile he turned to prudence who white and still knelt beside the couch on which jean was stirring restlessly any ten year old child would get wise to been going on between those two miss bliss schuyler rodney gerard shut his teeth hard bard into his up prue could deduce anything from galloways Gallo Callo ways voice and implication what would she think milly gooch caught his hand and with a choking sob laid her cheek against it what shall I 1 do roddy grand pops gone and I 1 have only you now halt half of her appeal to him was gen cine grief halt half was staged it to 0 irritate len calloway who was glaring at her iron from the threshold gerard decided with a suggest suggestive lve laugh calloway departed the physician touched gerards shoulder better get that youngster home bome quick 1 I will rodney bent over the girl crouched lie d beside the crumpled body of the clown ue ile freed the hand she still clutched ill see you tonight mally pull yourself together lie laid his hand on the bowed head before he turned away come jean ill carry you dear the town behind them gerard sent the roadster forward along the smooth toad road between its gay borders of fall shrubs once he looked at prudence she abbe had her face agal against list joans jeans hair the childs long lashes lay like fringes on her pale cheeks ile he said gruffly what a mix up I 1 A town burns up A circus Is thrown off schedule A clown sent scouting he took a chance on your garden lied hed try anything once and then a man who hates me lays his hand band on my shoulder and this for jean and tragedy for chicoi Chi chicote chicots cots daughter her husband and child lived in the red brick house when milly gooch was a little girl lie ile visited them that was what he meant yesterday when he said that he had lived in this region 1 I suspected you had seen him before and because of what len calloway implied you have me tried and sentenced til bet she did not answer only pressed her cheek check closer against jeans hair lie ile kept both hands tight on tile the wheel why had bad he let her invade his life why had he be allowed her to make him madly happy or so infernally miserable by a look rapture and agony ile he knew what the words meant now cow ill drop you at your gate he proposed curtly no I 1 will go on to high ledges I 1 wont leave jean until I 1 see her with her mother bother jean opened her eyes and lifted her head bead from Pru dences shoulder im IDI not dot going home until mother has gone theres nothing the matter with me except that I 1 feel kind of dizzy it helps steady things to keep my eyes closed you wont mind it if I 1 stay with miss bliss prue for a while will you undo uncle rodl rod you should be with your mother dear im not going to be with my mother so eo that getting back to normal fast arent you K M E course I 1 am uncle me stay with bliss prue today a peach ill wait on mr david I 1 love him she began to cry let her stop with me prudence pleaded no ashes going back to high ledges and I 1 hope I 1 land her there then before her mother gets away I 1 had hac persuaded her to leave jean with me it Is only fair that she should know what hat happened what ft a flop I 1 am as a a guardian except for an occasional query as to jeans comfort gerard said nothing more during the long ride home they reached the red brick house gerard looked down at jean pull yourself together K X I 1 K it you and I 1 are to be on our own weve got cot to go forward liker like soldiers not whimper when we have to do things we dont like get me jean straightened wiped her eyes gave lim him a watery sure I 1 get you uncle rod I 1 feel fine now really I 1 do she slipped a hand under his bis arm perhaps perhaps mother has bas gone already she whispered hopefully in his mind gerard echoed the hope as they approached the house boasi of stone and nd oak which his bla gra grandfather bad built ue ile stopped the roadster at the front steps judkins appeared ns as it if by malc dingle gerard sprang from the car lifted jean out wheres sirs mrs walter judkins she went soon after you lefts left sir she decided to motor to the city ask your sister to take a look at miss jean will you I 1 wast want to phone yes sir mr armstrong arrived soon after you left deft armstrong Armstron gt so soon where la Is he ue ile went for a walk sirs mrs walter was just going and things were in kind of a stir so he lie ile coughed discreetly behind his hand so lie he stepped out I 1 get you go up and lie he down jean and it you are good and feel fine you may dine with us like ilke jim armstrong K X K hes a great old boy 1 I wont move from the couch all day it if only I 1 may have dinner with you just as it if I 1 were grown up uncle rod bod do you suppose mr jim will like me I 1 wonder I 1 wonder it if he will fall in love with miss bliss prue too gerard gera rd felt his face warm with color that last wisecrack has shown me that you are back to normal K X K X quite back to normal now listen one more like that and spend the winter in the bosom of your family in new york city after dinner jean sat on a low stool beside the fire elbow on her knee chin in one hand her eyes were on jim armstrong spectacled sinewy with ith an out of door bigness its corking to have you here jim you changed unless youve grown heavier gerard commented its grand to be here rod I 1 wont say gay that you changed in the last two years though wheres that lazy drawl chich drew the female of the species after you in squads 1 I chucked that when I 1 decided to become becom e a lumber king im in business now as I 1 wrote you at least im making a stab at it at present ive struck a snag 1 heres aceres a guy here named len galloway calloway also in the lumber business who aho threatens to boycott any man who works tor for me P what has stirred this calloway up 7 1 I beat him to it in persuading miss schuyler to engage me to cut the timber in a tract she owns who Is miss bliss schuyler she belong by any chance to that family gerard glanced at jean whose ears were fairly standing out in eagerness to hear bear she Is a sister of david schuyler know him lie he was a new york lawyer yera ive heard of him poor miss schuyler inherited a tract of woodland along with a house and other land she came here to farm her brothers health bad broken down immediately the aforementioned calloway Y hate him pretty much dont you rod it a chu chuckling elling matter jim st sl puffer Iu lTer who worked for the new owners uncle and Is a sort of handy man for her told her not to let len cut for her I 1 decided that I 1 would cut for her and myself when I 1 sent tor for you calloway was furious as well weve had bad trouble over another matter Is miss schuyler young armstrong quizzed as he lighted his pipe yes and so BO pretty jean chirped eagerly mother puffer says that her eyes are like brown pansies and that her voice would coax the birds off the bushes when she laughs her eyes tire are all gold spangles K K youve been so quiet I 1 had forgotten you were here its time you went upstairs toddle along now like a good girl all ali uncle rod she kissed him and with a little curtsy said goodnight to armstrong the two men rose and waited until she had bad left the room then the forester dropped a question nas has this man calloway by any chance a sentimental interest in your neighbor hed better not have why the growl rodney gerard rose impetuously and stood back to the fire here are my cards face up on the table im mad about prudence schuyler I 1 will marry her if I 1 have to move the world to do it get that straight ill say I 1 get it straight I 1 can read a no trespassing Tres passing sign when I 1 see one believe me does the lady with the spangled eyes realize that she Is posted rodl rod its no joke to me jim I 1 guess the old songs right love has a mean ing all its own to different people allne Is the one woman brand the first time I 1 met rrue prue I 1 cant explain it to you you will think lc rone gone goofy I 1 frit felt as if ns as it if the unhorse had been made over and I 1 vat reborn with an ambition to grab the world by the tall nil and a determination to make the girl love me R laring to go oft off the deep end arent you urn um pretty serious jam youre in roddy it darn well Is armstrong laid his liand hand on gerards shoulder ills eyes were warm with affection euck buck apt up I 1 I 1 dont know how any girl could resist you you generally get what you want to return to our muttons mut tons tors contracts made to sell your lumber lamber not a contract I 1 have been so what st SI puffer calls hot bet up with this light with calloway that I 1 thought where I 1 would dispose of it better get busy on that end ill give you a list of going concerns then better hustle after business do we start our investigation of 0 the timber tracts tomorrow yes gerard glanced at the clock excuse me jim it if I 1 break away something important ive got to take care of tonight st sl ruffer Is engaging men to go 0 along with us ug tomorrow to cut puffer appeared in the doorway here he Is now I 1 come in st sl this Is my old friend jim armstrong who has come to tell us what trees to take on out LI pleased to make your acquaintance jim gorry me rod im plumb discouraged cou raged dont knows were coln to need a forester why not what has happened 7 now dont fly off the handle lle that just because I 1 hint were in for trouble bhatta mean Is ive been all over the village bryin to hire men to cut for us tomorrow they all had some fool excuse I 1 cornered one of ern cm an jest squeezed it out of him that len calloway had let it be known that none of them would get more work from him ever if they hired out to you lies iles got em cm seared he pointed out that you might start out big rod hod but you stick that this was just a fad of yours an where would they be when you quit 11 it II quit gerards blue eyes were black go back and tell those men that there room in this town tor for len calloway and me and that I 1 am staying CHAPTER VI nis ills challenge clial lenge to calloway had been good theater but could he back it up gerard asked himself as a few moments later his car shot into the highway hl 11 between the two great iron gates set in stone posts at nigh high ledges lie jie wanted to reach the show grounds before milly went on for lier her act perhaps he help her but it if he be she might turn to someone not so disinterested as he be ills thoughts turned back to the first time lie he had seen gooch iier herfa father and mother had hired the old out of repair red brick house for or almost a nothing and had lived there one summer while out of a circus job lie ile at high ledges from prep school for vacation had spent every available hour with the family listening to their stories of the big top after the gooch family left the red brick house for the circus milly had come each year to visit the putters puffers to get fed up and some red blood into her mother puffer had told him ile he had seen her rarely but as slip had grown into a stunning looking girl her long narrow eyes and her expert use of them had caught len calloway had it been just an exciting game with her she had bad become engaged to him next he heard of her he had received a wire ROD MUST SEE YOU STOP SHOW IN YONKERS SATURDAY STOP DONT FAIL ME 1113 SULLY MILLY GOOCH lie ile could recall even his amazement at the summons why had she sent tor for him in that far away summer walter had bad been more of a friend than he he be had bad been fascinated by her mother of course lie he would go ile he remembered the defiance in her big dark eyes the whiteness of her faco face under its makeup make up as she had whispered 1 I 1 ive walked out on len rod ue he recalled that lie he had laughed at her it was unbelievable that calloway would release anything he once had bold she had retorted yeah it a joke 1 I well your brother walters been my boy friend I 1 just burn him imp up im sick alck of riding riding whether im feeling bum or not THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING prudence schuyler comes to prosperity farm inherited from her uncle to make a new life tor for herself and her brother david his health broken by trig edy the tl second day on her farm arm prue falls alia from rom the barn lott loft into the artna arms of 0 rodney gerard rich young man a neighbor there Is at once a mutual attraction but prudenco prudence decides to maintain a cool attitude toward him sloe she sua bus men since her sisters husband ran away with her brothers wife len I cn calloway tries trie to buy timber but she ho dislikes him and contracts contract with rod to dispose of the trees prue Is visited by mrs walter gerard and her thirteen thir taen year old daughter jean they are ar hateful curious persons and leave leava prue pru rankled david comes to the farm A clown appears advertising a circus in tt a nearby town prue accompanies rod and jean to tn the show while they are watching watch lne the chicot an old clown Is accidentally killed and having Grand pop out of a job halt tile the time im going to bo be a lady and betoken betaken be taken care 0 and take care of him walterl walter gerard felt again the shock that had brought him up standing walterl walter walter lina has a wife lie ile remembered her laugh say dig big coy boy where time ine in e you come from been asleep since the puritans landed 7 lie ile had caught her hands tight in his look here milly you cant do that walter worth it milly 1 ammy I 1 promise that you you wont until I 1 see you again quite plainly now he could see her shining eyes as they had met his listen if you care what I 1 do I 1 promise roddy lie ile sent the car ahead in a burst of speed A string of wagons was leaving the show grounds as he entered that meant that the audience was in the big tent gerard stopped before the tent on the wall of which mademoiselle 11 MILLEE ILLEE was stamped in black letters As if she had been waiting for him milly gooch stepped from behind the curtain drawn across the front of it IL never had he seer her look lovelier iier her dark hair was carted close to her head the mascara OT on her lashes increased the brilliance of her narrow sloe black eyes the crimson of her lips accentuated the ivory pallor of her skin iier her great dark eyes glittered with tears you sure are a dependable guy roddy she perched 0 on n the top of a pedestal take that chair say that a terrible deal Grand pop got this morning and it like len calloway to put on b his Is net act at just that minute that bozos grown ala 11 when did you talk with him last milly the day I 1 gave him back his ring look out for him he has it in for you roddy he know that it was wag walter not you who made me break with him 1 I came to see it if I 1 could help about your grandfather wont won t y you ou need no ed money not from you the management takes c care a re of tha that I 1 who was the kid Grand pop saved walters little girl jenn jean well of all the breaks Grand pop passing out for the kid of the nan man he hated she laughed laughed until the sound cracked in an hysterical sob mally 1 milly 1 stop I 1 you wont be able to ride it if you dont here look up ile he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket let me wipe your eyes now smile as it if I 1 were a johnnie in the front row she looked up with |