Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-08-11

III iii iii
CHAPTER xv.-(continued.)

Ats "
might say cOncern-he discovered her
to be a fully developed mo-
dish to the tips of her toes, and very
far removed from the shy, dependent
little sister he had known all his life.
She was convincingly attractive. He
had never thought Of her as anything
but familiarly pretty. Somehow the
very feel of her was different. Instead
of the soft, plant, almost limp feel OF
an uniformed body. there was the firm,
tense resistance of a mature
The wistful, inquisitive CLEAN was
gone from her eyes; the tender mo-
bility of her lips. the girlish uplift OF
the chin, the breeze-torn look of the
dark hair-all these were gone, for she
was a woman-his little Mary was a
m She seemed to have turned
into one while his back was turned.
And range still, though Immensely
gratifying to him, she was like the
women he had seen abroad or in New
York, the kind he admired; she was
smartly gowned, trinity made, with q
manner-a real manner. There was
nothing about her to ever family sug-
gest Corinth.
While he stood off. unbelieving, to
leap through space to the deck of a
yacht that cruised the southern seas.
Was jean, too, like this? Had h out
grown his vision so completely? If
the transformation in Joan was as
pronounced-but. ah! She was off in
the southern seas. That was some
thing else to think about.
The upshot of his visit was that
Mary wen to Corinth with him that
very afternoon. At the end of the
long n trying scene. she consented
to return with him on condition that
of her uncle. She would agree
to that. He would ave to take the
Werner cottage, which was for rent.
She would keep house for him. They
were OF age. she argued stubbornly.
n independent. They could afford to
as they wanted to live, not as Uncle
Horace ordained. No amount of per-
suasion on his part could alter the de-
cision. After all, it was not hard for
him to appreciate her point of view.
He rather favored the plan himself.
The house on the hill was a dismal
place in itself, to say nothing of the
conditions which were bound to make
1t even more unpleasant for both of
them.
His chief reason for wanting her to
GO back to the Blagdons was the eff
feet that such an act would have on
the townspeople. 1t would re-establish
her at once, If such a thing were nec-
essary. He had no means of knowing
how much OF the truth Corinth pos
sessed, or how little of 1t. There was
the forlorn hope. of course that no
questions had been asked n that her
visit to Mrs. Kendrick had been ac-
cepted as a perfectly natural arrange
ment. Still. IL there was speculation
or rumOr he was age to have 1t
nipped in She bud.
But she objected to even a tenn
porary truce. She would not put her
foot inside the Blagden doors. More
over, h would not go back to Corinth
without consulting John Payson's
wishes In the matter. This was a
sore blow to Eric.
Payson. when she called him up at
advised her to accompany her broth
Ell, n to be guided by him in every
particular. Mrs. Kendrick, who i'm
pressed Eric as a most admirable
woman explained her own position to
his complete satisfaction. and urged
the girl to do the obviously sensible
thing.
On the way to the station in the cab
Mary said to Eric, almost defiantly
""Tllis doesn't mean. Erie, that I am
giving up Jack. You understand that
don't you?"
stitfening. There's time enough fol
AL that. Mary
Her delicate face seemed to take on
certain hardness. II suppose Uncle
Horace told you I'd 90 to the devil, just
~ mother did, and that's what you're
Errte: It's Just between you and me
He didn't hesitate to say II to me. only
he said dogs instead OF devil. YOU
wouldn't have endured Il. either. Were
not helpless children any longer
Mary. we Y never talk about
about what happened when we wert
babies: / don't know how much OF tn.
story IL true, but-weli. let's drop tn,
subject.
"But are you afraid I'll do Just wha,
old Presbrey n the rest Of then
p~rophcsied IA dot she persisted.
~ gold" he cried eagerly.
She looked at him out OF the cornel
OF her eye. III you'll trust me, ERIE
I'll trust you,s she seid systematically
She put he hand In his and said n,
mora
They had lived Ii the werner cottag
or more than : week before Eric be
ran 70 oh1erve the peculiar interes
people were taking la their little home
Women. n peasing, were prone to al
rect sfurtlve glanceq toward their door
10Y md windows.s glances that mo
I'm. ABIDE from@the natural interes
z0e0pte Nyhnld be expected TO take In tn
@60t1gs o Horace Bla9donss wards
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. evidences o
clartoeaky. ItxflnAliy dawned up
8A0zs Mn stl,at $nssssy1by were Q Inter
3 nl0ne. SWot1e1 SstayedIat tho cuI
m 1o}ne1 sykln0O1Wp. ana then, before reach
n14assta4S0b9etuctl0x Fhooge. Invariably
~ A494 ~ Sgsek aoneachfet Tier ~ = wa.
sssS43114s l9fk eeoCmnn eor speculation 40
4y95 NqlGlce1see d sthefr comments.
sSsSsssMss.,es.innl ~ dissus