Show 31 MM 7 HIL H IL OPS CLEA is j sj yi AL fu W aff ll 11 M fah EMILIE LORINGS LORING lly by 0 0 borak m opy copyright right by the co SYNOPSIS prudence schuyler comes to prosperity farm inherited from her uncle to make a new life for herself and her brother david his bis health broken by tragedy the second day on her farm arm prue rans all from the barn loft into the inns arms of rodney gerard rich young man a neighbor there Is at once a mutual attraction but prudence suspects men since her al filter husband ran away with her brothers wife len calloway trios to buy timber but the she contracts with rod to dispose of 0 the trees david comes to the farm arm A clown appears advertising a circus in a nearby town prue accompanies rod and jean to the show chilcot in an old clown to Is killed he was the grandfather of milly gooch one of the circus riders rod became friendly with milly when she lived on prosperity farm calloway intimidates available laborers so that they cannot be hired to cut the timber tor for rodney gerard milly gooch broke bro keher hor engagement to calloway he believes rod was the cause causa and has baa since been his enemy after the accident to chicot rod calls on mally to see it if he can be of any help prue hardens herself still more against rod when she sees in the newspaper a flashlight picture of him with willy rodney Is forced to so go to ile new york tork for timber cutters david roes with him to help select men from among the rescue mission hangers on CHAPTER VII continued 11 apparently unaware of her latent hostility he be tweaked his daughters short half hair explained that he be had come to tee bee rod on business that when he discovered covered Us he had gonabe gone he had planned to follow him to the city but now he be looked at prudence and twisted one end of his mustache camp here until rod returns armstrong touched arm jump into the car you rou were in a lurry iturry to get home you prudence caught jeans hand your tour daughter Is coming to stay with me st mr gerard the visit was planned before we knew you were coming you wont need her here will you tell walter gerard smiled of course I 1 shall miss my dear little girl but I 1 deprive her of what I 1 know will be a pleasure au revoir dont feel badly about leaving me jean ill drop in to see you dally daily the car shot forward at the entrance to the alie red brick house armstrong lifting a bag from the rumble said in a low voice if that fellow annoys you by coming here prue give me a aln ring ill see ee that he be repeat my word jim dont scowl so how ran can you stop his coming to see his dear little girl piffle fiel 1 iles hes lost his job ill bet a hat rod would lose hla big mind if he knew walt was in the neighborhood then be know curious that he should appear just as 11 rodney left I 1 wonder I 1 wonder she looked up at armstrongs spectacled eyes ayes without seeing them do you know jim something tells we me that calloway pulled the wire that brought walter gerard to nigh high ledges CHAPTER VIII As the week traveled forward pru dences suspicion that walter gerard and calloway were in some underground fashion allied strengthened why did she think it she asked herwit herself as perched on a stepladder she carefully wielded a brush in her white cloned hand another splash of yellow on her blue smock one before had trickled from her suspended brush an hour ago when she had heard a plane flying over the house for an instant she had thought that her brother and gerard had returned from new york then she realized that it could not be they they come coma without the men from the rescue mission supposing that the men had decided to accept the offer of work miss pruel miss prue jean in a white apron over her green wool frock followed her voice into the room mr jim Is t heral berel uncle rod red Is coming tomorrow tomorrow i gloved hand clutching tho the handle of the paint pall prudence perched on the top of the steps tomorrow Tomor rowl 1 she repeated as armstrong entered carrying a long white cardboard box are they really coming tomorrow jim look at this room he peered about in his short sight ed way it Is upset it cant you get it straightened out before they come straightened the paper on no hurry burry know why when you hear rods letter that Is it if you want to hear bear it IL it came by plane with this ile he held out the white box for me ine prudence looked at it without touching it if your name naine Is prudence schuyler it Is III it take it come oft off those steps dont look at it as it if you expected it concealed a bomb prudence set the box on the table untied strings etangs and removed wrappings oli 0 lt t now beautiful fult 1 trudence clasped her handi to in as she looked down at the long roses rose in the open box she lifted two of 0 the lovely blossoms blossom to her face rod hod certainly has said it with flowers this time armstrong observed gruffly imald sall what prudence demanded and promptly wished she had bad not asked the question your sour innocence Is good but not good enough prue want to hear this letter im ina in a hurry of course I 1 want to hear it jean dear take the roses to jane mack and ask her to put them in vases come to the shop jim armstrong followed prudence into the room As she perched on the stool in front of the tool littered bench he frowned at the open safe do you leave that unlocked you need a guardian it would be easy for someone to pick up those unset jewels you told me you owned I 1 dont want to frighten you but that escaped convict la Is still at large it may ease your mind to learn that you find and david and jean and one other I 1 did tell rodney gerard are the only persons who ka know ow I 1 have bare those unset stones four I 1 its four too ma many dy theres bound to be one broad broadcaster ca ter in the bunch keep the safe locked locked Is walt wait gerard still putting on the devoted father act lie ile has as I 1 suspected lost his job why Is he hanging round this town I 1 dont like ills his eyes they are furtive ile he Is here on one pretext or another every day lie ile pretends that 1 I am the lure ive heard ills his obvious line before but I 1 know that im not and it a paternal urge which brings him rii ill wager my best bit of jade does he annoy you dont roar ile he annoys me by taking my time which I 1 want to devote to work I 1 have several christmas orders besides this necklace im makin making X R haq I 1 ill camp here until rod returns for jean of these stones and I 1 touched my tools since david loft left until this minute now jim the letter for an instant there was no sound in the room but the tick of the clock armstrong pushed his spectacles up on Us his forehead as he began to read dear jim have waited before writing for something definite to report dont dare wire or phone tor for fear calloway will get on to our plan so am sending this by plane schuyler Is none the worse tor for the activities of the last week weve kept on the move ou on the contrary the interest and excitement quite set him up when schuyler and I 1 arrived at the mission lie he received an ovation which set et the radiator rattling in its lair ive met individual down and outers bouters but never before have seen them en masse the place smelled to heaven ot of damp wool bud and unwashed hu kumatis matis I 1 confess that tor for a minute I 1 flinched but not david schuyler lie he was in their midst beaming encouraging but never apparently condemning the men quieted down after a while and david explained our plan then he be called for volunteers to go back with us and stick he was emphatic on stick sticking until the timber was cut about twenty five lined up and their expressions as they looked at david schuyler tied my throat up in a hard knot it if anyone questions whether his work ork in the mission has paid that bunch Is the answer send back word by the pilot it if the accommodations are ready make it snappy dave and I 1 will come by train with the well we can hard call them a crew yet gang Is a better word we ve dont dare let them out of our sight it if you write 0 K X well arrive tomorrow afternoon armstrong looked up with your brother staying at ailigh ledges no need to rush the papering heres a message for you tell prue it if you see gee her that I 1 it Is my little joke that her special boy friends terry Ic Gowan and oshea OS liea are in our personally conducted party love to the burlous kid yours rod nod armstrong armst roDg folded the letter the pilot left an hour ago with my letter telling rod to come on with the gang calloway Is too keen not to know of the work going on nt at high ledges he must suspect rods plan but just the same I 1 wish he might be providentially called out of town an hour ot of so before that train arrives 1 prudence shook her head perhaps think I 1 have a four cylinder mind bind when it comes to experimenting but im afraid rodney gerard wl will 11 he be frightfully disappointed when ha be tries to make those men work im not rod has bas better say had it a lazy manner but he has developed into a hard hitting daring business man main lies iles a dynamo when hen lie he gets his mind made up A picture flashed on the screen of mind rodney gerard standing in the sunshine before the big barn she could swell smell the scent of the hay see his eyes deepen to indigo hear his voice low controlled declare im not in that class you detest ill make you take back what you said about my being of that type ill make youl you it will be a no quarter battle get me she had been on the verge of taking it back when milly gooch had would jean and I 1 complicate nat mat jim if from a discreet distance we watched the arrival of david an and d his followers not it if you keep out of sight ill drop in this evening to report take it easy prue dont rush to finish that room when he had bad gone prudence laid her face against the crimson beauty of the roses and drew a long breath of their fragrance lovely things I 1 it their fault that a man whom she disliked and distrusted had sent them jim armstrong know that saying it with flowers was a habit with rodney gerard what will you do first miss prue jeans question brought attention back to the present with long lone pincers slie she began to poke among th the e colorful tourmalines tour malines As there Is no need to hurry about getting the living room in order ill put in an hour at ray my bench change of work will rest me bring me the stones from the safe will you jean goody I 1 love to look at them ilass pruel prue jane mack appeared in the doorway the market man phoned lie he wants eggs and wants them quick ile he has a rush order and he says can you bring them right down to the village prudence dropped the pincers and pulled off the smock of course we can come on jean well gather the eggs put the packets of stones in the safe will you backy dont lock it leave the tourmalines tour malines on the bench I 1 may have time to select the colors when I 1 return it was somewhat difficult to make a domestic career and an artistic career jibe prudence decided an hour later in her shop as again she slipped into her smock she had bad brought the paper hanger from the village david might decide to come to the red brick house instead of going to high ledges she had reasoned and it would be better to have the living room in order she picked up the pincers and commenced to experiment with the nourma tournin lines on a penciled design this sketch right dring bring my portfolio from the bookcase will you jean all prudence poked and fitted no combination b I 1 nt I 1 on of stones suited her she called over her shoulder cant you find it it ought to be on the bottom shelf where did you get this get what prudence turned jean was staring at the newspaper picture of rodney gerard and milly gooch this its a picture of the same curcy circus rider I 1 found in uncle rods desk in the gun room at high ledges shed written I 1 suppose she wrote them some slushy words on the back stopped with just I 1 0 why she finish it A laugh a hateful laugh cut into her excited question jean stared at her father in ili the doorway the clipping pill fluttered to ills his feet so you found a picture in your uncles desk prying again my darling daughter ile he mimicked his cifes tone what happened to the photograph with the word love unfinished jean gulped iler her eyes appealed to who he put her arm about the thin shoulders answer your father dear 1 I 1 I think mr calloway took it IV calloway I 1 cant you talk without gulping calloway has it jean there are times when im fm tempted to 1 ile he took a step toward her As his daughter crushed her face against shoulder sli he laughed dont be afraid for a minute I 1 saw red I 1 hate that man mail calloway like the devil ile he love your uncle rodney odney li and with that picture la in hlf his possession lie he can make trouble tor for him bilm uia ills shifting shit ting eyes rested for an instant on the tourmalines tour malines shooting rays ot of color as the sunlight touched then them I 1 lie ile whistled a long low whistle where did those como come from did a traveling jeweler drop from the tha everywhere prudence held a stone to the light nice color it ile he took the pincers from her hand and held up the stone nicel its a corker interesting work youre doing do you use precious stones as aa well prudence nodded toward the safe yes in there I 1 have a flawless emerald a pigeon blood ruby and a star sapphire with a number of 0 diamonds all of them except the emerald I 1 bought at a bargain before tho the schuyler income went down for the third time I 1 have more money tied up tip in gems than I 1 can lifford afford do you keep the jewels in this house why not lie laid tile tourmaline back on the white paper why not Is right I 1 forgot when I 1 asked the question that for years the residents of this village tillage locked their doors at night have you heard when rod Is coming back 1 I heard from your brother nor from mine except a postcard of the metropolitan museum with feeling fine scrawled on it it As aa a letter writer david Is a total loss 1 I suppose you have hare no idea being done to the old cattle barn why not ask your brother it 1 to his property 1 I can wait for developments and believe me come fast well ill get along ue ile glanced at the safe better keep that locked there is a convict on the loose remember lie ile turned on ills his heel beel and departed farming might be thrilling but it certainly took a lot of energy and strength when one was new at it prudence reflected as late in the evening she be flung herself on the couch in the tha living room A clock ponderously told the hour her glance lingered on tho the crimson roses straight and perfect in ID the tall silver vase as she counted El eleven everil 1 she punched the pillows under her head in a more comfortable arrangement she ought to go to bed but she was too dead to the world to move her eyes went to the red roses as if drawn by a magnet feeling as she sha did about rodney gerard jeans disclosure about milly goncha photograph crystallized crystall zed her suspicions into unshakable conviction she should have thrown them away lovely things it their fault that was it the paint which made her eyelids so heavy perhaps miss pruel miss pruel prue A scream or a nightmare prudence stumbled to her feet she had been dolln dozing miss pruel what looked to be a mammoth stick ot of pink find and white chite striped candy shot down the bannister jean and prue reached the threshold ot of the workroom together A wobbling flashlight clutched in her bony hand revealed wild eyed jane mack robed in a long white nightgown buttoned close to throat and wrists TO BE CONTINUED |