The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-07-29


honor that Carolyn would not have
sacrificed for the right to go to her
father and slip her hand into his, as
when she was a child. But the men,
DRY of the words spoken three years
before came back to her:
Remember, if you leave me to go
with that woman, you are no longer
child of mine!"
The girl tiptoed to the door leading
into the hall.
With her hand on the door-knob,
Carolyn turned for parting look at
the familiar room, which had never
seemed cozier, even in her mothers
time. She would try always to re-
member it like this, and to forget
how soon it must return to the state
in which she had found it.
Outside in the hall, she closed the
door behind her. Then she heard her
fathers step in the Kitchen and the
sound held her irresistibly. She must
see what he would do!
A light of ground glass, traced in
conventional design, had been placed
in the door between kitchen and hall,
and through the polished petals of a
flower in the glass the girl watched
her father. He was standing In the
middle of the floor, gazing with amaze
ment round him, and the thought came
to Carolyn, HE will search to find
who did it!'
But her father made no search.
What was to Carolyn terrible sound
-half-groan, half-cry-broke from his
lips He threw himself down in the
chair at the table, and buried his face
in his outfung arms.
Carolyn could bear no more.
Through binding tears she made her
way to the outer door, and opened it,
to be met on the very threshold by the
last person in the world she wished
to see-Miss ]. Abigail Hemingway
"Why, my dear grill" cried Miss
Hemingway, in her piercing, high
pitched voice Il just knew it was
you, and told Sister Eunice SO when
saw you passin Says l, There's
Carolyn Mason come home again, an
if ever a good thing happened, that's
one, for her father certainly needs
some one to look after him. Says
L"
Carolyn was not listening. She was
thinking that her father could not pos
sibly escape hearing the noise, and
that he would presently come to see
what it was all about. Carolyn was
proud, too proud to be caught in the
act of running away from her fathers
house. But could her pride bear il
any better if he should come out and
order her away in the presence of this
prying woman?
A shutting footstep heralded the ap
proach of the householder. He came
round the house from the back ant
viewed the pair without apparent emo
ton He nodded a stiff Good even
I'M" to Miss Abigail, and shot one
questioning glance at his daughter
but did not speak to her.
They might call John Mason hare
man, but no one had ever accused hin
of being a dull one. He saw the ap
peal, unconscious though it was, il
Carolyn's eyes, and recognized thu
cause. John Mason, as well as hi
daughter, was proud, and blood il
thicker than water Turning to tn
older woman he asked, politely enough
WAS we comm in, Miss Abby? Any
thing | can do for ye?"
mo, oh, no, thank we, Mr., Mason
l just happened to see Carolyn as sh
come by this afternoon, and though
I'd be the first one to run over an
, welcome her, that's ALL"
, I'm obliged to We. Better come ii
then, Carolyn, if Miss Hemin'wa
won't, before the supper gets cold"
Inside, father and daughter face
; each other. Carolyn spoke first.
Thank you, father, for not shan
ing me before her, she said, trem
blingly. II am visiting Kate, an
when she told me you had no on
!, keeping house for you, | came up
, straighten things out little, for ono
l should have been away now but fc
meeting that woman at the door. II
going now. Good-by!"
a Instead of answering, her fathe
came nearer, and help out both hant
: with an imploring gesture.
= "Caddie"-he spoke the childis
y name huskily-"Caddie, I'm an oil
; broken man. Couldn't you stay wit
:, me the little while I'll need your"
!. Then Carolyn found herself whel
= she had not been since she was
: child--where she had never expectt
; to be again-in her fathers arms
Youths Companion.