The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-16

1. T ..k:.Sx cen.eNx with no other statement could he have told the truth. He failed also in his effort to persuade her to go to bed; he had breakfast with Caleb, and she re- fused to eat. And she was still there in her chair, asking only to be let alone. when Garry Devereau and Fat Joe ar rived. She rose and ran to meet the latter, but the doctor who knew how many such situations the pudgy river man had weathered, summoned him immediately, and Barbara had to wait an fhour before Joe came back down stairs. By the lapels of his coat she cluns to him then.
 / "He,s mighty sick" reluctantly Joe. {. too, told the truth.
 "The doctor said that it was worse than he expected" she droned. "They sent me away, but if he isn't going to live I won't let them keep me from himv
 Joe's sympathy was unspoiled by pro- fessionalism.
 r"Sick is one thing g''-his confi6 6-rce was almost convincing land dyin' is another. And Shucks! ain't going to let no book taught rnedico worry me yet! Men get well because they are bound to get well, or they die be- cause it's their time to die-and he's got too much to live for uowr'
 Her hopeless face made deception i'm possible, but Joe comforted her, just the same He persuaded her to eat with him, and when he found that his conversation made the waiting easier for her. he waxed quite garrulous.
 "why, he's been hurt almost as bad as this, once before" he rambled sn. ''but he's still alive, ain't he"
 The girls eyes livened at that. "0nce, down on the island. he mixsa in an affair in which most men would not have meddled. And he got it from behind that time. too. only it was with . knife"
 ..He never told me-" murmured the girl
 'Tt ain't likely he would" the other stated with finality. Tt was over V story, any way you look at it."
 Her dark eyes widened. She bit her : lip. It came to her how little of his life che had shared.
 1. "Oh!" she barsly breathed. And i: again. faltsringly, "Ohr' 1, From that haltinn monosyTable Joe judged that something was amiss. Ob- servation had never been 8 slow or painful process of concentration with him.
 "He didn't even know who she was. He'd never seen her. before." quickly !, he put her right "Ehe was just pub lie dancer. that~-was all. But man unistreated her. and Steve. he just in l terfered"-
 i Indeed, Joe had found the way to 1 comfort her and still tco the truth. 1 even though he found it fcolishly diff 1 cult to swallow food and watch at the ! same time the warmth which his 1 words kindled. So for an hour he lin ! Sered at table and toldsher many things concerning the man she loved which l Ghe would never have learned from his own Lips. And 1t was Joe's, jocularity which in the end spbdued her rebel | spirit She yielded at last and prom ised to 60 home and rest, but only after l he had promised first, in a fashion l which could leave no doubt in, her heart, that he would come for her if 1 things grew worse.
 Before she left him that morning she told Joe of Big Louie, whom she had
 had to leave in the road, but he inter Tupted her before she could finish. They had already found Big Louie. Then she gave him the note which she
 had discovered crushed under Steves body. This Joe scanned ferociously; he flashed a strange glance at her from bleached blue eyes.
 l. Some enc traced your name" he put into words the first thought that had
 been hers. Some one who had your signature to copy"
 She no6ned, whitely, in horror. Joe
 folded the paper and tucked it into .
 pocket.
 We caa- touch nobody" he averred
 Eegrstfully, unless we catch Harri.
 Ean."
 | S0ACV AA4ADCA. GOOA AS0IU0Ia uomG,
 and oo the way across the lawn she
 giggled suddenly at the funny way in which the distance seemed to increase and then lessen between her eyes and
 her feet. The ground persisted in ris-
 ing to meet her, She said, until she had to cling to Calebls arm. And the outer
 steps proved dimcult to negotiate. But 1t the sight of her father sunk in si.
 lence upon his desk in the ground floor
 'o(nce' she drew her hand from the
 erooh of Caleb's arm and went swiftly
 across to him.
 | Barbara" ]" he besought her broken.
 ly the moment her cheek touched his
 you mustn't believe that I"-
 She hushed him with gentle fingers
 laid upon his lips. Il T have ben . very foolish and hys
 terical child. she said. "Iu try to be
 have moro like q woman now. And
 you and Uncle Cal have been only-ab
 surdv'
 She had to laugh again at the behav
 for of her feet as she climbed upstairs
 but her head seemed steady enough. II
 was only after she had reached hel