The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-03-02

just missed seein' her"
Heavens. what bloww
But Roland's taEin' her home
needn't upset you none"
Thank you for those kind words.
Tracey Nat sighed and passed
troubled hand across his brow. "Youre
true friend
| "l'm tryIn to be. Nat. same's you
are to me Tracey thought this over
"But you ain't foolin me. are your he
| asked presently Il mean bout bein
true triendT'
why should ~"
An dunno You're so Gurus
sometimes aint never sure whether
YOU mpan what you're sayin or not"
"Oh. don't say that
We'll | amt the only one. Every
body IN tuwn says they don't under
stand YOU half the time"
duncan moved over to Tracey His
face was entirely serious. Tracey.
he said dropping hand on the boys
shoulder do you know. nothing In
life is harder to bear than not to be
nnderStuudf'
Tracey wrestlcd with this for mo
mcnt. hut II was beyond him.
Then why the dickens don't you talk
sos folks u know what it's aboutf" he
demanded ncutcdly
"BpcauSr hmr' Duncan hesitated.
with his pnigmatic smile well. be
ause the rules don't require It,"
What d YOU mean by thatT Tracey
exploded
Nat couldn't explain. so he counter
I'D neatly This Is one OF your An
gle evenings. isn't IT, Tracey2"
Yep but"
VOL. you hurry along. I'll close up
the shop"
To duncan. now seated on the edge
nf an upturued box IN a corner OF the
Store. came an idea He drew roll OF
bills from his pocket aud stripped OF
the top one
Here's ST." he said to Tracey
Girls can usually he captured 10y
iudcious expenditures wish you
uck."
"Ah. thanks. MIR Duncan"
"Rut. Ttarey'
The boy paused at the door
"What?"
'Remember what told you. Dnn'l
you make too much love. Let Anglr
do that
Gosh that u be- the hardest rule oi
all for me-, A shadow clouded Ira
cey's honest eyes. But got to do II
that way. anyway. can't ask her "a
marry me yit | can't afford to get
married"
ITS a contrary world Tracey. con
trary world" sighed Nat in a tone oi
deepest melancholy.
What makes you say that? iou
kin git married 5 soon 3 you want to
You think 50. TraceyT
"All you got TO do $ ask JOSIE
I'm almost afraid you're right"
why? Don't you want to git mar
riedT
Well Nat smilcd-"no. Don't be
lieve | do. not just now. at any rate"
We'll. you don't have 10 II you don
want to. cd night"
"Yes. do" Nat told Traceys back
n ''rhe rules say so. If the girl asks M
:, must"
= He grimaced ruefully beneath hi
d wisn Of mustache Anyhow, Iv
l. sot .cw ngG&s9 left"
y So the winter wore away. and a
o spring drew nigh upon our valley Dun
can seemed to grow perturbed. eve
as he had been In the autumn befOr
e Betty wen: away
Duncan urged Sam to move his hous'
q hold from over the store to house. II
pointed out that separate residenc
"a distinctly befitted the dignity of ma
"a who was at once a prominent inventO
and one of Radville's leading mel
chants wide personal" in the lat
-, issue OF the Radvllle CtizenI. TO sa
,s not hing Of the social position Of hi
daughter-meaning Betty. And tn
10 house Duncan had his metaphorica
eye upon was large enough TO shelte
Nat himself in addition to the Ora
l. ham family
Graham fell In with the scheme will
=, out murmur of dublety or dissen
20 derstanding was right and feasible
and even II II wasn't really so M
would make 1t so They engaged th
house and moved. Miss Ann SophroI
siba Whitmarsh, n maiden lady OF 70
ty-ive or whereabouts, popularity know
- as "Phrony," had been coming in by III
:. day to do for" old Sam IN the room
>. above the shop. She was engaged 4
- resident housekeeper for the new e
tabishment and entered upon her d.
ties with all the discreet Joy Of or
whose maternal instincts have bee
suppressed throughout her life. 81
mothered Sam. and she mothered Ma
and she painted in expectation Of Il
day when she would have Betty
mother,
CHAPTER XVIII.
- osIE LOCKWOOD came hon
again for the Easter holiday
II a..