The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-03-19

his sick nerves quivered. Yet how
could he explain to this girl, an utter
stranger. that she mustn't mind, be-
cause really he was half an invalidf
And, why should It make any diner
ence to him what she thought of him?
Yet he writhed as he stood there, his
order ended, watching her. Suddenly
she lifted her eyes as with an effort.
She was very pale now and he fan
cied there was hint of appeal In
her gaze. Was there on earth an
other creature Of such varying aspects
and moods?
He glanced around the little shop
desperately and bought an armful e
magazines at random. The shock
headed boy waited on him and the
girl retired again to her tiny office.
but bent over the desk. Still dazed,
he left the shop and dropped into the
drug store. He had made friends
with the queer old proprietor
who is she?" repeated the old man
as Drillman lighted the cigar just
purchased.
Say, that girls all right! Her dad
cWhOu Shoe oSoi hO-oStOuhI hO Woot
but he worshiped Judith. The only
thing that kept him at work at all was
that she wanted to go to college, and
re had sto earn that money. And In
the middle of her second year he up
and died, and after the funeral, when
she found that store was all she had
in the world. why, she just naturally
started out to run 1t. That was three
months ago. OF course, she isn't
much on business, but she gets along"
"She impressed me as being decid-
eddy able to take care Of herself"
Drillham found himself saying little
CURLY
The old man laughed "Judy's got
way with her." he said. "She al
ways carried her head high. But I've
seen her cry over a robin with bust
ed leg when she was younger and
lordy, but she can run from a COW!
She's just a girl after ALL"
Bayard Drillham walked back SLOW
ly to his quiet boarding place. He
was trying to imagine Judith White
frightened, appealing. tremulous, and
could not. Yet as he pictured her
face, tempestuous, naughty and CON-
handing, he remembered suddenly
that odd little culver to her lips, and
her pallor II was curious combina-
ton
1t was so curious that the following
day found him back in the little shop,
where he demanded more magazines,
quite unabashed at the memory of his
yesterdays purchases. The boy was
4 away and Judith herself waited on
him, cool, reserved, polite. She wore
dark blue, with white collar and cuffs,
knew she looked as If she were
dressed for part In play. Some
how his attempts at conversation.
while frankly met, never got any
where, and he found himself going
out when he most decidedly wished
to stay In.
And for many days the little scene
was repeated. He told himself 1t was
merely an idle curiosity to see II he
ever could catch the goddess off her
guard, to find II she really were like
other girls. A mad idea of hunting
up broken-legged bird possessed
| MIN. Anu each udy OIOu6nt iioiC
firmly under thrall of her deep. dark
eyes. her aloofRess, her superb abil-
ity to care for herself.
Never had Bayard Drillham so pa
tiently tried to make friends with any
man, to say nothing of woman, for
all his life he had fed from them, and
never had he encountered such an i'm
passable wall So constantly were his
thoughts centered on the amazing girl
in the stuffy little shop that he forgot
to think of himself and his illness and
the result was that health sought him
out Yet he stayed on liz Perch Har-
Dor. Once he said to her half fiercely.
do you intend to waste your whole
life here?"
why not?" she had countered in
dignantly. II was born here! l be-
long here!"
Judith was paler these days, and
one morning Drillham, vaguely wor-
1 ried. entered the shop only to find it
empty. There was no sound. and he
! stepped to the door leading to her lit
tie office. There with her head down
on her out-spread arms was Judith.
AS he looked her shoulders heaved.
With one bound Bayard Drillham
was beside her, drawing her to him as
one draws weeping child. What
! is 1t, JUDITH" he asked terrified.
What has hapDered'"
The fact that instead of repelling
him she half chung to him in limp
sort of despair added to his terror.
"Oh," she gasped hopelessly, I've
had to give up. I'm beaten! I've
fought and been conceited enough to
think | could do things, but | guess
you were right! There's been no sys-
tenn or c-c-common sense in the way
I've run the business, and now I've
run It into the ground! The store'll
be closed tomorrow"
Bayard Drillham looked down at the
tear-stained face with great thrill
of unbelieving happiness. His god
dess was only girl after all!
"Confound the store!" he told her,
1--WE wanted to marry you all along
ond never dared say SO befOrei Can't