The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1916-01-07

mead, set his feet and came to SPLEEN
did stop.
| Siletz leaned forward and dropped
her burden in Sandry's lap. showering
| him with the blood of the bleeding
hearts. She did not look at him. Then
they trotted away around the corner
| to the shed and Sandry's lips tight
| ened pitifully as he gathered up each
smallest spray of the woods-treasures
Where she stood back against the
wall. one hand at her pulsing throat,
Miss Ordway saw that Tightening Of
the lips, the droop that came into the
aan's whole face, and her eyes mar
| rowed and hardened like a cats.
That night she came to him in the
eating room
Walter" she said, I'm stuck in
the middle of chapter. Will you go
over few pages with me and give me
the benefit of mans ideas?"
He smiled
I'm afraid mine will not be of much
| account, but such as they are you are
| welcome to them"
They will answer" said Miss Ord
| way, "a woman cannot write from her
self for men-she must write from
man to man. I'll bring my manuscript
out here"
And turning, she went from him to
| the sanctuary of the little south room
When she returned she carried hand
full of closely typewriter pages.
They drew up one of the pine
benches, spread out the manuscript be-
tween the catchup bottles and sat down
| together
Instantly with the touch of the shift
ing sheets in her fingers Miss Ordway
seemed to drift away from the per-
| sonal She became detached. absorbed,
swallowed VI in the thrall of work
and Sandry had feeling of what such
| work must mean to one.
Nov see," she said, half excitedly,
here is the point about which I am
| trif1e in doubt. But I will have to
sketch the situation for you so you
can get grip on It,"
She turned toward him. spreading
| out fiat on the paper one exquisite
| hand. Among her other hidden vani-
| ties. Poppy Ordway cherished an inor.
| dinate pride in these hands of hers
| and she knew their value and their po-
tdhcy to the last atom.
With an unconscious appreciation
| Sandry now looked down at it where
it spread across the page. Uncon-
sciously. too, his mind caught a shad.
owy omparison-the memory of the
olive-colored, slim hands Of the girl
Siletz But she was speaking and he
| looked again.
Nov suppose my hero is confront
ed with man-his friend, it hap
pens-who, in the plausible and un-
! Improbable methods of modern busi-
| ness, has calmly become possessed of
my hero's wealth. TfHre is no DOS.
sibie way of touching the swindler, for
it has been done in manner that
gives it the seeming of legality Yet
| the victim knows in his heart that the
other is thief. Now here is my
| point"
| Miss Ordway was talking slowly as
| if thinking carefully and no one listen
ing would have suspected that the
words she uttered were purely me-
| chanical, having been written out and
| memorized that afternoon. and that
her mind was busy with different set
Of ideas. In fact, this was what she
| was thinking, tabulating rapidly set
| of items.
widening eyes-arOused interest
abnormal Fingers tapping the table
| startled nerves. No suspicion. but as
topishment at so unique a coinci
dence."
Aloud she was going on: Suppose
| my hero to be modern man OF aver
age good principles, could he bring
himself to steal back deliberately an
| amount equal TO, or compromising for,
the amount stolen from him, and not
consider himself criminal? Could he
go out among men with his head up,
not deeming himself thief? And
would the modern man of average
honor do such a thing?"
Miss Ordway was leaning forward,
seemingly absorbed in her problem,
u0T eyes Oh OduuIy Lace, WuCIS Gull
ficting expressions were struggling
for the mastery.
"In a moment!" she was saying to
herself, eager as hound; "in a mo-
ment he will commit himself" for the
bright, blue glance Of the young owner
wavered bit, he opened his lips, shut
his hand upon the oilcloth and his jaw
hardened with tautened muscles.
No! He wouldn't be a thief-that
would be the right law"
Every nerve in Miss Ordway's body
jumped. though there was no outward
sign, as the tension that had been
growing between them snapped with
the voice of Siletz.
The girl had stopped on the far side
of the room, unnoticed by either. and
now she stood leaning forward with
her hands upon the table, her braids
| hanging beside them. The shadow of
bor portad hair WAS over her ewes