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Show I Alabasier Lamps' 1 I i I I ' I !: ' ' 5 By : Margaret Turnbull : .,, , jj Copyright, 1925. by Marguret Turnbull. AVXU Service STORY FROM THE START Claude Meluntte Dabbs returns re-turns from New York to his genera! grocery In lJonce Valley. !-'. With him comes Nod Carter, Car-ter, a stranger, whom Dabbs introduces in-troduces to '"Aunt L.vddy,'' bis old housekeeper, as a nephew. CHAPTER I Continued "Meaning well's .one thing; doing well's another." Uul Aunt Lyddy smiled hack sit hini so that all sting ' was taken from the cautious sentence. "Now, what you two rampaging idiots mean coming home ai this hour of the night, springing a hrand-new relation on me and with no notice to get his room ready for him?" - '" "Oh, go along. Aunt Lyddy! You can fix the' rooin next' to mine in a juffy while Ned and I are finishing a bite of your lemon pie." "Tie? Finishing my pie! Who said a word about pie? Who said 1 made any pie?" "I did. I smell it." Aunt Lyddy laughed. "He studied it. Hoy," turning to Ned, "did you ever hear tell of a man like that? Set right down, both of you. and I'll have that pie hrung on tiu table before be-fore you can get your hands out of your pockets." " don't think I can eat anything more," Ned began as she left the room. 'Kemeniber our dinner on the train." "Jiminy ! liven if you weren't hungry, could you resist that?" Two highly decorated piates, borne i,v" Aunt Lvddv on an old japanned tray, held the largest, thickest and i m0g't delicious looking pieces of lemon meringue pie that Ned hud ever seen. I Aunt l.vddy placed I efore them the ' remaind.. of the pie, a pitcher of ccld milk, find a large wedge, of cheese. With a hearty, "lCnjoy your-' your-' selves, boys, while I lix Ned's room," j she left thenu Presently Ned could hear her, us she tramped about the "net,rnom to mine" presumably "fixing it." By that time he had tasted Aunt I.yddy's pie Though she trod like an elephant, ele-phant, yea. even though she snored. . . .!,. I, n-,.lilil lllWilVS lie enew now mui n. love her. "fiood, ain't it, Ned?". Mr. Dabbs linked, as Ned took a second helping. Ned nodded, mentally noting thai whatever he might have to suffer from country fable manners in others. Mr. ihbhs would never offend. "Aunt l.yddy likes you or shed never put out the whole pie.1 Dabbs offered. ' ... How can yon lell? You practically practical-ly burled me down her throat." -Down Aunt Lyddy's throat! low d-l know her. Why, I eouldn 1 ,;ll;e that woman give you any more ll.:,n a measly little bit of I1- " did-t cotton to you. Aunt L.vddy s ,-ine woman, but a terror for having lr way. She isn't' my own Html. She's an old friend of my mother-. ull,l when Mom died Aunt Lyddy 111(1e up her mind that 1 needed look- in" after and just came along and took possession. I couldn't get along without her now." Aunt l.vddy returned, announcing tnt ,e room was ready and adv.se, Ned o ".urn in early." He followed he along the hall. The "room no .. ,- hi" airy room, overlook- , " ' lie side of the iiic t lie garden at me house and far removeti from the noises 0 . e shop. Its deep-sealed windows 1 i, d cated the ago of "ouse" f ; tnUure was really ohl. 4 good and unobtrusive, and the u 1 paper was a deep cream, with .. I..IK J border of yellow roses. The old four-poster looked inviting. Aunt hychiy "'vlly '!way ""I1 Ned leaned out of the '"'" , , -.clous of the soft, sweet, damp Mil. H of u springtime garden. As he left the window he was conscious con-scious of voices near bin, Hi l.e room was empty, so was the ha on -t,e his door. Afler a concluded that the voices cut through an old-fashioned hot-,r . ,.-Ister ,.-Ister In the floor of bis room. M hoard Aunt Lyddy say : 'Claude Dabbs, I'm '''' l"v,'l n troth, and the truth I'll have out of you If II takes me all night. My usual hour for bed is 8:30 sharp. '"' "-. It is nearly ten. and gifts of amethyst brooches, though pretty and h.stefull. chosen I must say. won't 1)1 lml me to my duly. I've ever been a kinda Sardeen for your home since your Mom died. Who's this young man.' "Whv, he's a young fellow 1 met with in New York. He's been in the army just discharged. The vers tiiuiic of l'eace Valley sort of hypnotised hypno-tised him. He cun't settle flown to anything yet, so 1 asked him down 1 lwre to look around and--" ' "Suffering Saints!" Aunt Lyddy's 0 voice rose lo a son of wall, then sank again. "W'here'd you ineel him?" "Well I was walking on Kiversido drive and" "Von picked him up a hum ! A park hum!" Aunt l.yddy exclaimed with conviction. 'You probably trowed trow-ed him to that there awful swell suit?" Ned, his hand on (he register waiting wait-ing a fining opportunity to close it unheard, noted Unit she refused to listen to Claude's protests. "I know you," Aunt l.yddy announced, an-nounced, "and nothing you do ought to surprise me now. bin 1 declare by I'eter and I'aul It does at limes. Well, don't say no more, nor tlx up any pleasant kinda half-lies for mo. You don't know nothing about him, and there were some awful bad characters got in the army. We're lucky if our throats ain't slit by morning. I'll lock my room and bolt it. tonight!" Keeling that he had heard enough, Ned closed t lie register quietly, sure Ihnl the sound would he unnoticed as A mi t l.yddy trod heavily out into the hall. CHAPTER II Ned woke next morning to the sound of life and activity below stairs. Ills first thought was that he was back In camp again. Then he remembered. remem-bered. Ills watch told him it was seven. Thinking he would surprise Claude Dabbs by his early rising. Ned dressed leisurely and went dowustalrs. Aunt l.yddy greeted him without enthusiasm, informing him dryly that Claude nad been up for two nours. "Suffering Saints, You're More Than Welcome." He was at that moment superintending superintend-ing the unloading of the new Irish potatoes. The food was delicious, and Aunt l.yddy waited and watched over him at the breakfast table, anticipating his wants as though he were a small boy; yet Ned felt that he was delaying delay-ing the important affairs of the household. house-hold. Still with the air that he was company, com-pany, Aunt l.yddy informed him: Chii'ide said to take the car and sail around, or do anything you've a mind lo do." "Thanks, Aunt Lyddy. hut "1 think I'll help Uncle Claude in the shop." Aunt l.yddy's eyes showed surprise ami approval. "Claude Dabbs could do Willi a little help," she announced. "There's a many lean's on Claude, and but few as offers a shoulder themselves occasionally. Not" that Claude needs anything to lean on, but the fact that a shoulder is haiidv kinda keeps a man from feeling feel-ing lonely. I'm going to say ibis you don't look as though you needed any special help 10 Sel "Um" lllis w,"'ld-Maybe w,"'ld-Maybe you do. 1 ain't inquiring. All I'm' saving is that never, s'nee I've known 'him. lias Claude Dabbs shown inch admiration for any living soul as I've seen him show for you. Well," her apron waved, expressing what she was unable lo put into words, "let me see you worthy, young man. Let me ee vou worthy." Mint l.vddy," Ned put down Ins knife and fork. "I don't know that 1 exactly worthy, but I will I"' i"unk. rncle Claude can't begin l have the ...luilmrion for me that' I have for h,n. Whv he saved my pockeibook, possibly' pos-sibly' mv life, the oilier night. ' "'as i ,'he park jus. off llivers.de drive. I;!,,,,,,. everything. I'd rc he, my-self my-self along the hem to look a .! slllrs and think out what 1 should do with mv life, when along canie t land, nehbs and sat down on me. Mint Lyddy giggled in pecliaily young and girlish way. i--T-7V:-:V t tiXXX "Of course .liat went a long way toward to-ward milking us friendly. While w were sauntering along talking we were ordered lo put up our hands. If army experience lias taught me anything It is to be leery of pistols In unknown hands. Mine went up at once. But C. M. stumbled accidentally. 1 thought, which brought him u few steps In front of me, and nearer the other fellow. fel-low. Of course. C. M.'s hands went up as he recovered his balance. What I didn't notice, nor did the other fellow fel-low until it was too late, was that one of his feet went up. too. first thing I knew .he oilier man was down and Claude was silting on him!" "And by I'eter and I'aul. I'll wager Claude never called a policeman!" broke in Aunt l.yddy. Ned si k his head. "We Just took his pistol and blackjack and left him. lie was knocked out stunned by the fail." They surveyed each other, smiling. ."1 suppose you'd like to know a little lit-tle more about me," Ned said tentatively. tenta-tively. "1 kin wait till you tell Claude." "Claude knows something, and you'll he miserable' until yon know as much, won't you?" Again Aunt Lyddy gave her peculiar giggle, and settled hack in her chair. "(let It olT'n your chest, son. and don't smooth over nothing for me." "1 drove an ambulance for six months before this country got into the fight." Ned began. "1 was hurt a litlle and had to come home. Tried for a commission In our army when I .11 11., , I t r .1.1..M,' w.-ii- UVOPV- thing to do it. Family and girl. M.v girl was in with a professional pacifist hunch. Da confound them all. they acted as though the rest of us liked war, and had arranged it for our own amusement. "Well, after I got my commission I was ordered down South to one of our camps. I went, thinking 1 was on my way to France.' When I got there, they told me my resignation had been accepted. I swore by everything holy and unholy that I had never resigned. They listened, bored hut patient, and repeated that my resignation had been accepted. I'd better see Washington, I-was told. "I went to Washington. They told me there my resignation had been accepted. ac-cepted. I told them I d never resigned. They listened and" said 'maybe not,' hut t lie War department was too busy to bother about m.v ease, just then, or to correct any mist ike, if there was a mistake. They ad', ised me tenderly to go home like a good boy, nnd, maybe some time later, they'd look me up. I wend swearing. I had no home to go to. So I enlisted in a New York regi ment and was discharged some two or three weeks ago." "Satan's trumpets!" Aunt. Lyddy exclaimed. ex-claimed. "The armistic signed in November No-vember and they kep' you in all this time. Well, you certainly got the rough end of the stick. As for that girl, wislit I bad her within arm's reach. I'd shake a little sense into her." "Oh. she's all right." Ned said a little .awkwardly. "Don't make the mistake of treating me like a returned hero, because 1 never got over. I was railroaded to an O. T. ("'.. and kept there. 1 never got over. "You can understand, can't you. why Ihe very name of l'eace Valley drew me like a charm, nnd you'll forgive my coming here in .his way?" "Suffering Saints: You're niore'n welcome to stay, and as far as -I'm concerned" Aunt Lyddy broke olT suddenly, and trod heavily kitchen-ward, kitchen-ward, for Claude Dabs had entered from the odice. "Morning. It does me gooil lo see you sitting there as though you were home." -I feel at home.'' Ned assured him. Hope yon really do." Claude's scrutiny was wistful but understanding. understand-ing. "What'. the program? Want one of the cars?" "The cars! Why. C. M.. for a simple sim-ple country grocer, aren't yon rather laying it on'!" Claude blushed. "'"hi Man Wolf hasn't knocked at the grocery door for a number of years a considerable number. I'.ut what good's my inoiiex to me. if no ' ne shares It?" Ned rose and put a hand on Claude' shoulder. "Did you adopt me to squander squan-der your surplus? I thought yon were going to make me work !" Does anything about our young friend. Neu Carter, strike you as peculiar? He seems all riflht. yet- . ,TO HI? CONTINI KIV) Remarkable Family At Knoxville, Tenn.. there Is a family consisting of three generations, yet the oldest Is only twenty-seven years old. They are Mrs. James Harper, Harp-er, fifteen, her slx-nionths-old baby. Katherlne F.lizalieth. and the baby's grandmother. Mrs. Alvln Sllger, twenty-seven. The grandmother married when she was twelve and her daughter daugh-ter when thirteen. |