The Monticellonian., 1918-09-27
CHAPTER l..
The Ray of Sunliuht.

Just as the rays of the afternoon sun hesitated to enter the open door of Joseph Stagg's 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 a satehel In one hand, while the fingers of the other were hooked into the rivet-studded collar of a m?ttled, homely mongrel dog.
 "0h, dear me, Prince :" sighed the little girl, this must be the place. We'll just have to go in. Of course know he must be nice man; but he's such a 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 man inside the office, sitting on a 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 big, black tomcat whose afched back, swollen tail and yellow eyes blazed defiance.
 .Ps-s-st-ye-owi"
 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.
 "Princel" she cried, don't you speak to that eat-don't you dare speak to it!"
 Bless mel" croaked a voice from the office.
 The tomcat uttered a second "ps-s-st -ye-ow!" and shot up 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?n
 He came to the office door.
 TT 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 Its way through the transom over the store door and lit up the dusky place. It fell upon the slight, black-frocked figure and for an instant touched the pretty head as with an aureole.
 Bless me, childi" exclaimed MT. Stagg. 'Who are you?"
 The fiowerlike face of the little girl quivered, the blue eyes spilled big drops over her cheeks. She approached Mr. Stagg, stopping and squinting 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 Car'lyn?" questioned the hardware dealer huskily.
 I'm Car'lyn May Cameron" she confessed. You're my Uncle Joe. Pm 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 mel" murmured the man again.
 Nothing so startling as this had en- tered Sunrise Cove's chief hardware emporium" for many and many year.
 Hannah Stagg. the hardware mer- chants only sister, had gone away from home quite fifteen years previ- ously. Mir. 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 Mir. Stagg's heart there dwelt very faith full memory of Hannah.
 Nothing had served to estrange the brother save time and distance.
 "Hannah's Car'lyn," muttered Mir. Stagg again. "Bless me, child! how did you get here from New York2"
 "On the cars, uncle. You see, Mir. Price thought I'd better come. He says you are my guardian-it's in papa s will and would have been so in man. mas will, if she'd made one. MT.