The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-10-21
CHAPTER XXI.
THE MORNING IN HANDY STREET

In the meantime. Mary Midthorne
had found Jack Payson. She descend
ed from exclusive Upper Cor
NTH into the prim but humble
district known as the Fourth ward,
where lived the plain people; here no
man was downright poor, yet none was
rich. saw in honor and contentment.
You had but to look at the long rows
of cottages to know that peace reigned
external If not eternal. There were no
outward signs Of envy or jealousy, yet
how well the woman was despised
whose husband prospered so steadily
that he was looking at property way
up town with a view to building a
house that was "fit to live In" Even
the erection Of a summer kitchen or
the expansion of the front stoop into a
veranda was proof Of an affluency that
came in for general resentment and all
sorts of talk about pride going before
a fall"
But the people Of Corinth never fell in
just that way. Their thrift was their
pride. If they fell it was not because
pride had anything to do with it, but
because it was the height of extrava-
gance to carry fire Insurance. You
might burn them out, but In no other
way could you humble them-espeeialiy
those who lived In the Fourth ward.
The Widow Payson lived in one of the
clean little streets that lay within easy
walking distance Of every other place
in Corinth. If you had a s%pringy, pro-
jecting stride. you could easily make
the docks in five minutes, or you could
circle the court house square and do
g hlock or two extra in six or seven.
Besides, 1t wasn't far to Upper Corinth,
and was farther removed from the de-
tested Todville. There was really some
thing In that. BY In odd perfection Of
street nomenclature. 1t was called Han
DIV Strppt I'm pnrlr 1anooro finn ~ n af+
izen who went to war as a private and
came out a corporal. A great fayorite
with Washington, the story goes. and
intensely disliked by King George the
Third.
At any rate, Mrs. Payson lived In
Handy street. Hers was a neat little
cottage, with vines growing all over 1t,
and a garden at the back with a white
washed fence around it, just as YOU
might have expected. There was a great
knocker on the vine surrounded door
inside the porch. and a name plate, and
a peep hole. with a sliding shutter. AS
quaint a place as you would see in a
days journey through old New Eng
! land.
Mary. flushed and suddenly shy, rat
tied the knocEer after a rather timid
fashion. The door was opened at once,
to her great surprise. She had been
watching the closed shutter in the an
cient peep hole as If fascinated, con-
fidently expecting to see 1t slide back
to reveal a gruesome. questioning eye.
John Payson himself opened the door.
A certain, haggard, tired expression
left his face as If by magic. Ii she had
been less absorbed In her own feelings,
she would have noticed something more
than surprise in the eyes of her lover.
Why. Mary!" he exclaimed, throw
ing the door wide open. Whist has hap
pened? Has anything gone wrong with
Eric?"
Hasn't he been here? You have not
seen him she inquired a%nxiously.
He had not asked her to enter, but
stood before her, blocking the doorway.
Il have not seen him. he said, a
queer nervousness in his manner
What has happened? Tell me. Can
1 be of any service to him?''
May I not come in. Jack?" she asked
suddenly truck by the odd look In his
eyes. A swift p~remonition OF disaster
came over her. He Was SO palpably iii