Show an fn the ine crippled fl la 6 y of Peri Ped bonka lay by james oliver curwood Cur alood WV W 11 flee e ui 1929 doubleday dona damn 6 co in ia STORY FROM THE START introducing some om or of p I 1 of th pretty little canadian Y village age of perl tonka bonka particularly the crippled lady idol of the simple inhabitants inhabitant paul a u i xa karko r ke in a de descendant ot of a pl s liter n te r 0 ot I 1 ma molly Y B brant mt sister liter of i joseph osep h B brant r ant gre great a I 1 indian end an chief f he Is h has a a inherited many indian characteristics ills father Is a powerful new york enan financier cler paul marries claire claere durand daughter of his bis fathers partner he Is in harge charge of engineering work meat dear Peri bonka CHAPTER III paul eat at his desk after Deri derwent vent had gone from his bis chair be could look through another window to a clean and unbroken sweep ot of country countr where the forest bad mood and where now were rows of cottages built for the men whose wives anil and families bad come with them to the workings ue he could see lucy bielle Oer wenta home and not flat far from it the cottage in which aria haldan and her mother lived lie be had often felt fin an emptiness of heart and a great longing when his ees eyes rusted rested upon these hall half hundred homes of the women whose love and loyalty had bad urged them to follow their husbands fortunes ills wife was not among them only twice in three years had bad she come up to what she had called these horrible woods and then she tind had departed after a lay clay or two tier ifer picture was on his desk he knew she was tul ful to lo a vivid golden way nay but her beauty hail had never touched him dee deeply P ly it had been for him like a beauty of a flower made by a master craftsman from paper or glass without the rare sweet perfume which should have am e been a part of it and for which he had bad yearned all his life tie he hail had thought of her Es CB a lovely bird in a glided cage and the cage was the palace which he called hla his lome home it was a senseless thought for the case cage did not hold bold her often slie she was to in europe now lost last year it was egypt l next year it ft would be some other faraway far away place he bad been true to the woman on his bis desk just as he knew she was true to him and whatever he had wonted wanted in woman he tried to build up about her oe ile wanted to love lore her tie lie did love the ideal which be created of her a kind bind of dream woman whom be endowed with a great love tor for him film self belt and placed in one of the cottages which he could see from his bis office window lie ile did not realize that during re cent months he be had clothed this ideal a little at a time in what he be found in carla haitian yesterday Xester doy he had received a letter from paris it was friendly and full of interest quite a long letter but without a line in it to say gay she wanted him or was looking forward to the time when she would see him again she must have written it in her dressing room with her halt hair down for one odthe ot the long fine spun golden filaments had bad got into the letter somehow slid and at brat he wanted to believe slie she bad put it there then he recalled that previous to this tetter letter it had bad been live five weeks since she had bad communicated with him so there was oo no sentiment about it just accident with carla it was different flowers flowe r which she cut from her garden w were er always on his desk A vase of gorgeous autumn nasturtiums was there now usually carla sent them over by one of her befool children but occasionally she brought them herself site she made no display of the am act not nor wis was therea there a motive in it except the one inspired by kindness paul knew she would have done the same thing if his bis wife had been there the two hod bad met carla had seemed to hear ln in her heart a warn and tender feeling tor for the woman to whose husband husti inri she brought flowers boners A curious fait fact lind come out between them they were the same age twenty five bye both born on the same day funny paul had thought how bow much two women could learn from each other in a short clort time paul was looking at tahe the cot inge us he sat thinking cud aud son saw carla caria come out into the rain and turn down the clader cinder path toward its his office to in a little while he knew she w was as on her way to visit him lie ile stood a t up to watch the slim augure in its close fittan fitting g silken n raincoat and hood tie ile knew how she would come coine in through his door hiding sr or grief as much as she ehe could from the world that thiet its gloom might not oppress or embarrass others to have a mother lit horne home dying and then to smile was larla carla ha met riet herat her atthe thedoor door and carla NO wet fresh nasturtiums in her hand A glow ot greeting was in her eyes and the smile was on her lips as he knew they would be tie lie helped her ber off with her coat and hood she object cl el a little to taking off her rain raincoat coaL 1 I 1 want to talk with you for only a few moments if the 1 inconvenience too gleat she sold and I 1 want to talk with ft ath you for a long vine time 1 he replied 1 I am not working not even dictating and I 1 have bats let my secretary go I 1 have felt fell peculiarly the desire to do nothing this afternoon the do day has been empty and blue and it brightened only bhea A saw law you yon coming down the path I 1 have been thinking about you quite ft A bit bil he had never said as ae much lucli as ai this with the steely steel shutters abutters let sofrom down from his eyes so that the other man within urn was looking through A gush flush so faint that abat paul did nut not notice it gathered to in carlos cheeks thinking of ot me she he inquired that to la kind hind of 0 you yon I 1 like to be thought about pleasantly and you yon could not think otherwise of me when I 1 bring you hovers flowers tie ile was wag glad she had spoken about her flowers they have been ao an encouragement and an inspiration to me for a long time he said no matter how annoying ang my work or now how gloomy the day they are always like a cheering friend smiling at me from my desk the warmth in her cheeks deepened into a delicate rose gush of color 1 I 1 BID am glad roy my flowers have seemed friendly to you they are always that to me I 1 love them thein just as I 1 love trees it if it were not that bat their crown she was in europe now last year etwas it was egypt next year it would be some other faraway far away place ing mission Is to bring us comfort and solace I 1 should bat bate to pick them sometimes it seems to me like killing billing beautiful things with souls in them I 1 feel the same way bay when I 1 see a tree cut down her fler gaze rested upon the picture ot of his wife 1 I often think of mrs kirke when I 1 pick my nasturtiums she added she Is of their beauty colorful vivid full of gold and life Is she well 1 I believe so she Is in parts paris I 1 received a letter from her yesterday in which she speaks of you says she has not forgotten her threat to come up and paint you some day that will be exciting ang her third visit to in three years yeam she caught the inflection of irony to in his voice though he was not trying to reveal it the knowledge of his bis loneliness sometimes oppressed her it was waa oner one reason enson why she picked flowers for him and she was always saying something ulce nice for the woman whose picture was on his desk and whose life was so apart from his so BO infinitely separated from everything in which he be might have found happl cess 1 I have tried to grow hyacinths about my cottage pile elie sold said but they wont live they die I 1 love them and have given them idem every care and I 1 make myself believe they would like to grow for or me if they could I 1 told hars kirke of my experience when she was here a year ago and you should have seen her eyes light up 11 1 am uke like that she sald said 11 1 I would the die if I 1 had to live up here paul understand you tou wont yet 1 would dle and I 1 believe that too it her fault any more than it Is the hyacinths they are very much billie alike A wonderful flower and a wonder wonderful fu woman I 1 think your wife Is the more wonderful of the two giving galos you up ns as she all because fcc f your work TO BB CONTINUED |