Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-01-02

told for fear she'd be injured by your
eut-glass paragon, your religion-stuffed
pillow that calls itself a man."
Fran afraid? That's a joke! l tell
you. she's thinking only of Mr.. Greg
ory."
I'm sorry for Mrs. Gregory" Rob
ert allowed, "but Grace Noir is more
to me than any other woman on earth
You don't see the point. When I think
of a girl like Grace Noir living under
the same roof with that-that2"
mr.. Gregory" Abbott supplied.
And she so pure. so high, so much
above us. It makes me crazy.
And all the time she's been breathing
the same air, she's thought him a
Moses In the Wilderness, and us moth
ing but the sticks. Think of her be-
lieving in that jelly pulp, that steel
engraving in a Family Bible! No, l
mean to open her eyes, and get her
out of his spiders web"
Il see your point of view"
"You do if you have eyes. Think
Of that perfect angel-but just say
Grace Noir and you've called all the
virtues. And her in his housed"
"You still believe In angels?" In
CURED Abbott gravely.
"Yap; and devils with long sort-of-
curly hair, nd pretty womanish faces,
and voices like molasses."
"But Fran wants Mrs. Gregory
spared"
abbott, when I think of Grace Noir
spending one more night under the
roof of that b%urrowing mole, that croc-
odile with tears in his eyes and the
rest of him nothing but bone and
gristle-"
Bob. If l assure you that Miss
Noir will never spend another day
under his roof, will you agree to
keep this discovery to yourself?"
you can't make nc such assurance.
If she amt put wise to what branch
of the animal kingdom he twigs to.
she'll not leave his roof"
Bob, if she leaves that house In the
morning, for ever won't you agree to
silence, for Mrs. Gregory's sake-and
because Fran asks it,"
"Fran's another angel. bless her
heart! But you can't work it."
leave it to me, Bob. I'll be guided
by the spur of the moment"
II need a bookkeeper at my store"
Robert said, Eliminating.
81 promise you that Miss Noir will
soon be open to offers"
See here, Abbott, | can't afford to
lose any chances on this thing. I'm
going to see the feathers fly. No-I
don't want Mrs. Gregory to learn about
1t, any more than you or Fran; but
I'll limit the thing to Grace
"She'd tell Mrs. Gregory"
Don't you say anything against
Grace Noir, Abbott, for though you are
my friend"
II say nothing against her; I say
only that she's a woman"
"Well," Clinton reluctantly agreed,
81 reckon she is. I'll tell you what
I'll do. I'll go with you into that
VOLTS den, and I'll let you do all the
talking; and If you can manage things
in half an hour-just thirty minutes
by my watch-so that Grace leaves
there tomorrow, I'll leave you to steer
things. and it's mum for keeps. But
I'm going to be present, though ]
don't want to say one word to that
that-Rut if he don't crawl out of his
wool far enough to suit the purpose,
in short, If he don't cave, and in hall
an hour"
Half an hour will do the business
said Abbott stoutly. "Come!"
BE sure to call for Mr.. Gregory by
himself" said Robert, as they walked
swiftly back to the Gregory residence
"If Grace comes into the room while
we're talking, or Mrs. Gregory"
IF they do" Abbott said quickly
you are not to utter one word, moi
one, about Springield-you under
stand? It's a bargain, and | shall hold
you to your word of honor"
For half an hour I won't say O
word" Clinton declared, unless it's
some word just drawn out of my DO
som by the sight of that villain
Comet"
-