Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-06-17

Well. he told me to do as I liked. so
I"ng as i got somebody that wouldn't
Stairs stairs a an,ilg soru up. ~, Hes sS. LETT his easel a up
tables and what not. Sailed for Egypt a
week ago last Saturday. didn't hep
Sypll nodded. looking ~thoughtfully down
at the fire, her cup of tea untasted, And
somehow. before She could stop herself.
she sighed. But before Mrs. Battersea
couid remark on the significance thereof,
she had paid her a month in advance and
turned, the conversation into purely bust
ness channels.
I'll be down Monday. and n,ease don't
tell anybody
Mrs. Bat,ersea understood perfectly.
nul later she stood in the low doorway
uana watched the trim, girlish figure in
alhg lhe narrow. strip of beach. And she
had her misgivings. 1t didn't stand to
neason that such a pretty. companionable
cfeituIe should come across the Hudson
to that lonely shore under the Palisades
&c, TO I'VE in a deserted, old house and write
pays. Ihat was what she said she did
for Il living.
had LEFT. Miss sybil Latham! If she
amt nursing a secret sorrow 1 miss my
ton studio. She watched until she saw
the girl board the tiny motorboat that
isqrlsd across the Hudson, and some way
her heart warmed toward her as she re-
membered the little pitiful droop to her
mouth and the sadness in her eyes. A
llon'h at the gray house would do her
Soou. 1t didn't begin to grow really cold
untii after New Years. and she and Joe,
her big boy. would take good care of her.
1T was less thar a week afterward that
SSpil moved IN. She brought over a trunk
ana with her, and decided to
occnpy the studio room ON the second
floor, with its high north light and ali OF
Stanton's paraphelnalia lying around. Joe
was TO see that a good fire was kept uu
on the hearth in the living room below, and
IN the round studio stove. 1T was all very
soIy and inducive to work, yet after the
door closed on Joe and his mother the
flns, hour 1oo,r Of her arrival; sybil took one
the broad couch to have a good cry.
Bob had not even sent n message one
i.sl message before sailing. He had said
s sian amy my o We must come from he,
sue since she had been the one to brcab
the love bond between them.
But I'm not doing it for INV sake
sop OBJ she had told him, and it had all
seemed 80 simple and plain. These wears
of work and study mean so much to yo,
hoy, dear, and you're not able to SWIM
the load. and you say 1 mustn't work.
Stanton: selfish straight to the core al
their hearts. They expect a girl. no mat.
1 ler w what her own work in the world may
throw it all into the scrap heap wher
they marry her and Just-just-"
had go co ahead. You're doing finely" Boz
10 pc free. sweetheart? 2"
thlnk you ought to be-for vo,,,
WITS Rnf 5 ex sahe,n she had faltered:
sba h,d ~ 'i.sn, way deep In her heart
seriously. She wanted to be argued mas.
t trerni1s ana }oyously out of her own in
he didn't give a rap about anything she
had said. but that the subway was run
nlns i~nwitingly. and the way down to the
CITY nan was not fraughte with any spe-
c1al dangers to a young man and voting
woman with intentions of matrimony. nut
s me ha ,ss said nothing of the sort. He had
that he wasn't the sort of chap to make
her so happy that she didn't care for any
t ll else IN iife. And he had sailed for
EGYPT, Mrs. Patterson had said.
She had heard it In town first among
inc studio crowd and had not quite be-
iieved II. He had taken refuge over at the
shore under the palisades. where he
worked all summer long. She knew the
way over; and so she had gone to find
little vacant house. and she had wanted to
stay there amongst all his little private
belongings.
The day before Christmas all her. reso-
lutions wavered. Far down the Hudson
at night she could watch the lights Of
New York glowing in the gray mists. and
sea declared she had caught a cold sitting
up In the draughty studio. and must be
dosed with various things. and not al
lowed to cross the river.
On Christmas eve she Law wranned 4,
her steamer rug on the old couch drawn
up before the fire, when she heard JOG
I'M W SCIilSDOuy III the little outside
e%ntryway.
You see. mother thought you'd gone
Tor good. and she had a chance to let 1t.
ana there amt a pit OF harm done to 1T;
but the lady's kinder dwindling AWAY
mother says, and you mustn't startle her.
She's in yonder."
sybil sat up, her hair falling loosely
fun OF wonderment. And then the door.
opened and she saw the tall, familiar
form of Bob.
Didn't expect Santa Claus. did you.
coat. 1t fell on the floor and Joe took
one look in through the window and fed.
For Bob Stanton had calmly reached
down and lifted the girl on the lounge in
his arms, rug and all.
1t was nearly an hour later when Mrs.
Battersea and Joe led the way down to
the boat landing with lanterns. Joe
and the little motor boat was waiting for
them.
Veil be married tonight. Mrs. Bat
keep up the fires. for Wen be back home"
Land alive, and here We thought you'd
gone to Egypt" sighed Mrs. Battersea ad.
miringly.
II started" Bob smiled back ia her
oh, yes. l did. / packed my steamer
trunk and got as far as Hoboken, and I
changed, my mind, because I'd left some-
"Painting things?' asked Joe, curiously.
NO. Joe, just a heart" Bob returned.
and in the darkness his arm stole around
Sybil as they climbed into the motorboat.
Across the river lay the long necklace OF
lights that marked Riverside Drive. Be-
yond. the lights of the city cleaned like
fallen stars.
IT'S Christmas eve, love of mine. and
rye reached out and taken you for my
own without by your leave or even please.
Do you know how / found out you were
at the old studio?'
} Mrs. Battersea?"
NO j was dead lonesome. and 7 came