| Show by MARY A thrilling mystery story about a 4 man who lost his courage and the ROBERTS i girl who helped him to find it again I 1 i RINEHART CHAPTER 1 the street stretched away north anil and south la in two lines of ancient kiouses that seemed to meet in the distance it had bad the well worn look of an bold coati coat shabby but comfortable it was an impression of homed really um that it gave there was a house across and a little way down the street with a card in the window that said Bl meals eals twenty five cents tle the nottingham curtains were pinned back and just inside the window a throaty baritone was singing agins si bome Is the hunter home from the hill gaail A d the sailor home from the sea for perhaps an hour joe drummond euid been wandering down the street las EBs slender shoulders squared and anc at eight by nine nice had taken on a disconsolate droop prayer meet sag at the corner church was over the street empt emptied led the boy wiped the warm band of his hat and slapped it oa a his head again ali ah I 1 across the street under an old allan thus tree was the house he watched a small brick with shallow wooden steps and curious architecture of the mid he west sixties a wooden cellar door tede te de the steps in ili some curious way f it t preserved an air of distinction among Us its newer and more pretentious neigh sors bom the taller houses had an appearance of protection rather than of patronage conage ge it was a matter of self respect perhaps no windows on the street were so spotlessly curtained no door mat so accurately placed no yard la in the rear so tidy with morning glory vines macs over the whitewashed fence the june moon had bad risen when the girt girl came out at last she stepped out into a world of soft lights and wavering shadows fragrant with tree blossoms hashed bushed ot of its daylight sounds the house had been warm her brown liala lay moist on her forehead her thin white dress was turned in at the tb throat roat she stood on the steps and threw out her arms in a swift gesture to the cool air from across the street the e boy watched her with adoring humble bumble eyes all his bis courage was for those hours when he be was not with her hello joe aiello 11 ello sidney ile he crossed over emerging out of the shadows had ws into her enveloping radiance Ms assent young eyes worshiped her as lie he stood on the pavement tin pm late I 1 was taking out bastings for mother oh all right sidney sat down on the doorstep and the boy dropped at her feet she settled herself more comfortably and drew along a long breath now how tired I 1 am I 1 oh I 1 told WIL joa weve taken a roo roomer merl 1 she tk was As half apologetic the street did not approve of roomers it will help with the i rent its my doing really mother la Is scandalized toe joe was sitting bolt upright now a Is he young rs lies A good bit older than you but ithaca not saying hes old toe joe was twenty ane one and sensitive of toa big youth ircel be crazy about you la in two days she broke into delightful laughter t 11 not fall la in love with him you j texa weve taken ta en a roomer Roo merl cm an be certain of that no Is tall tali and v acy 7 solemn his hair la quite quit gray era over his ears his name M K le moyne interest la in the roomer died away tae boy tell fell into the ecstasy of content bat always came with kidneys Sid pros pres ace his inarticulate young tori soji was swelling with thoughts did noi not low how to put into words it WB was esy enough to plan conversations with hmaey when he be was away from her bat at her feet with her soft skirts fe 1139 him film as she moved her eager cage T me turned to 3 him he was miserably awkward and strangely speechless unexpectedly sidney yawned dawned he was outraged if youre sleepy I 1 dont be silly I 1 love having baying you I 1 sat up late last night reading I 1 wonder what you yon think of this one of the characters la in the boote book I 1 was wag reading says that every man who who cares for a woman leaves his mark on her I 1 every mant man I 1 now how many men are supposed to caro tor for a woman anyhow well theres the boy who likes her when both young A bit of innocent mischief this but joe straightened then they both outgrow that foolishness Is ish haess ness after that there are usually two rivals and she marries one of them three and why do they always outgrow that foolishness ills voice was unsteady oh I 1 dont know ones ideas change sidney was fairly vibrant with the zest of living sitting on the steps of the little brick house her busy mind was carrying her on to where beyond the street with its dingy limps lamps and blossoming bloss oming al ailant lanthus hns lay the world that hat was one day to lie ile to her hand fot ambition called her but life the boy was different where her future lay visualized before her heroic leeds deeds great ambitions wide charity he be planned years with her selfish contented years As different as smug satisfied summer from visionary palpitate ing spring be was for her ber but she was for all the world by shit ting his position his lips came close to her bare young arm it tempted him dont read that nonsense ho he said his eyes on the arm and ill never outgrow my foolishness about you yon sidney then because he could not help it he bent over and kissed her arm she was just eighteen and joes devotion was very pleasa pleasant nL she thrilled to the touch of his lips on oil her flesh but bur she drew her arm away please I 1 dont like that sort of thing why not nis ills voice was husky it right besides the neighbors are always looking out of the w windows in 11 the drop from her high standard of right and wrong to the neighbors curiosity appealed suddenly to her sense of humor she threw back her head and laughed ile he joined her after an uncomfortable moment but he be was very much 1 la earnest he sat bent forward turning his new straw hat in his hands 1 I thought perhaps said joe growing red and white and talking to the hate hat that iome some day when were older I 1 you you might be willing to marry me SM id be awfully good to you it hurt her to lo say no indeed she could not bring herself to say it in all her short life she had bad never willfully inflicted a wound and an d because she was young and did not realize that there is a short cruelty like the surgeons that Is mercy la in the end she temporized there Is such a lot of time before we need think of such things I 1 cant we just go on the way we are I 1 im not very happy the way we are why joel joe I 1 she leaned over and put a tender hand on his arm 1 I dont want to hurt you but bu t joe I 1 dont want to be engaged yet I 1 dont doat want to think about marrying theres such a lot to do in tile the world first theres such a lot to see and be where he demanded bitterly here on this street do you want more time to pull bastings for your mother or to slave tor for your aunt harriet or to run up and down stairs carrying towels to roomers marry me and let me take care of you once again her dangerous sense of humor threatened her he looked so boyish sitting there with the moonlight on its ills bright hair so inadequate to carry out his magnificent offer two or three of the star blossoms from th the e tree had fallen on oa his head she lifted them carefully away let me take care of myself tor for a while ive never lived my own life you know what I 1 mean pin im not unhappy but I 1 want to do something and some day I 1 shall not anything big I 1 know I 1 cant do that but something useful then after years and years if you still want me ill corae back to you ile he drew a long breath and kot got up all the joy had gone out of the summer night for him poor lad ile he glanced down the tha street where palmer howe had gone home happily with kidneys Sid friend christine palmer would always know how he stood with christine but sidney was not like that A fellow did not even caress her easily when he had only kissed her arm arin he trembled a little at the memory 1 I shall always want you he said only you will never come back it had bad not occurred f to either of them that this coining back so tragically considered was depending on an c entirely n problematical going away nothing that early summer night seemed more unlikely than that sidney would ever be free to live her own life the street stretching away to the north and to the south in two lines of houses that seemed to meet in the distance hemmed her in she had bad been born in the little brick house and as she was of it so it was of her her hands had smoothed and painted the pine floors her hands had put up the twine on which the morning glories in the yard covered the fences had indeed with what agonies of slacking blacking lime ilme and adding blueing whitewashed the fence itself ashes capable aunt harriet had admitted watching from her sewing machine kidneys Sid strong young arms at this humble bumble spring task ashes wonderful her mother lad said its as she bent beat over her handwork she was not strong enough to run the sewing machine so joe drummond stood on the pavement and saw his dream of taking sidney in his arms fade into an indefinite futurity irm im not going to give you up he be said doggedly when you come back ill be waiting the shock being over and things only postponed he dramatized his grief a trifle thrust his hands savagely into his pockets and scowled down the street sidney smiled up tip at him good night joe good night I 1 say sidney its more than halt half an engagement wont you kiss hiss me goodnight good night she hesitated flushed and palpitate ing perhaps after all her first kiss would have gone without her heart gone wt of sheer pity but a tall figure figare loomed out of the shadows and approached with quick strides the roo roomer merr I 1 cried sidney and backed away D n the roomer I 1 the roomer advanced steadily when n lie he reached the doorstep sidney was demurely seated and quite alone the r roomer looked very warm ile he carried a suitcase which was as it should be the men of the street always carried their own luggage except the younger wilson allson across the way nis HIS tastes were known to be luxurious hot it sidney inquired after a formal greeting she indicated the place on the step just vacated by joe soud better cool off out here the house is like an oven I 1 think I 1 should have warned you of that before you took the room these little houses with low roofs are fearfully hot the new roomer hesitated ile he did not care to establish any relations with the people in the house long evenings in which to read quiet nights in which to sleep and forget these were the things he be had come for but sidney had moved over and was smiling up at him ile he folded up awkwardly on the low step he seemed much too big tor for the house h ouse sidney had a panicky thought of the little room upstairs 1 di I dont mind heat 1 1 I 1 I suppose I 1 d dont ont think about it said the roomer rather bather surprised at himself im afraid be sorry you took the room the roomer smiled in the shadow rm im beginning to think that you are sorry ills his quick mind grasped the fact that it was the girls bedroom he had taken other things he had gathered that afternoon from the humming of a sewing machine from kidneys Sid businesslike way of renting the little room from the glimpse of a woman in a sunny window bent over a needle genteel POV poverty erty was what it meant and more the constant drain of dis heartened middle aged women on the youth and courage of the girl beside him XZ le moyne who was living his own tragedy those days what with poverty and other things swore a quiet oath to be no further weight on the girls buoyant spirit he had no intention of letting the street encroach on oa him ile he had bad built up a wall between himself and the rest of the world and lie would not scale it but he held no grudge against it it let others get what nhat they could out of living sidney suddenly practical broke in on his thoughts where are you going to get your meals 1 I thought about it I 1 can stop la in somewhere wre on my way do downton wa n I 1 work la in the gas office of ce I 1 dont beI belleve leveI 1 told you its very bad for you said sidney with decision it leads to slovenly habits babits such as going without when youre lowre in a hurry and that sort of thing the only thing Is to have someone expecting you at a certain time it sounds like marriage he was lazily amused it sounds like mrs mckees boarding house at the corner twenty one meals tor for five dollars and your tick ticket et Is good until it Is 13 punched but mrs mckee like it if you miss inelss mrs mckee for me said bald L le moyne 1 I dare say ill be fairly regular t to 0 my ay meals it was growing late the street streek which mistrusted night air e ven even on a hot a summer a time r eve evening ning was closing its windows by shifting his position th man was ablo to see the girls face very lovely it was he thought vers verj pure almost radiant and young from the middle age of his almost throy years she was a child there had been a boy in the shadows when he came up the street of course there would be a boy a nice clear eyed chap sidney was looking at the moon with that dreamers part of her that she had inherited from her dead and gone father she was quietly worshiping the night but her busy brain was working too the practical brain that slie she had bad got from her mothers side what about your washing she inquired unexpectedly 1 I suppose youve ix Z Z lilt A Q fl the new roomer hesitated been sending things to the laundry and what do you do about your stockings engsi day bay cheap ones and throw thrower wem em away when worn out there seemed to be no reserves with this sur surprising prisia 9 young person and buttons use safety pins when they I 1 re closed one can button over them mem as well as 1 1 I I think said sidney that it Is quite time someone took a little care of you it if you will give katie our mald twenty five cents a week shell do your washing and not tear your things to ribbons and rn ill meno mend them sheer stupefaction was IL he after a moment youre really rather wonderful wonder tuI mav page here am 1 I lodged fed washed ironed and mended for seven dollars and seventy five cents a 1 I hope said sidney severely that put what you save in the bank he was still somewhat dazed when he went up the narrow staircase to his swept and garnished room never in all of a life that had been active until recently had ke he been so co conscious a of friendliness and kindly interest he expanded under it some ot of the tired lines left his bis face new hew underwear for yours tomorrow K Leli le moyne loyne he said to himself as he unknotted his cravat new underwear der wear an ana something besides K for a first name he pondered over that for a time taking off his shoes slowly and thinking hard kenneth king kerr none of them appealed to IA him A and ad after all what did it matter the old heaviness came over him sidney did not sleep much that night she lay awake gazing into the scented darkness her arms under her lead head love had come into her life at last A man nl n only joe of course but it was not the boy himself but what he stood tor for that thrilled her had asked her to be his wife the desire to be loved I 1 there was coming to sidney a time when love would mean not receiving but giving the divine fire instead of t tho he pale flame of youth at last she slept A night breeze came through the windows and spread coolness through the little house the allari at lanthus thus tree wave waved ld in the moonlight and sent sprawling shadows over the wall at af 11 le bedroom who is this K le moyne anyway waya why not make a guess I 1 now as to his identity and see how close you come to the truth A when the climax Is in re reached ached what makes a good story interesting and believe us this H serial Is thrilling TO BB CONTINUED |
