Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-18
CHAPTER iii.


"Now, Jack, I'll put in the bridges while
You follow with the old woman. We must
hurry along. If we don't get these off to-
night we shall be in fix for money to-
morrow"
"Well. never mind, Jinney; don't let's
worry more than we can help. Do you
think this old woman will do?"
"Ye-es; put plenty of color on and
smooth it down we'll. Whatever would the
public do without Mark Barretts works
of art? / do hate calling myself Mark
Barrett" signing the name in a corner as
the door opened.
She didn't turn round-she was too busy
until their little servant said, "Mr Mark
Barrett, please, miss"
Poor, white, over-strung Jane dropped
her palette "butter- side" down on the only
decent carpet in the house as she turned,
horror struck, to face a gentleman-a
Mark Barrett in the flesh. Curly haired
and blue-eyed certainly, but ferocious.
She simply could not speak for a moment.
Even Jack was speechless; lie turned
very red and tried to stand in front of the
pictures with the name on, but as there was
a whole row of them all alike, the feat was
beyond his powers.
Mark had come straight down from Lon
don in furious rage. Every "pot- boiler"
he had seen of poor Janets only made him
more angry.
He marched into the house as soon as
the door was opened; il was quite possible
such person as that might lock him out;
however, the little servant was evidently
not up to it, and most fortunately showed
him into the very room where the forgeries
were going on.
There was the fictitious "Mark Barrett"
herself-caught red handed, literally red
handed; she had been signing the name in
vermiion, and the palette in falling
had smeared her hands. Mark was
rather taken aback as he looked at
the pale, trembling culprit, with her great
horror struck dark eyes. He looked at the
row of wretched daubs, twelve of them all
alike, and at Jacks red face, short trousers,
and shrunken jacket, and his agonized at
tempts to hide the twelve staring "Mark
BaTrets."
But it wouldn't do to give way to senti-
ment and have his judgment warped by a
pretty face, like British juryman in a
breach of promise case. The very thought
made him stern.
"I will not apologize for my intrusion"
he said "for l have no doubt you have
some idea of the cause of my visit"
Janet, who would have broken down at
kind word, resented this unjust harshness.
perhaps you will be good enough to ex-
plain. am not aware that have done
anything so very wrong"
Jack felt very angry. He was longing to
defend his sister, but couldn't think of a
telling speech. "Ohl TO be mana cool,
self-possessed man."
"Not done anything wrong, do you say,
madam? Are you, then, so ignorant of
right and wrong as not TO know that you
have committed the grossest forgery? Don't
you know that il is actionable?"
The sister and brother looked at each
other, not very clear as 10 what faction
able" meant. An idea flashed upon Jack.
"You don't mean to say you are going to
send my sister to prison, because it wasn't
her that did il: ii was me-" he SAID,
eagerly.
"No, no, Jack; that won't do. II was 1,
sir" turning proudly and contemptuously
TO Mark, IF you refer to my having signed
what l suppose Is your name. IL is fortu-
nate that did not happen TO sign John
Brown, or 1 might have had hundred
gentlemen threatening me instead of one. ("
"If you had signed your pictures"-sar-
castle emphasis and wave of the hand
toward the twelve Johu Brown it