Show d haf I 1 aft h inq afie ove RELEASE THUS FAR faitt im fond of you larry meg bleg said lall quietly that not hot enough he h replied 1 Is I there a lome f one e elea ise no one else megan assured r e a tani him but he knew she dl did not 0 ra lore s h him th they deeded decided to cau U oil kofl their nae gement ement and wait another year jim AfA cravish did tot not like that arrangement bin airs stuart was wa first but to tell biegan that her father was wai running dog alter after I 1 A aucta act a and that it was wai the talk of the town A megan egan co could uld not believe it want to belleve it faiks falki is 1 talk in about Mist Jim and na alz stevenson lle old an annie confirmed firmed annie annae left it a shift of her fathers father and meg picked it t up there was lipstick on it she mentioned it to jim that night CHAPTER IX the next morning when she was assembling the laundry annie came to megan carrying a shirt of jims and held it out saying in that colorless voice do I 1 wash dis one miss heggle Meg gle megan looked at the shirt puzzled and then she saw saw the unmistakable unmistakably a signs of lipstick on the collara that of course had been the re reason a son an we tile had brought the shirt to her 3 so BO that she might see the lipstick barat megan drew a breath and said quietly of course annie what a silly question ill megan sat quietly her hands clenched in her lop lap but after all there was surely no reason why her father should not see alicia steventon stevenson if he liked even to the extent of getting her lipstick on his shirt collara alicia was a widow jim widower but that night when annie and amos had departed tor for their own t two wo room cabin at the back of the barn and megan ind and her father were alone in the house megan said quietly 1 I understand dad that youve been seeing a lot of mrs stevenson jim looked up at her from his newspaper and his eyes darkened W with th anger have you any object tl alons ons he demanded curtly none at all she answered him evenly its just that I 1 was a little all to hear a thing like that from the neighbors instead of from you A thing like what bhatt jims alma anger had bad deepened you sound as though id been conducting an er affair with a very charming and pleasant woman 1 I know nothing about it except that it seems people are talking Il Pleasant grove people do you think I 1 give adain what the scum in this place talk about they are my friends she pointed el out your own fault he reminded her you dont have to live in this this hick colel you had a chance to get out of it were getting away from the subject dont you think at if youre prying trying to find 0 but ut about my intentions towards mrs stevenson jim said distinctly a little malicious light in his eyes 1 I have no objection to telling you the truth I 1 hope to marry mrs stevenson stevens ona on a as 9 soon as I 1 can persuade herl ashes selling her place and I 1 think we can make her bap happy here dont you you would bring her here megan gasped appalled jims eyebrows went want up in pretended surprise though his eyes laughed at her and where else would a man tak take e hl his a wife if not to his own home he asked you arent forgetting that it Is my own home quite as much as it Is yours megan sat very still stunned the unexpectedness of the blow of coarse course jim went on after a moment when matthews was so sure he could get seven thousand for this place alicia and I 1 planned to keep her place and live there because her place wont bring over etro or three thousand but when tu MIU decided not to sell well alicia ave ve the listing of hers to matthews and we feel sure that we c can an all be quite cozy here together megan drew a hard breath you know that work out dad the she said 1 I cant see why not there is a surely ample room tour four big bedrooms upstairs five rooms downstairs why theres room enough here for half a dozen people it if there were forty rooms there be enough room under one roof for alicia stevenson and me bethill megan told him rashly 1 I think youre taking a ve very unreasonable attitude my dear said d her father gently malice twi twinkling 11 9 in his eyes after all having alic allala a here will make things much easier you she will take over the Gri gement of the house while you can give all your time to your beloved farm farming ingI I 1 think it will be a very good arrangement all around itt its an impossible arrangement and you know it megan told him hotly he shrugged ever so slightly and said gently oh ob well if you are going to take that attitude e 11 he pretended to lose interest but megan knew that he was alert that he was waiting tensely tor for her answer 1 I know why you are doing ills this I 1 father she said at last one of the few times in her ufa life calling him father instead of the more en lesring les ring dad you think you will force MO me to consent to selling the place here but my dear girl I 1 thought wed settled all that he pointed out gently the reason alicia decided that she might as well let matthews see what he could do with the sale of her place when you come to think of 0 it it would be rather silly to keep both and you consider sharing her place megan could not stop the words in time and knew that a frantic hope threaded them my dearl clearl her father protested hurt what do you take me fora or A man without pride or the natural desire to take care of his wile wife most certainly I 1 consider moving into alician All Ali clas cias place this one Is muc much h larger and more comfortable and theres plenty of room no I 1 think the whole arrangement to 1 ideal you are always so overworked with the outdoor labor in spring and summer that I 1 think it will be very nice to have the worry and responsibility of the housekeeping taken off your shoulders it wont work father she told him flatly I 1 I 1 1 I I 1 there was something in th the a stealth the furtiveness of 0 his bis tread 0 on the stairs no his tone and smile were wera tantalizing nol im not selling sellin gt and that that she told him again her jaw hard bard and set her voice unshaken she got up suddenly and caught her sweater the night was mild for or winter yet there was a dampness and a chill in it that made the sweater and the scarf about her head very welcome as she stepped from the back door into the yard the meadow was washed with thin cold moonlight but under the trees the darkness was so intense that she had to feel her way from moonlit patch to moonlit patch until she reached the flat stone beneath the tallest pine and as she reached it her heart turned over in her breast and terror clutched at her tor for s a 1 shadow moved in the darkness and she knew that she was not alone the next moment the shadow had moved swiftly into a patch of moonlight and she saw it whit white on tom Fal fallens lons face 1 I frightened you im sorry megan managed an unsteady laugh and I 1 imagine I 1 frightened you too she answered him well as a matter of fact act you did he admitted then as the moonlight touched her white face he added hurriedly concerned why happened youre ill oh no lust just well upset and ever a since ince I 1 was a child I 1 have brought my troubles big and little to this spot and tried to find a way out of them its a habit hard to break she added with an attempted gaiety that had an almost macabre quality I could a friend help she shook her head bead 1 aim I irn I rn afraid nobody can really that Is the only two people who can have no intention of doing it I 1 sound as confused and mixed up as a I 1 feel belso 0 it if you could just overlook it and to megans own horror and toms shocked surprise she burst into tears after a stunned moment tom put his Is arm about her and held her close as thou though gh she were a fri frightened bewildered wil dered child and his soothing words were the words one would have used to a grieving child my father is going to marry alicia stevenson she told him and so strong was the bond of friendship between them that it did not occur to her to be surprised that the nhe should confide in hirm him she heard him swear under his breath but after a moment he tried to offer comfort well of course I 1 suppose thes a very attractive woman and your father la is lone ly and the she Is selling her place and coming to live with us she went on oh good lord you cant live with her either that or I 1 have to agree to sell the farm aud and she and father will live in her hox hoxha qa 11 and you dont want to sell the farm or go away from it tom understood that without any words from her ive gathered since ive known you how much the place means to you she found it very soothing to sit here with him it was surprising to discover that they knew each other well enough tor for silence to be pleasant and companionable so that speech was unnecessary gradually the silence and p peace ease of shemoon the moon silvered pin pines seemed e c m to drift into her heart her spirits lifted a little someday day somehow she would find a solution to the problems that now loomed so terribly strong and black and evil perhaps it was only that she was emotionally tio nally exhausted and had reached a place where she was conscious only of a lack of emotion that had replaced her grief they talked quietly after that interval of peace and stillness she asked abo about t martha and he told her that gartua martha had completely recovered she asked hesitantly about mrs fallon and tom told her his mouth taut and tired that there was no change there ashes completely helpless of course and there Is no change mentally he added wearily you mean she cant leave her bed cant get around by herself asked megan remembering with a feeling of chill the morning when she had sat here and had watched that gro grotesquely t posturing figure on the back lawn she been out of bed in months and months he told her heavily the doctors say that there thera Is a thin chance of her I 1 recovery ec overy why we cant bear to send her away if I 1 had the money to pay tor for a private sanitarium he shrugged and his hands clenched into hard tight fists but I 1 cant turn her over to a state institution not while there Is the smallest faintest tiniest hope that she can be made well again megan asked uneasily but she be having treatments ashes had treatments tor for the past tour four years tom answered wearily everything possible has been done and a few months ago the doctors told me that the only hope was to get her away somewhere quiet among new scenes and just try to build up her physical condition that might help to restore the lost mental health but they guarantee it she went to pieces when our son was born dead megan said her voice shaken and ragged with pity im so terribly sorry unconsciously she had put out her land hand to touch him and as his hand closed over it and held it hard tor for a mori moment tent she heard him mutter something she be sure what they were still tor for a little and megan wondered uneasily about his saying that his wife had not been out of bed in months she knew that hat she had seen her a slim white form orm the sunlight gleaming gold on her ler head dancing a weird grotesque dance a dance interrupted by y martha who had taken the white figure into the house did tom know she wondered did he try to conceal the tact fact that ils his wife was not a helplessly bedridden invalid in the hope of convincing people that while she was a mental case she was completely harmless of course he and martha were doing everything humanly possible to keep anybody in pleasant grove from knowing that his wife was a mental case she stood up suddenly and said 1 I have to go I 1 have ome come at all but habit is strong im glad you did tom told her quietly and I 1 hope you mind finding me here of course not theres room on the ridge for both of usand who knows maybe well both find solutions to our problems here she answered as she turned to go no you tnt come with me only to the fence tom tc from there on you have the light clear to your back d doo 00 I 1 can watch until you go into i a house and know that youre safe gate there was a look in his face that made the protest stop on her ups lips she nodded and they walked together to the fence when she had crossed the meadow and stood at the little foot log that bridged the small busy creek she turned to look back and saw him still standing there she threw up her arms armi in a little gesture that said good night and caught the flicker of nil his return gesture and then with her heart considerably lighter than it had been when she left the house she went back in and up the stairs to her own room the house bouse was dark and silent there was no thread of light beneath her fathers door and she was surprised when she reached her own room to discover that shed been gone two hours TO BE BB CONTINUED |