Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-09-14
CHAPTER X.

"The Old Tyrant From Cape Cod"
a N important event was about to
~ take place. At least, it seemed
important to Captain Elisha, al
though the person most intimately con-
cerned appeared to have forgotten it
entirely. He ventured to remind her
of it.
Caroline" he said, Sunday is your
birthday, amt it?"
His niece looked at him in surprise.
"Yes," she answered, sit is. How did
you known
"Why 1 remembered, that's all.
Graves, the lawyer man, told me how
old you and Stevie were, fust time l
met him. And his partner, Mr.. Syl-
vester, gave me the date n day when
he was goin' over your pas will. You'll
be twenty years old Sunday, won't
your
EYES,"
It was late in the afternoon, and she
had been out since 10 o'clock shop
ping with Mrs. Dunn, lunching down
town with the latter and Malcolm, and
motoring for an hour or two. The
weather for the season vas mild and
sunny, and the crisp air had brighten
ed her cheeks, her eyes s%parkled, her
fur coat and cap were very becoming,
and Captain Elisha inspected her ad-
miringly before making another re-
mark.
my, my" he exclaimed, after an
.-.4o-43o oo-e sg0Nuuanfu Won nc old 7
Think of it! Bije's girls a young wo-
man now, amt she? 1 callate he was
proud of you too. He ought to have
been. 1 presume likely he didn't for
get your birthday"
He rose to help her with the heavy
coat. AS he lifted it from her Shout
ders he bent forward and caught a
glimpse of her face.
"There, there!" he said hastily.
Don't feel bad, dearie. I didn't mean
to hurt your feelin's. Excuse me, 1
was thinkin' out loud, sort Of"
She did not answer at once, but turn
ed away to remove her cap. Then she
answered, without looking at him.
HE never forgot them," she said.
course he didn't. Well, you see, I
didn't forget either"
1t was an unfortunate remark, mas
much as it drew, in her mind, a COM
partson between her handsome, digni-
fed father and his rude, uncultured
brother. The contrast was ever pres
ent in her thoughts, and she did not
need to be reminded of it. She made
no reply.
81 was thinkin'," continued the cap
tain, conscious of having made a mis-
take, "that maybe we might celebrate
somehow, in a quiet way"
"No. | am not in the mood for-cele-
brations."
"Oh. I didn't mean fireworks and the
town band. | just thought
please don't. l remember other
birthdays too we'll"
They had been great occasions, those
birthdays of hers, ever since she was a
little girl. On the eighteenth she made
her debut In society, and the gown she
wore on that memorable evening was
laid away upstairs, a cherished me-
mento, to be kept as long as she lived.
Each year Rodgers Warren took infin-
lite pains to please and surprise his
idolized daughter. She could not bear
to think of another birthday, now that
he had been taken from her.
Her guardian pulled his beard.
"Well," he observed ruefully, then my
weak heads put my foot in it again, as
the Teller said. If | amt careful I'll be
like poor cracked Philander Baker,
who lives with his sister over at Den
boro Center. The doctor told Philander
he was threatened with softenin' of
the brain, and the sister thanked him
for the compliment. You see, Caroline.
l wrote on my own hook and asked
Stevie to come home Saturday and
stay till Monday. l kind of thought
you'd like to have him here"
"Oh,I should like that! But will he
come %2fIas he written your"
Hey? Yes, l callate he'll be on
deck. He's-er-yes, he's written me-"
He smiled as he answered. As a
matter of fact. the correspondence be-
tween Stephen and himself had been
lengthy and voluminous OF the part Of
the former and brief and businesslike
on his own. The boy on his return to
college had found conditions" await
ing him, and the amount of hard work
involved in their clearance was not at
all to his taste. He wrote his guardian
before the first week was over assert
ing that the whole business was fool.
ishness and a waste Of time. He
should come home at once, he said, and
he notified the captain that such vas
his intention. Captain Elisha replied
with promptness and decision. If he