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Show ooSro Helen RTMartin5 j STORY FROM THE START Handsome, fastidious and wealthy young tit. Croix Creigh-tun Creigh-tun awaits his sweetheart at their trysting place. She is late, this ordinary little Pennsylvania Dutch girl, Meely Sch we tick tun Despite her seeming Innocence and ignorance, sHie succeeds in keeping him at a distance, to his chagrin. Meely, in the Schwenckton home, where she is boarding, is altogether unlike the girl who meets St. Croix clandestinely. She is the teacher in the neighborhood school, of which Marvin Creighton, St. Croix' brother, ts superintendent Meely learns that Marvin was to have married his cousin, a titled English lady, but, believing she was attracted by the Creighton wealth, had refused the alliance It is the rumor that St. Croix is to take Marvin's place and marry the English girl. St. Croix' jealousy jeal-ousy is aroused by Meely's report of an aged suitor for her hand The girl cleverly decoys him into admitting he has no intention of marrying her. Marvin visits school In his official capacity as superintendent and discovers how shockingly little Meely knows about school teaching. Mr. Schwenckton, coming home from town, picks up a stranger, and finding his watch gone, demands the stranger get out and turn over his watch. CHAPTER IV Continued 11 "I've been held up on the road and robbed !" he announced, his voice weak with fatigue. "May I use your phnne to report to the police?" A stunned silence on the part of the four occupants of the kitchen met this statement and request .Meely starin? with wide-open eyes, her hand pressed to her fast-beating heart; Nettie's face going first red. then pale; Mr. Schwenckton trembling and pallid; Susie unmoved. Eut it was Susie who broke their stupid silence. "So you see. Sam. he ain't still runuin'I" A little hysterical sijueal of laughter laugh-ter from Meely drought the young man's eyes around to where she stood by the table clad in a kimono, her hair down her back in a braid. She was glad she was not dressed normally, nor-mally, for in her tailored school suit with her hair done up around her head, she was so transformed Trom the country bumpkin of her voile frock trimmed with artiticial (lowers and streaming ribbor.s that the extreme ex-treme contrast would have betrayed her hopelessly as a masquerader. For the man leaning exhausted against the kitchen door was St. Croix Creighton. "How did you get here so soon?" quavered Mr. Schwenckton, too absorbed ab-sorbed in his c.jvn quandary to see the flash of startled recognition witn which his visitor's eyes met Meely's. She iiad succeeded, at an instant's notice, no-tice, in assuming the look of bovine dullness which had so effectually disguised dis-guised her ever since she had known him. "Am I is this Sam Schwericklon's farm?"' exclaimed the amazed young man. "I'd no Idea where I was, the road's so pitch dark : I've been groping grop-ing my way for. a half hour to find a house where I could telephone. That." pointing to the lamp, "was the firsl light I saw in five miles!" "No, not five not more'n two," Mr. Schwenckton's shaking voice corrected correct-ed him. "How do you know? Is this Mr. Schwenckton?" asked St. Croix, for the farmer, without his coat and lial nnd necktie, (lid not suggest to him his Automobile companion of an hour ago. "It Is," Mr. Schwenckton heavily admitted. ad-mitted. "And you, now that I see you In the light, I rekonize as the younger Mr. Creighton! Yl. yl, yl. yi !" "Yes. I urn In a mess !" responded St. Croix, Interpreting the farmer's exclamation as an expression of sympathy sym-pathy for Ids plight. "May I use jour " "If It's only your watch you want. II ain't no need to phone. Herelt is!" Mr. Schwenckton, with shamed, avert-(d avert-(d face, held It out to lis owner. St. Croix, amazed, took It. "You caught the thief? liut how? I o tell r:i ' I never was more taken In! He M-emed the most harmless, kindly old simpleton " This time it was Nettie whip gave a little hysterical squeal which bronghl the young mail's eyes, r an In-taut, to her rosy, eager face. "Mey!" Mr. Seliucnek ton tip pealed, "you tell him how it was! Me, I couldn't get Hie words together for to explain such n bewilderment !" Joely was appalled. The Sehwenek-toiiH Sehwenek-toiiH were ae'ai; iomed to hear her rpeak good i:iigleb; St. Croix had of com-e newr heard her talk aiiyl hing but the eniivlvn:,la Intel, dialect ! "Nett!" t'e Murmured, "you lell Mi :" .'.ettle, shy, nut all too willing In no!d the joun? god'i MllenUon upon herself, eagerly assumed the task ot explaining her poor father's uufortu-nate uufortu-nate mistake and before she was half through her narrative, they were nil laughing except Susie; and even she was feebly smiling. "What gets me pupplexed," said Mr. Schwenckton amazedly, "is that me and you. Mr. Creighton, neighbors siuce you was born a'ready, though five miles apart and not seeing each other often (I ain't really laid eyes on you siuce you was a college boy. except to pass each other in our cars) but that us we could ride together near eight miles yet and not rekonize each other " "I'd have known you in your farm clothes. I suppose, but " He did not explain how unnatural and unlike himself the farmer looked to'- f W4 "I've Been Held Up on the Road and Robbed." He Announced, His Voice Weak With Fatigue. to him In his "store suit" with a collar col-lar nnd necktie on. "It's a good thing we're neighbors that know each other or this bete thing mightn't look so funny, but wery serious!" Mr. Schwenckton gravely opined. "I didn't know." St. Croix said suddenly, sud-denly, when Mr. Sehwenckton's abject apologies had been accepted, "that you hail three daughters. Mr. Schwenckton; I thought you hail only two." "You thought right I got only two." "till." St. Croix nodded, "then this young lady Isn't your (laughter?" His nod indicated Nettie, but as she and Meely were standing togelher. Mr. Schwenckton misunderstood him. "No. she's only a distant cousin, come to school to teach here." "Teach? Why. she looks too young! You can't tell, these days, can you. how old girls are?" Meely realized Unit his look or amazement, almost of consternation, was not at all for Nettie's youth n a teacher, but for the awful Kngllsh with which the children of the dis triet must be Instructed ! Nettie was delighted lhat no one but herself, as she supposed, per eeived his mistake, for it was wonderful won-derful to have Mr. St. Croix Creighton Creigh-ton think her old enough and "smart" enough to be a school teacher! Thankful Thank-ful she was indeed that Meely didn't sponk in and Halm the honor. It was obvious lo Meely that St. Croix was even more concerned than she was lhat Helllier he nor she should by look or word reveal to this family t lie relation In which they stood. Mr. Schwenckton offered, now. to get out his car again and lake Mr. Creighton home, but the young man protested that if they would allow him to telephone home, one of the Beech-lands Beech-lands chauffeurs would be here In a short time with a runabout. While he was telephoning,. Mr. Schwenckton ordered Nettie to make some strong hot coffee and get out some doughnuts and pie. But what, Meely wondered, would St. Croix think of the teacher's being asked to do this instead of the daughter daugh-ter of the house? She considered swiftly what would be iter best course to avert suspicion on both sides. To get across the kitchen to the stairway and run up to her room? Mr. Schwencken would he bound to stop her and insist that she stay and have coffee and doughnuts with them, and if lie spoke to Iter at all, St. Croix would notice how differently he addressed ad-dressed her and Nettle. To reme-in here, however, was more certain to invite in-vite exposure. And yet, she was afraid to go away for fear of what might come out in her absence. Nettie, as she bustled about making colTee and setting out cups and saucers, sau-cers, saw, with keen chagrin, how Mr. Creighton's eyes kept turning toward Meely and never in her direction. And the expression on his face furtive, hungry, infatuated! Was this, Nettie wondered, a case of love on sight? She was greatly puzzled, for in her opinion Meely "looked a mess" in that sloppy kimono and with a "plait" down her back. As Mr. Creighton hung up the receiver, re-ceiver, there was a quick movement in the room Meely making for the stairs. "Acli. Meely "began Mr. Schwenckton. Schwenck-ton. "Good night," she Interrupted, rushing rush-ing up the steps before he could stop her but not before she caught in St. Croix' eyes the evidence of the conflict con-flict in his . mind a passionate protest against her going, mingled with a fear of her presence. Upstairs in her own room, while she prepared for bed, she had the exciting suspense of wondering whether they were talking about her; whether St. Croix had noticed the kimono she had on, a Japanese embroidered silk thing that a county school teacher wonld hardly own If she were what she should he! Yes. this kimono could be a "give-awav." "Well, when this sort of thing could happen it was evident that she could not much longer keep up her farce. She must bring things to a cllmnx as soon as possible; beguile St. Croix to lay his cards on the table; force his hand for a show-down. The sound of the cabinet organ in the parlor below her bedroom, nnd Nettie's shrill voice singing, Interrupted Interrupt-ed her thoughts. Nettie was Invariably Invari-ably called upon by her father to entertain en-tertain "company" with her musical accomplishments of organ and voice, and of coarse such distinguished company com-pany as Mr. St.' Croix Creighton would have to be favored. Through Nettie's lungs and fingers the entire family found their one and ouly artistic ar-tistic expression. CHAPTER V At breakfast next morning Meely warily watched the faces around the table for signs of newly awakened suspicions of her.self. I'.ut she found nothing unusual In the demeanor of the family. Nettie chattcnil excitedly ubout the elegance and "swellness" of Mr. Creighton's stylish clothes, his wonderful won-derful white hands, the way he said his words "He says 'huff' for half! it sounds awful pretty and genteel that way! And. ach, the manners lie's got! The way lie held my chair for me to set! Say !" It beggared words. "i'.ut I alwaya say," her father spoke in, "that I don't think so much of manners morals Is so much more important." "(online manners!" Nellie detlantly alliriued her choice. . "Morals and manners." said Meely, "can go hand fci hand they're not mutually exclusive !" Meely had often noticed that her use of a word of more than two syllables syl-lables Imarlahly awed the family Into a prolonged silence. She broke the present lull by broaching broach-ing a subject to Mr. Schwenckton that was weighing on her mind. "How often do county superintendents visit a school, Mr. Schwenckton?" "Ach. about once In so often." "Yes. but how often?" "Not so wery often. Now nnd llien." "I'.ut I mean," Meely patiently explained, ex-plained, "how far apart are 'now and I hen.'?" "Well, pretty far apart. You see, he's got too many to wisit to come often. And the schools Is spread over so much area that It takes up time to go to and from." (TO I1B CONTINIIKU.) |