Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-10-31

Simon Jefferson might be fifty. but he
still had q nose for roses.
Old Mrs. Jefferson was present, and
from her wheelchair bright eyes read
much that dull ears missed. How
gay Simon Isl" smiled the mother-he
was always her spoiled boy.
Mrs. Gregory called through the
trumpet, Il believe Fran has given
brother a fresh interest in life"
Old Mrs. Jefferson beamed upon
Fran and added her commentator:
She pushes me when l want 10 be
pushed, and pulls me when I want to
be pulled"
Fran clapped her hands like a child,
indeed. "Oh. what a gay old worldl"
she cried. There are so many people
in It that like me-" She danced before
the old lady, then wheeled about with
such energy that her skirts threat
ened to level to the breeze.
Don't, don't!" cried Mrs. Gregory
precipitately. "Fran!"
"BravoI" shouted Simon Jefferson.
"Encorei"
Fran widened her fingers to push
down the rebellious dress. "If | don't
put leads on me-" she said with con-
triton, "In be floating away. When
I feel good, I always want to do some
thing wrong-it's awfully dangerous
for a person to feel good, I guess. Mrs.
Gregory, you say / can belong to you
when / think about that, | want to
dance. l guess you hardly
know what 1t means for Fran to be-
long to a person. You're going to find
out. Come on" she shouted to Mrs.
Jefferson, without using the trumpet
always a subtle compliment to those
nearly stone-deaf, 81 mustn't wheel
myself about, so I'm going to wheel
YOU"
AS she passed with her charge into
the garden, her mind was busy with
thoughts Of Grace Noir. Belonging to
Mrs. Gregory naturally suggested get
ting rid of the secretary. 1t would
be exceedingly difficult. "But two
months ought to settle her." Fran
unused.
In the meantime, Grace Noir and
Gregory sat in the library, silently
turning out an immense amount of
work, feeding the hungry and consol-
ing the weak with stroke of pen and
click of typewriter.
"About this case, number one hun
bred forty-three," Grace said, looking
up from her work as copyist, the
girl whose father wouldn't acknowl-
edge her !"
Write to the matron to give her
good clothing and good schooling" He
spoke softly. There prevailed an at
mosphere of subtle tenderness; on
this island-the library-blossomed
love of mankind and devotion to lofty
ideals. These two mariners found
themselves eyer surrounded by a e
Of Indifference; there was not a sail
in sight. 1T is a sad case" he muir
INJURED.
you think number one hundred
forty-three a sad case?" she repeated,
always, when possible, building her
~nextAtep out of the material furnished
by her companion. "But suppose she
is an impostor. He says she's not his
uduBul6T, ILLS uuulDeI OuS AuuuA Gu
forty-three. Maybe she isn't. Would
you call her conduct sad?"
Gregory took exquisite pleasure in
arguing with Grace, because her Sc
rene assumption of being in the right
gavazto her beautiful face a touch Of
the angelic. 9" should call it impos-
sible."
Impossible? Do you think it's i'm.
possible that Fran's deceiving you?
How can you know that she is the
daughter of your friend?"
He grew pale. oh, If he could have
denied Fran-if he could have Joined
Grace In declaring her an impostor!
But she possessed proofs so irrefutable
that safety lay in admitting her claim,
lest she prove more than he had al
ready admitted. 81 know it, absolute
ly. She is the daughter of n who
was my most--my most intimate
friend"