Evening star., 1908-01-23
CHAPTER XXx-Continued.

ing before the sunlight came. Twice. in
his placid, wakeful night. he rose to make
sure the child was all right. to pull up an
extra blanket about the small shoulders
or to arrange the pillow. punched by
David's fist to the edge of the bed. IN
the morning he let the little boy look out
of the window while he packed UP their
various belongings. and when it was time
to start David could hardly tear himself
away from that outlook. which makes
such mystical appeal to most of us
huddling roofs and chimneys under
morning sky. But when he did turn to
look at DIR. Lavendar. tucking things into
his valise and singing to himself. 1T was
to realize again the immutable past.
NO" he said. slowly you can't get
back behind and begin again" Dr. Law
endar. understanding. chuckled.
Can God?" said David.
At that Dr. Lavendars face suddenly
shone. David" he said, .'the greatest
thing in the world is to know that God is
always beginning again
But David had turned to the window to
watch prowling cat upon roof. and
then. alas, 1t was time to start
WELL" said Dr. Lavendar, as, hand in
hand, they walked to the big. roaring
place where the cars were. We'll, David,
tomorrow we shall be at home again.
You sit down here and take care of my
bag while l go and get the tickets"
David slid side&ise on to the slippery
wooden settee. He had nothing to say:
again he felt that bleak sinking right
under his little breast bone, but 1t stop
ped in the excitement of seeing Mrs.
Richie's brother coming into the waiting
room! There was young lady at his
side, and he piloted her across the big,
bare room, to the very settee upon which
David was swinging his small legs.
II must about the checks. dear,
he said, and hurried off without a glance
at the little boy who was guarding DIR.
Lavendar's valise.
The sun pouring through the high. dusty
window, shone into David's eyes. He
wrinkled his nose and squinted up at the
young Lady from under the visor of his
blue cap. She smiled down at him. pleas
antly. and then opened a book. upon
which David said. bravely. You're nine
teen. I'm seven. going on eight"
What" said the young lady; she put
her book down and laughed How do
you know l am nineteen. little boy?"
Mrs. Riches brother said So.
She looked at him with amused perplex
ity. And who Is Mrs. Riches brother?"
David pointed shyly at the vanishing
figure at the end of the waiting room.
why, no. dear. that's my father
Il know" said David; hes Mr.. Pryor.
Mrs. Riches brother. He comes and
stays at our house"
Stays at your house: What on earth
are you talking about. you funny little
boy! Where is your house?"
90 Chester said David.
The young lady laughed and gave him
a kind glance. You've made a mistake.
| think. My father doesn't know Mrs.
Richie
David had nothing to say. and she
opened her book. When Mr.. Pryor re-
turned. hurrying to collect the bags and
umbrellas, David had turned his back
and was looking out of the window
1t was not until they were in the train
that Alice remembered to speak of the
Richie?" she demanded, gayly, .'and
where is Old Chester?''
The suddenness of it was like blow
Lloyd Pryor actually gasped; his pres
ence OF mind SO entirey deserted him.
that before he knew It, he had led-and
no one knew better than Lloyd Pryor that
1T is a mistake to lie hurriedly.
II don't know! Never heard of either
of them
His confusion was so obvious that his
I'm told you stay at Mrs. Riches house,
in Old Chester" she said. laughing.
What are you talking about?"
why. father she said. blankly; his
irritation was very disconcerting.
II tell you l never heard of such a per-
SON. he repeated sharply, and then
realized what he had done. "D-n it.
what did l lie for?'' he said to himself
angrily, and he began to try to get out
of it: "Old Chester? Oh, yes; l do re-
member. It's somewhere near Mercer
believe But l never went there in my
life" Then he added in his own mind,
"Confound 1t. I've done it again, What
the devil has happened? Who has told
her?'' Aloud. he asked where she had
heard Of Old Chester.
She began to tell him about little boy
who said-'it was too funny she in
terrupted herself. smilfng-"who said that
stayed at her house in Old Chester,
and
Perfect nonsense." he broke in ''He
mistook me for some one else. suppose"
''Oh. of course she agreed. laughing;
upon which Mr.. Pryor changed the sub
ject by saying that he must look over
some papers. Don't talk now, dear" he
said.
Alice subsided into her novel: but after
a while she put the book down. No. the
little boy had not mistaken him for some
body else; hes Mr. Pryor the child
had said. But. of course, the rest was
all funny mistake. She took the book
up again. but as she read she began to
heard of Old Chester? Then she remem-
bered. 4 gentleman who came to call
King? Yes. that was his name: DR..
King. He said he had come from Old
Chester. And he had spoken of some
body-now, who was it? Oh. yes. Richie:
her father went to Mercer, he said he was
going to Old Chester: yet now he said he
had never heard of the place. Why. ii
almost seemed as if she had blundered
upon secret! Her uneasy smile faded
! involuntarily into delicate disgust; not
because the nature of the secret occurred
to her, but because secrecy in itself was
repugnant to her, as ii is to all nobler
minds. She said to herself, quickly that
her father had forgotten Old Chester.
that was all. OF course. he had forgot
ten ft-or else She did not allow herself
to reach the alternative which his con-
fusion SO inevitably suggested-secrecy.
protected by lie In the recoil from it
cion which she had not even entertained.
Truth was so much to this young crea-
ture that even the shadow of an untruth
gave her sense of uneaSineSs which she
could not Danish. She looked furtively
at her father. sorting out some papers.
his lips compressed his eyebrows drawn
into a heavy frown. and assured herelf
that she was a wicked girl to have won
dered, even for a minute, whether he
was perfectly frank. He! Her ideal of
every virtue. And. besides. why should
he not be frank? 1t was absurd as well
as wicked to have that uneasy feeling.
Il am ashamed of myself" she declared,
hotly. and took up her novel.
But David had thrown the smooth stone
from the brook,
1t was a very little stone; the giant did
not know for many d day where he had
been hit. yet ii had struck him in the one
Vulnerable point In his armor-his daugh-
ters trust I'm him. How the wound
widened does not belong to this story.
When DIR. Lavendar came bustling back