The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-12-13
TTH BELMORE ENDICOTT

quite as intent upon keeping her race
turned from Mr.. Stage as he had beer
determined to ignore her presence.
Carolyn May was shaking and help
less. Not so Prince. He repeated hii
challenging growl and then sprans
at the vibrating head. Miss Amands
uttered a stifed scream and jumped
up from the log, whirling to see what
was happening behind her.
Joseph Stage dropped Carolyn May'i
hand and leaped forward with hi
walking stick raised to strike. But
the mongrel dog was there first. He
wisely caught the blacksnake behind
the head, his strong. sharp teeth sew
ering its vertebrae.
"Good dogw shouted Mr.. Stage en-
citedly. Zine dog"
"0h, Miss Amanda !" shrieked Caro-
Ign May. IT. thought he was going
to sting you'll didw
She ran to the startled woman and
chung to her hand. Prince noscd the
dead snake. Mr.. Stage looked exceed
ingly foolish. Miss Amanda recovered
her color and her voice simultaneously.
"What brave dog yours is, little
girl" she said to Carolyn May. "And
I do so despise snakesp Then she
looked directly at Mr.. Stage and
bowed gravely. II thank you" she
said, but so coldly, so Carolyn May
thought, that her voice might have
come "iust off an iceberg"
"Oh, / didn't do anything-reslly
didn't" stammered the man. ut was
the dog"
Both looked very uncomfortable.
Joseph Stage began to pick up the
scattered chestnuts from the over
turned basket. The lady stopped and
whispered to Carolyn May:
"Come to see me, my dear. I want
to know you better"
Then she kissed Carolyn May and
slipped quietly away from the brook,
disappearing quickly in the under
growth.
Joseph Stagg and the little girs
went on across the stepping stones,
while Prince splashed through the
water. Carolyn May was thinking
about Miss Amanda Parlow and she
believed her Uncle Joe was, too.
"Uncle joe" she said, 'would that
bad old snake have stung Miss
AmandaY
"Huh? No; l reckon not" admitted
Mr.. Stagg absent-mindedly. 'Black-
snakes don't bite. A big one like that
can squeeze some"
"But you were scared of it-like mo
and Prince. And for Miss Amanda"
said Carolyn May very much in ear
nest.
81 guess most everybody is scared
by the sight of a snake, Car'lyn May"
'But you were scared for Miss
Amanda's sake-just the same as ]
was" repeated the little girl decidedly.
"Well2" he growled, looking away,
troubled by her insistence.
"Then you don't hate her, do you"
the child pursued. SIN glad Of that
Uncle Joe, for like her very much
I think she's a beautiful LADY,
To this Uncle Joe said nothing.
81 guess" thought Carolyn May
wisely, shat when two folks love each
other and get angry the loves there
Just the same. Getting mad doesn't
kill It; 1t only makes 'em feel worse
poor Uncle Joe Poor Miss Aman
dai Maybe If they'd just try to looh
up and look for brighter things they'd
get over being mad and be happJ
again"
When Uncle Joe and Carolyn Mag
returned from this adventurous wall
Mr.. Stage went heavily into his Own
room, closed the door and even locked
1t. He went over to the old-fashionet
walnut bureau that stood against tn,
wall between the two windows anc
stood before 1t for some moments II
an attitude Of deep reflection. Finally
he drew his bunch of keys from hii
pocket and opened one Of the tive
small drawers in the heavy piece oil
furniture-the only locked drawer
there was. He drew forth a tintyps
picture, faded now, but clear enough
to show him the features Of the two
individuals printed on the sensitized
plate.
His own eyes looked out Of the pho
tograph proudly. They were much
younger eyes than they were now.
And the girl beside him In the pic
turei Sweet as a Wild rose. Mandy
Parlow's lovely. calm countenancs
promised all the beauty and dignity
her matured womanhood had achieved
Mandy Mandyp he murmured
over and over again. "Oh, Mandy
Why? whyr
He held the tintype for a long. long
time in his hand, gazing on 1t with
eyes that saw the vanished year,
rather than the portraits themselves
Finally he hid the picture away again.
closed and locked the drawer with q
sigh and with slow steps left the
room.
II Carolyn learns from simple
/ Chef eornIey some things about
Il