Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-08-04

me, did you? l was laughing at Jack.
You've no idea how stiff and ramroddy
he looked stalking down the lane. You
must have sal something that hurt"
CHAPTER XIV.
THE PRoDIGAL SISTER RETURNS.
Eric j%ourneyed to New York by the
s o'clock express that evening. in a
fever OF anxiety not unmixed with de-
spair. He had had a long afternoon in
which to think over the situation. The
fear had taken possession Of him hat
Mary would not be as tractable as he
had foadly hoped. He found himself,
un%willingly. 1T is true, considering the
manly charm, the attractive MASCULINE
ity of John Payson. 1t was not diff
ficult. now that he was able to picture
Mary as something more than the slim,
brown eyed girl he had condemned. in
his brotherly ignorance, to a state of
eternal immaturity,-it was not diff
ficult, l repeat, for him to understand
how h might a fallen in love with
the fellow. 1t was lard to believe, OF
course, that she was a wOman and a
woman with a mind of her own. She
had always been a little girl to him.
Somehow he had felt that she always
would be. There was a distinct shock
at The awakening. Why, she was 81!
His little sister was 81!
a Bright was nearing %, and he
had thought of her as a woman for
five years or more. She had been his
sweetheart-his real sweetheart for
ages. 1t seemed to him. She had known
what 1t was to love and be loved since
the days when her frocks came down
to her shoe tops. And she had Known,
instinctively. from the first, how to
meet his love, his passion half way.
1t was the woman in her, just as it
had been the man in him. Then, why
not Mary?
But Jack Payson. Why had fate
led him across his sisters path? why
should he have been the one?
Out of all this, however, grew the
sober reflection that he had not dis
credited Payson until his uncle's let
ter apprised him of the fact that he
was interested in Mary. In fact, he
had looked upon the ex-teller as a
much abused hero in whose footsteps
1T were a credit and an honor to tread.
Secretly, with all Corinth, in those oth-
er days. he a rejoiced in the vindi-
cation of Jack Payson.
But that was before his uncle's
vague indictment had been sustained
by personal observation. With his own
eyes he had discovered the bar sim
lister. The man was marked. He could
not change his spots. There was no
question in Eric's mind as to the real
truth. He had been born in sin and
Adam Carr was father to him.
No small amount Of bitterness was
added to his cup before he left Corinth.
His uncle. with more cruelty than he
intended, had compared Eric in his
present position to himself under SIM
liar conditions many years before.
1t is working around in a circle,
Eric" he said. while they were dis
cussing the best means Of inducing
Mary to return to the house on the
hill. ".You stand just where I did &c
years ago. The situation is identical.
g 1t was / who suffered the loss Of
q sister, now it is ou. Mary will have
her way, just as her mother did be-
fore her. h will not be turned back
have you in yours?- All. my boy. we are
Blagdons, YOU and I. Time is prov
ing us to be alike in every respect,
even to our ~heartaches and disappoint-
ments."
On the other hand. Adam Carr. down
" said. in reply to the young mans
bitter lament: You can't regulate the
heart beats of a young woman, Eric.
They either beat for you or against
! you. and they'll beat in spite Of You.
That's why men sometimes have such
blame your sister for falling in love
with Jack? Now. take your Aunt
Rena's case. She had brothers. q cou-
pie of 'em. Fine chaps and good
sportsmen. What do you suppose they
70 marry q narrow minded Miss Nancy
like Horace Blagden? Why. they Sim
ply rOared like q couple Of wounded
lions. But did It do them any good7
No. sir. She had set her heart on mar
rying him. and that settled Il. I've
often wondered what kind Of e woman
she might have been Il she'd married
one Of those scemps OF New Workers.
your uncle holds 30 cheaply. She
might have been hobnobbipg with the
Ast0rs and vAnderbilts at this very
minute. But she was bound to have
Horace. No. my boy. there's no ac-
counting for taste when = woman's
ret"
Payson went to New York with Eric,
Y they raw nothing Of each other
efter z single. unfriendly glance ct the
Corinth depot.
lh,,rrenssm nsxS moT n. ETC pTssssitsd
the lady by reputation, - a knows
Of people whose names are to b seen
In tho society columns Of the great
newspapers and periodicals. He could
not help wondering how Jack Payson,
eailing masters ION. came 70 know
Nary. hrst words after their mu-
tuels embraces and her own hyUteric
anlfaes OF Joy, YER these:
ny. Eric you Are not g scoA me
Whereupon she proceeded to CRY
w heartily e yhls sad lndotnE.
Ccoetinnsd nsxt wesksl
Only four o1s Iowa's 10 aericulenral
NxhleitoFS q Gan Efancisc have
011lod OWNS prize. Iowa took 0ra