Show the crien crippled d lady of f perils Ped honka by james oliver Cural curwood lood service OD ib 1029 doubleday doran damn co inc STORY stony FROM THE START introducing some corne of the people of the pretty little Fr ferencin encin canadian village of Peri Perl bonka particularly the crippled lady idol of the simple inhabitants paul kirke Is a descendant of a sister of molly brant sister of joseph brant great indian chief he has inherited many indian characteristics ills father Is in a powerful new york financier paul marries claire durand daughter of his fathers partner he Is in charge of enel work near ear pe Peri ri bonka CHAPTER III 4 paul sat sai at his desk fitter after derwent had bad gone from his chair lie ile could look through another window to a clean and unbroken sweep of country where the forest had stood mood and where now were row rows a of cottages built for the men whose wies and families had corne come with them to the workings he could see lucybelle lucy belle percents Per Der home and not far ar froni from it the cottage in which carla find ancs her mother lived oe be had often felt an emptiness ot of heart and a great longing when ills his eyes rested upon these halt half hundred homes of the women whose love and loyalty had urged them to follow their husbands fortunes his wife was not among I 1 hem only twice in three years had she come up to what she had called these nor horrible woods and then she had departed after a day or two her picture was on his desk he knew she was beautiful in a vivid golden way but her beauty bad never touched him deeply it had bad been for him like a beauty of a flower bower made by a muster master craftsman from paper or glass without the rare sweet perfume which should have hare been a part of it and for which he had yearned all his life lie ile had thought of tier her es cs a lovely bird in a glided cage and the cage was the palace which he be called his tonie ionie it was a Sen senseless seles s s thought for the cage ild did not hold her often slie she was in europe now last year it vins BUS egypt next nest year it would be some other fir faraway away place he be had been true to the woman on his desk just os ns he be kadev she was true to him and whatever he be had wanted in woman lie tried to build up about her ile he wanted to love her ile he lid did love tile ideal which he created of her a kind of dream woman whom he be endowed with a garat real love for him self belt and placed in one of the cottages which be could see from I 1 his I 1 Is ollice office window ue did not realize that during recent months lie he had clothed this ideal I 1 a little at a time in chrit he found in carla kaidan yesterday he hid had a letter from rom paris it was friendly find and full of interest quite a ion long letter hut bill without a line in it to say gay she wanted him or was as looking forward to the time when she would see him again she must have written it in tier dressing room with her half hair down tor for one 1 of I the be long fine spun golden filaments bad got into the letter somehow and fit at first lie he wanted to believe slie she had put it there then lie he recalled that previous to this letter it had been live weeks since she had communicated with him so there was no sentiment about it 11 just accident with carla it was different flowers which she cut from her garden were always on his bis desk A vase of gorgeous autumn nasturtiums was there now usually carla sent them over by one of her school children but bill occasionally she brought them hersell herself she made no display of the act nor was there a motive in lt it except the one inspired by kindness paul faul linew knew she would have done the same thing if his hi wife bad been there tile the two had met carla bad seemed to to in her heart a warm and tender feeling for tile the woman to who whose pe husband she brought flowers dowers A curious fact had come out between them they were the same ag age ge twenty five both born on the same day funny paul had thought bow much two women could learn irom from each other in a short time paul was looking at the haldan cottage as he sat thinking and saw carla caria come out into the rain and turn down the elude cinder r path toward his bis ollice office in a little while he knew she alie was on her way to visit him biru ue he stood up to watch the slim figure in its close fitting silken raincoat and hood ue knew how she would come tn in through his bis door hiding biding her grief as much as she could from the world that its gloom might not oppress or embarrass others to have a mother at nonie home dying and then to smile was carla he be met her at the door and carla had wets wet fresh nasturtiums in her band A glow ot of greeting was in her eyes and the smile was on it tier her lips as he knew they would be ile he helped her ot off with her coat and hood she objected a little to taking off her raincoat 1 11 I want to talk with you for only a few moments if the inconvenience too great she sald and I 1 want to talk with you tor for a long time he replied 1 I nm am not working not cot eien dictating arid and I 1 h have anve let my secretary go I 1 have tell fell peculiarly the desire to do nothing this afternoon tile the day nas has been empty find blue and it only when i saw you coming down the path I 1 have been thinking about you quite a bit ile he had never said as ac much as tola this with the steely shutters let down from his eyes so that the other man within him was looking through A flush so faint that paul did out not notice it gathered in carlas cheeks thinking of me she inquired that Is kind of you yon I 1 tike like to be thought about pleasantly anti and you could not think otherwise of me when I 1 bring you flowers ile he was glad she had spoken about her flowers they have hare been an encouragement and an inspiration to me tor for a long time lie he sid said no matter bow b annoying my work or how gloo belomy im the day they ar are e always like a cheering friend sin smiling fling at me from my desk the warmth in her cheeks deepened into a delicate rose lush flush of color 1 I am glad my flowers have seemed friendly to you they are always that to me in e I 1 love them just as I 1 love trees it if it were not that their crown she was in europe now last year it was egypt next year it would be some other faraway place ing mission Is to bring us comfort and solace I 1 should hate to pick them sometimes it seems to to me like k killing 1111 ng ti beautiful things will souls in them I 1 feel the same way when I 1 see a tree cut down don her gaze rested upon the picture of his wife 1 I often think of sirs mrs kirke cherf I 1 pick my iny nasturtiums slie she added she la Is of their beatify colorful vivid full of gold and life Is slie she well 1 I believe so she Is in paris I 1 replied a letter from tier her yet yesterday erday in which she speaks of you says she has not forgotten her threat to come up and dinini you some day that will be exciting tier her third visit in three years she caught the Inflect inflection lon of irony in his voice though he was not trying to reveal it it the knowledge of his loneliness sometimes oppressed her it was one reason why she picked flowers for him and slie she was always saying something nice for tile the woman whose picture was on his desk a and nd whose life was so apart from his S so 0 infinitely separated from everything in which he might have found foun I 1 happiness I 1 1 I have tried to grow hyacinths about my cottage abe said hut but they wont live they die I 1 love them and have given them every care and I 1 make myself believe they would like to grow tor for me if they could 1 I told mrs kirke of my experience when she was here a year ago and you should have seen her eyes eves tight light up 1 I nm am like that she bald said 1 I 1 would die if I 1 had to live up here paul understand you wont yet I 1 would die anti and I 1 believe that too it tier her fault any more than it Is tile the hyacinths they are very much alike A wonderful flower and a wonderful woman I 1 think yo your ur wife Is the more wonderful of the two giving you up as she Is doing all because of 0 your work TO BE CONTINUED |