The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-10-17
CHAPTER ..
The Ray Of Sunlight.

The Ray Of Sunlight.
Just as the rays Of the afternoon
sun hesitated TO enter the open door
of Joseph Stages hardware store in
Sunrise Cove and fingered on the sill.
so the little girl In the black frock
and hat. with twin braids Of sunshiny
hair on her shoulders. hovered at the
entrance Of the dim and dusty place.
She carried a satchel In one hand.
while the fingers Of the other were
hooked into the rivet-studded collar Of
q mottled. homely mohgrel dog.
"Oh. dear me. Princei" sighed the
little girl. "this must be the place.
/, Wen Just have to 90 In. OF course I
; know he must be nice man: but he's
such . stranger"
I, Her feet faltered over the door sill
and paced slowly down the shop be-
tween long counters. She saw no clerk.
SAt the back Of the shop was q small
once closed In with grimy windows.
The uncertain visitor and her canine
coupanlon sew the shadowy figure Of
man inside the once. sitting on a
|. high stool and bent above Q big ledger.
The dog. however. scented something
else.
!. !, In the half darkness Of the shop he
and his little mistress came unexpect-
, edly upon what Prince considered his
arch-enemy. There rose up on the end
Of the counter nearest the open ONCE
door. a big. black tomcat whose arched
hack. swollen tail and yellow eyes
blazed defiance.
"Ps-sst-ye-ow
The rising yowl broke the silence Of
the shop like a trumpet call. The little
/. girl dropped her bag and seized the
dogs collar with both hands. =
'Prince |" she cried, "don't you speak
to that cat-don't you dare speak
to 1T"
"Bless me!' croaked q voice from
the ONCE.
The tomcat uttered second "ps.s-st
--ye-owi" and shot up ladder to the
top shelf.
"Bless mel" repeated Joseph Staes.
taking on his eyeglasses and leaving
them In the ledger to mark his place.
, "tvhat have you brought that dog In
here fort"
He came to the ONCE door.
IL didn't have any place to leave
him." was the hesitating reply.
"Hum! Did your mother send you
for somethingf"
moo. sir sighed the little visitor.
At that moment a more daring ray
OF sunlight found Its way throIGh the
transom over the store door and lit up
the dusky place. II fell upon the
slight. black.frocked figure and for an
instant touched the pretty head as
with an aureole.
Bless me. childw exclaimed Mr..
Stage. "who are your
The noweriike face Of the little girl
quivered. the blue eyes spilled big
drops over her cheeks. She approached
Mr.. Stagg. STOPPING and squirting In
the ONCE doorway. and placed Q timid
hand upon the broad band Of black
crepe he wore on his coatsleeve.
"You're not Hannah's CarTyur
questioned the hardware dealer huskiiy.
I'm Car'iyn May Cameron" she
confessed. "You're my Uncle Joe. TN
very glad to see you. Uncle Joe. and
snd I hope-you're glad 70 see me-
and Prince" she finished rather fal.
teringiy.
BLESS mel" murmured the man
aexin-
Nothing SO startling as this had en-
tered Sunrise Cove's chief hardware
emporium" for many and many a year.
Hannah Stage. the hardware mer-
chants only sister. had gone away
from home quite fifteen years prevl-
ousiy. Mr.. Stagg had never seen HIM.
nah again: but this slight, olue-eyed,
sunny-haired girl was a replica Of his
sister. and In some dusty corner of Mr..
Stages heart there dwelt a very faith
ful memory Of Hannah
Nothing had served TO estrange the
brother save time and distance.
"Hannah's Car'lyn." muttered Mr..
Stagg again. BLESS me. child how
did you get here from New York;
"On the cars. uncle. You see, Mr..
Price thought I'd better come. He says
Jon are my guardian--it's In papa's
win and would have been 20 in mann