The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-05

The we'll dressed. modest appearing
 "Mr. Graham" he said, '.f do wish you'd let nie come iii here for a time. I don't care ,anZtairs about Wages;a .aYs' 'as;a.,
 My boy, it don't seem quite right to have you work here for nothing, 7. he protested, 'but if you really want to do 1t, I'll be glad to have you. and if times improve, I'll be glad to pay
 Duncan seized his nand esetaticaliy.
 stOh, thank y6d, MT. Graham" he said, feeling1y ''You don't know what this means to me. When can l
 Hwhsnevsr you like. my boy" said
 isaa, Nat took ssoss off his hat, pulled off his gloves, and laid them together with bo5k on corner of the work bench.
 Al right ,he .an said, m ,1 start strs risaas ad you keep tnc bfoon?''
 CHAPTER fTf.
 Betty Graham was the first of the young Wofi1e1 Of Hadville whom Net Duncan encountered personally. Tol< lowing Kellogg's rules religiously, he had held himself absolutely aloof from everyone except his laHdladt student But he had not been fifteen minutes in Sam Graham's drug store as soda clerk before his orbit crossed that of the discontented Betty. He was busy behind the fountain when not not dreaming of the pEssenee of . Atranger, poured out her woes to her father iii petdlant tcnes.
 Father. can you get me some money?" she demanded. Enough fe,s Wv to ny 5sy nas5sS saTt! ss:sss ss.n th. old man, awhat's the matter"
 Nat, listening behind the fountain, had q wild idea of escaping to the stsIs ss. Betty. angry vo1uofiity was too
 'The matter is that rye got to have a, new dress--a dress that will s,ir- prise fo1kS,"~ she Stormed. Josie Lockwood has invited me to her par- ty ahd just heard the girls 1augh- ing about, it in the postoffice--lAuef- Ing at me because have nothing to wear! And they said JoAie just inc vited mo to s6s what excuse I'd make this tim6ss,
 s'Oh, Betty, Betty" said the worried inventor, soothingly, "don't you mind
 @Yes. do fnindr, exclaimed Betty, dashing the angry tears from her eyes and stamping her foot. "T can't help mindin' I'm going to that party, now. an Pm going to have dress to go in, tU0r'
 ther from the distressing scene-there was no chance of escape--and Graham laid a conS6linG hand 0n her heAving shoulders and patted them tender1y.
 There. therel' he. murn1ured. 'T'll see-rH try; i think evefythins will
 Have you any. rnoneyT' she de- manded. "Can you even pay Lock- wood what you owe hin1?''
 "well, not today, Betty, but I hope - he began, when che stopped him w,.o aoh aH what's % the use 'Dsa of talkin. that way7'.. she cried. IT know you can't do anything for me and 90 do you. I can't understand it-@why I have to be more shabby than any girl in town. don't mind cookin' and doin' the is it you can never give me anything at all? Why is it that everyone looks down on us and laughs at us and sheers at us? Why fs 1t that half the time we don't have enough to then families and give their children things to wear,'' she went on, turning on the amazed old man hercely. You have only us two to look after and you can't even do that. It isn't right. and sn nx..,fpI f I were you I'd De ashamed Of
 She stopped her tirade suddenly: something in the drawn, white face of the old man made her pause Tears glistened in his eyes, but the indonn- itable spirit of hope that had bpoyed him up through all the years came head almost bfiskly
 "Why,. Betty-f-f-things are going to be better soon,' he stammered, eff you'll have little more patience, Why. only today there was a gentle about an invention of mine," he went on, brightening yisibly.
 Betty turned away from him wear
 .;1nvention.p she said, bitterly. "oh, good! You've been wastin' time on them ever since can remember and you've never sold one yet.'' s
 Old Sam stopped and fingered his trembling chin helplessly as the truth of his daughters cruel statement was cl1eerfulness would not be downed interested" he ventured, Ines over at. the hotel now. I'll run over and have a talk with him" a
 As he turned to pick up his nat the the presence of Duncan, who had seized a broom and affected to be so busy that he. had not observed the family 1angie. Betty, too. gasped in astonishment at sight of the carefully groomed young man sweeping up the grimy floor of the old store.
 "Oh, yes," said her father, obsefv- ing her blank look, ''this gentleman is going to be with us In the store. This is my daughter, Mr.-er-"
 CTo Be Continued.)
 "A CARD.