Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-22


 erything. At last, however, he no response, opened it and went into the room.
 It was a poor place, poorly fur nished, yet exquisitely neat and clean. As a matter of fact, Dick had no eyes kor the room or anything about it; he stood still, just within the door, watching the bowed figure of young girl, whose arms were spread out on the table, and whose head was buried between her arms. At the moment that Dick entered she was sobbing quietly and despairingly, in man. ner heartbreaking to hear.
 Now Dick was, before all things, tenderhearted. On the impulse of the moment he moved forward in his inn petuous, boyish fashion, and touched the girl gently on,the shoulder.
 Don't you give way, you know"
 He stopped in amazement. The girl started to her feet and faced him; and he drew back, staring at her blank ly. For here was. the short, curly brown hair, the deep, pathetic brown eyes, and the delicate white face of the boy who had tried to carry his bag. Yet her dress now was what it ought to have been-plain and neat and rather shabby, but quite womanly. The girl, for her part, recognized Dick, and, with a cry, covered her face with her hands and shrank away from him.
 Don't do that,' said Dick, hastily. t'You don't k1fow me at all, if you do that. I thought there was something strange about you. want to help you If you'll let me.''
 There was something so winning about the boyish, good-humored face and in the frank young voice, that she began to regain confidence; and told him hurriedly, and in as few words as possible, something of her story. Of how she had been left almost pen niless, with younger brother to supp port; of how she had come, with the younger brother, to this quiet place in search of health for the boy; of the death of the boy; and of her f1nd- ing herself friendless and penniless in a strange place. Tn a moment of de- spair she had donned her dead broth CTS clothes, and gone out, in the hope of earning money in some fashion, that should find her food. While she talked Dick had sudden inspiration, and acted upon it.
 Look here,'' he said, ''what is your name ?''
 5@ .'Tamly nBertha Tamlyn,' replied the girl. : ""
 ''Most extraordinary! exclaimed Dick, inventing a story on the spot. "My father knew your father-great friends they were; and he left sort of injunction upon me to look after you-to be friends with you. Shall we begin now?" ..->..*. z.,r.- .....~..,
 She was very sskeptical at first, but Dick stuck to his story; and the girl, after all she had gone. through, was very glad to meet some one who treat ed her as frankly and gently as he might have treated his own sister.
 For perhaps the first time in his life Dick Lyddon began to be deeply inter ested in some one; began to cast about in his mind for methods of help ing her delicately. Suffice it that he smoothed the way for her wonderful ly: that, among other things, mys- terious letter arrived from an equally mysterious lawyer, inclosing sum of money-"some payment due to the es- tate of her late father" And then one day, in the midst of this new happi- ness, some chance word of his, when. she and Dick were sitting together watching the sea, under the shadow of the quaint rock at the western end of the town, showed her in moment the gentle fraud that had been prac- ticed upon her, and the position in which she stood. She said nothing then; but the next day there was no Bertha Tam1yn in all Dawlish, and disconsolate Dick Lyddon searched in vain for her.
 He search ed for three months, while a long summer wore itself out. He dragged the faithful and unfortunate Capt. Boxer about here, there and ev- anywhere, but all to no purpose. And at last one day, after many journey ings, the little train rattled' him again through the little tunnel into Dawlish.
 He found her that night sitting quietly under the shadow of the big rock, gazing at the sea. He came and sat down beside her and she did not try to run away. Very gently-being terribly afraid to startle her, or to drive her again from him. he began to tell her something of his search for thing, too, Of that old story which yet is always new story, and which had grown so steadily in his heart.
 .'You only say this out of pity for me- she said at last in a whisper, without looking at him. ''You are sorry for penniless girl, who had to masquerade in boy's clothes to try to get Iiving.''
 1T was always sorry for you,'' he said gently; ''but it's something bet ter than that. Dear Bertha, I'm just as lonely as you are, except for the captain; and one gets tired even of the captain in time. Won't you for get that I'm so abominably rich ?- won't you try if you can't love me little?''
 "You've been like fairy prince to me- she said, gratefully You came