Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-11

with receipts and other things to sign
and return to him. haven't the faint
est notion of what / own-except the
old house and some money from the In
come that hadn't used and brought
with me. Judge Pike has all the pa
pers-everythihg."
Joe looked troubled. "And Roger Ia
Dor, did he"-
..The dear manv' She shook her
head. HE was just the same. TO him
poor Uncle Jonas money seemed to
come from heaven through the hands
of Judge Pike
"And there's handsome roundabout
way!" said Joe.
wasn't it!' she agreed cheerfully.
"And he trS TOD the judge absolutely.
l don't, you
He gave b thoughtful look and
nodded. mo, ,n't good man." he
said, mot even 'ording to his lights,
but / doubt IL he ould have managed
to get away with anything of conse-
uuence after he became the admins
traitor. He wouldn't have tried 1t prob
ably unless he was more desperately
pushed than think he has been. 1t
would have been too dangerous. Sup
pose you wait week or SO and think
it over"
But there's something want you to
do for me Immediately, joe"
"Whats that?''
81 want the old house put In order
I'm going to live there"
"Alonew
I'm almost twenty and that's
being enough of an old maid for me to
risk Canaan's thinking me eccentric,
isn't it?"
at will think anything you do is all
right"
"And once" she cried, sit thought
everything did wrong!'
Eyes. That's the difference"
"You mean it will commend me be-
cause I'm thought rich?"
mo, no." he said meditatively, ut
isn't that. It's because everybody will
be in love with you"
"Quite everybody" she asked.
Certainly" he replied. Anybody
who didn't would be absurd"
.Ah, Joe!' she laughed. "You al
ways were the incest boy in the world,
my dearr'
At that he turned toward her with
sudden movement, and his lips part
ed, but not to speak. She had rested
one arm upon the desk and her cheek
upon her hand; the pen she had pick
ed up, still absently held in her fin
gers, touching her lips, and it was
given to him to know that he would
always keep that pen, though he would
never write with it again. The soft
lamplight fell across the lower part
of her face, leaving her eyes, which
were lowered thoughtfully, in the
shadow of her hat. The room was
blotted out in darkness behind her
Like the background of an antique
portrait, the Office, with its dusty cor
ners and shelves and hideous safe
had vanished, leaving the charming
and thoughtful face revealed against
on even, spacious brownness. Only
Ariel and the roses ar the lamp were
clear, and a strange, small pain NOV.
ed from Joe's heart to his throat as he
thought that this ugly Office, always
before so harsh and grim and lonely
loneliest for him when it had been
most crowded-was now TRANSPORTED
into something very, very different
from an office; that this place where
he sat. with lamp and flowers on q
desk between him and woman who
called him my dear" must be like
like something that people call
"home."
And then he leaned across the desk
toward her as he said again what he
had said a little while before, and his
voice trembled:
"Ariel, it is you?"
She looked at him and smiled.
you'll be here always, won't you
You're not going away from Canaan
again?"
For moment it seemed that she
had not heard him. Then her bright
glance at him wavered and fell. She
rose, turning slightly away from him
but not so far that he could not see