The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-07-08

over her with bottle Of smelling
salts..
The manager Of the department. a
big. pompous man. busted IN and took
. look at her.
-Ah! coming around alright, chr"
he seemed kind. and 90 As he
shrswdly led her on TO talk. II was not
long until Amy had acquainted him
with the main details Of her long strug.
gle for work. and had also revealed
to him how utterly alone and friend.
less was her state.
well, WE'LL" no patted her hand
gently. 'T shall certainly have to try
and do something for you. Call around
tomorrow morning about ten O'Clock
when l have more time to talk with
you
"or. say" he added. as he walked
with her In casual fashion to the door.
como to think Of It, l won't have q
moment to spare In the morning. !
wonder II IT would be possible for you
to drop up to my apartment and have
o chat with me this evening. Here Ia
the address," He slipped = card into
her hand rs hr spoke.
Amy eagerly assented. She was en-.
tirely willing to meet his convenience,
she told him. And SO that night, all
unsuspeeting. she went to the address,
he had given her.
The next day girl with Wide blus
eyes in which lurked q shrinking hor
ror and mouth whose tender curves
were dropping and forlorn, wandered
through New York debating in her dc
SPAR whether she should throw herself
into the river. or into the gutter. OF
one thing she was certain, she could
never 30 back to Leaping River. OF
even to the lodging house where she
had been stopping in New York.
In the end-perhaps because the
love Of life 10 strong even whom al
else is gone. and because she was
tired and hungry and had no place else
to go-she crept back to the depart
ment manager from whom that morn.
ing she had flung herself away with
words of utter loathing and contempt,
and this time she stayed.
And the pity Of 1t was that at the
lodging house she had deserted, Jock
Mccall was besieging the door In the
effort to get some information in re
gard TO her; for in spite of his silence,
he had never forgotten or wsysrsd in
his determination to come back and
get her.
For q time. when dIscouragements
fell thick about him, and It seemed
that he would mover got on, he had
been too heartsick to write and then
after that he had fallen Ill and had
been In the hospital for many weeks.
But at last with hcalth recovered, he
had managed to annex q small Job In
his own line. and had shown such
marked capabilities that he had been
rapidly advanced through successive
promotions until now he was an as
sistant superintendent with excellent
prospects of an even higher boost.
He had saved his money sedulously,
and as soon as he felt that he had
enough no came back to Leaping
River.
As he walked up briskly to the fae.
tory. old Jeremiah Mccall from his
window saw him like another father
of whom we are told, while he was
yet long way or" But unlike that
other father, Jeremiah did not 70 out
and fall upon the neck OF the returning
prodigal. On the contrary. be sat
stonily still with his hard eyes fixed
upon the framed text The Wages OF
Sin Is Death" And he did not change
from that attitude even when his boy
entered tho room.
Jock hcsitated o moment on the
threshold; then as he realized the sig.
nifcance Of the severe back turned 60
relentlessly toward him, his head
went up. and he stepped quickly for.
ward to lay an envelope on his "a.
Tiers desk.
Il am returning. sir" he said, with
interest. the 1--WE hundred dollars I
borrowed from your safe. ! cons!d.
cred then and ] consider still that
the money was Justly due me-, but I
am no longer In need Of any assist
ance from you. SO have brought It
back"
There was no answer. nor did the
old man change in any degree his
stiff pose Of disapproral. Jock waited
a moment for some word. some sign
Of yielding; then with his head thrown
up higher than ever. no stalked from
the room.
This FIRST duty accomplished, Jock
left the factory, and hastened to the
cottage OF Mrs. Prentice. Had It been
the other way about and he had been
thus informed of old Jeremiah's scurvy
trick in securing the discharge Of the
girl from Jordan's his visit to his IA
Their might have been OF . less pacific
tenor. As It was, so great was his dis
appointment over finding Amy gone,
and so hot his resentment over the
cause Of her leaving that he was
strongly tempted to return TO the fac
tory and give his father what he
called "ons good bawlins out"