Show lady blanche farm A 4 romance of the commonplace ce by frances parkinson keyes I 1 S k 1 i by frda Park parkinson insoo xa i night before and that the post office was being shingled this daring attempt at conversation having left him unscathed and even an unattached attacked he risked stopping a moment the next day to warm his chilled fingers over the stove and get a drink of water at tho the sink and summoning more and more courage with each new success he finally appeared one evening after supper and asked mary it if she would lend him something to read she held the door half balf open without inviting him to enter as he made hla his request and the corners of her mouth twitched he had the th uncomfortable feeling that she saw through him film perfectly would you like the autobiography of charles francis adams she asked he looked at tier her miserably you know I 1 male make head nor tall of it he said in the voice of a prisoner at the bar who pleads pleada tor for justice though he knows he be deserves no mercy im not clever like ilka you youre toure thorough when you take the trouble to be thoroughness helps in reading all ali right give it to me mary vanished leaving hla him on the doorstep closing the door behind her when she reappeared she had an looking volume in her hand this Is rea na beachs beacha heart of the sunset she said demurely it took me a little while to find it but I 1 think you may like it better if you decide you want charles francis after all come back and get it well your cordial invitation Is a bribe worth considering retorted paul then rather frightened at hla his daring he blushed scarlet nevertheless he looked straight at her smiled and lifted his cap thanks very much for this he said eald good night inevitably a few evenings later he brought the book back having to hla his intense surprise thoroughly enjoyed it seth had gone to prayer meeting and mary was putting the children to bed upstairs and did not hear bear his knock after hesitating a minute he went into the living room put the volume down on the table and began to look at the others that were lying upon it it ile he chanced on a novel of zane greys glanced down at the first two or three pages and then genuinely interested sat down and began to read entirely forgetting his awkward position as an unwelcome guest when mary entered half calf an hour later carrying a huge huga mending basket piled high with sewing he started guiltily to hla his feet and stammered excuses all right bald mary tranquilly why dont you read aloud to me while I 1 sew do you yon honestly mean that if you would honestly like to you might poke up the fire a lettla before you start in it was not until the tall clock la in the corner struck eleven that mary spoke or stirred then she rose gathering up her piles ot of neatly folded and mended clothes you must go home she said its getting late a good story etory it elnel could could we have some more tomorrow night ive promised to go to white water with the Tal taylors lors theres going 67 to bi be a c concert well owell the next night then sunday I 1 generally go to church sunday evenings now rather father listens for the boys the service Is over early yes but thomas walks home with me and comes in for a little while you yon can come too of course cours boldn it if enjoy it b but t we read this ills did not sound especially attractive to paul nevertheless with his big newborn new born horn caution and in hla his gratitude for the unexpected favor he had just received he be decided not to say so well perhaps I 1 will and thanks awfully tor for letting me stay tonight ive had it a fine time slay I 1 take the book home with mer certainly would you like a glass class of milk and a doughnut before you go gol I 1 made fresh ones today urn um m 1 would 17 I 1 they went into the kitchen sat down beside the table with the red cloth on it and talked over the tha story as they ate they did not agree as to the probable outcome A friendly argument ensued when mien paul finally got up and pushed back his chair they were both laughing and mary with a sudden gesture snatched the book from him you shant find out which or of us ug Is right before I 1 do dol I 1 she exclaimed you had better come over monday night and read aloud some more I 1 promise not to td look into it myself before then good night good night said paul briefly and happily and held out his hand it was not until mary had put her hand band in his that she remembered her statement of a few weeks earlier about a ten foot pole though paul had by no means forgotten it and when growing crimson she tried to pull her hand away she found she could not good night he said again pleasantly and firmly and gripping hard bard for a moment mary ilary struggled to free herself then she met his eyes the first lesson to in pauls new course of education had been to loot look mary in the face and as she had said paul was thorough the expression that the girl saw in her cousins was so full of newborn new born humility and penitence and andyes yet so clearly determined to deserve and claim the right on which he was insisting that she could not well see it and remain untouched she stopped struggling and returned his pressure good night paul she said softly ive had a good good time too and smiled violet having fixed a date tor for her visit with blanche decided to go to new york tor for a few days shopping first she had no intention she said with a slight flutter ot of nerves when paul who had bad been giving some painful attention to the subject pointed out to her that the tha state of their finances was still low after his bis sisters wedding and that such trips and shopping were eap exp expensive en of looking countrified when she first went to stay at her new son ln in laws homed home and to meet her daughters new friends if you had shown any consideration of me at all we have been so straitened 1 she fh sobbed why I 1 never urged you to spend all that money dont argue with met me I 1 you know it always prostrates prostrated pro strates me to have vulgar quarrels going on As it if this wretched affair with mary ended every hope of our having her money I 1 and then you try to put the blame on me and accuse me of well ive played mary alary so many dirty mean tricks that I 1 suppose its natural natura you should think aduse her money to pay our silly debts I 1 probably would have bave the way things were going but I 1 accused you of anything I 1 only sald said oh I 1 know what you said but it makes all the difference how a thing Is said and the meaning back of the tha saying counts still more I 1 suppose refuse to drive me to the midnight train next paul did note not of course refuse to do anything of the sort to tell the tha truth he was almost glad to see hla his mother go her indolence her extravagance her selfishness seemed so appalling to him just then that he be found them increasingly difficult to live with and none non the tha less so because he thought though t he saw nil LU these qualities reflected and magnified in his bis own character it was also becoming clear to him that he be must either earn more 01 r rather earn something or spend less I 1 if they were to get out of debt and that he could put con consile erable time to advantage in figur algur ing out how he was to do this 1141 H began his reflections in this direction on his way home otter after taking taken her to the station an unusually heavy snow storm had obliged him to drive the old family horse instead of using the new motor and it was two in the morning morn lna when he reached home there was he be happened to notice a light la in marys room when he had put the horse up and was going from the barn to the house bouse ho be saw that it was still burning and heard her voice at the telephone through an open window seth and jane were both away he knew attending a sunday school convent convention lon mary was therefore alone with the two alt 19 baj boya p and something ing wag tauy tr wrong 0 nj me he we went dt up up fi close asi lo 10 to the house and called maryl maryl mary Is I 1 anything the matter can I 1 help helal ile he was more frightened than before at the agonized voice that answered him yes YES oh thank god loulye co come me ill I 1 he pushed open the front door and bounded up the stairs mary was bending over the bed and on the bed lay algy aigy gasping and writh aril ing and ad then lying deathly still ethl to be continued |