The Clio messenger., 1918-08-30
CHAPTER !.
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, lowered at the
entrance OF the dim and dusty place.
She carried q satchel in one hand,
while the fingers of the other were
hooked into the rivet-studded collar of
a mottled, homely mongrel dog.
"Oh, dear me, Prince!" sighed the
little girl, "this must be the place.
We'll just have to go In. OF course l
such stranger"
Her feet faltered over the door sill
and paced slowly down the shop be-
tween long counters. She saw no clerk.
At the back Of the shop was a small
Office closed in with grimy windows.
The uncertain visitor and her canine
companion saw the shadowy figure Of
a man inside the office, sitting on
high stool and bent above 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 office
door a big, black tomcat whose arched
back, swollen tail and yellow eyes
blazed defiance.
"Ps-s-st-ye-ow!
The rising yowl broke the silence Of
the shop like trumpet call. The little
girl dropped her bag and seized the
dogs collar with both hands.
"Princew she cried, "don't you speak
to that cat-don't you dare speak
to It'll"
"Bless mer' croaked voice from
the Office.
The tomcat uttered second 'ps-s-st
-ye-ow!" and shot up a ladder to the
top shelf.
"Bless mel" repeated Joseph Stagg,
taking Off his eyeglasses and leaving
them in the ledger to mark his place.
"What have you brought that dog in
here for?'
He came to the Office door.
"I-I didn't have any place to leave
him." was the hesitating reply.
"Hum! Did your mother send you
for something?"
moo, sir" sighed the little visitor.
At that moment more daring ray
of sunlight found It's way through the
transom over the store door and lit up
the dusky place. 1t fell upon the
slight, black -frocked figure and for an
instant touched the pretty head as
with an aureOle.
"Bless me, childw exclaimed Mr..
Stagg. "WhO are your"
The flowerlike face of the little girl
quivered. the blue eyes spilled big
drops over her cheeks. She approached
Mr.. Stagg. STOPPING and squirting In
the Office doorway, and placed timid
hand upon the broad band of black
crepe he wore on his coatsleeve.
you're not Hannah's Car1ynY'
questioned the hardware dealer huskily
Pm Car'yn May Cameron" she
confessed. you're my Uncle Joe. I'm
very glad to see you, Uncle Joe, and
and l hope-you're glad to see me
and Prince" she finished rather fal-
teringly.
"Bless me-" murmured the man
again.
Nothing so startling as this had en-
tered Sunrise Cove's chief hardware
emporium" for many and many a year
Hannah Stagg, the hardware mer
chants only sister, had gone away
from home quite fifteen years previ
ously. Mr.. Stagg had never seen Han
nah again; but this slight, blue-eyed
sunny-haired girl was replica Of his
sister, and in some dusty corner Of Mr.
Stages heart there dwelt very faith
full memory Of Hannah.
Nothing had served to estrange the
brother save time and distance.
"Hannah's Carlyn," muttered Mr.
Stagg again. "Bless me. child how
did you get here from New York;
'Oo the cars, uncle. You see. Mr.
Price thought Td better come. He sayI
you are my guardian--it's In papa'i
will and would have been 20 IN nam
mas will u shs'd made one. Mz