The Clio messenger., 1918-08-30

hand. Mr.. Stagg looked down at the
little hand In his palm, somewhat
startled and not little dismayed.
| The main street Of Sunrise Cove on
this warm afternoon was not thrOnged
with shoppers. Not many people mo-
ticed the tall, shambling. round-shoul-
dered man In rusty black, with the pc
tite figure of the child and the mon
grel dog passing that way, though
few idle shOpkeepers looked after the
trio In surprise. But when Mr.. Stagg
and his companions turned into the
pleasantly shaded street that led out
Of town towards The COrners-where
was the Stagg hOmestead-Carolyn
May noticed her uncle become sud-
denly fiustered. She saw the blood
flood into his face and neck, and she
felt his hand loosen as though to re-
lease her own. The little girl looked
ahead curiously ut the woman who was
approaching.
She was not a young woman-that
is, not what the child would call young.
Carolyn May thought she was very
nice looking-tall and robust. Her
IDTOWn eyes uuSItu dl SahN>
upon Carolyn May, but she did not
look at Mr.. Stagg, nor did Mr.. Stagg
look at her.
"Oh! who is that lady, Uncle Joe?"
asked the little girl when they were
out of earshOt.
"Hum!" Her uncle's throat seemed
to need clearing. "That-that is Man
| DnrInuy-Micc An,on1o orlnW " ha
corrected himself with dignity.
The flush did not soon fade out Of
his face as they went on in silence.
1t was half mile from Main street
to The Corners. There was tall tim
ber all about Sunrise Cove which was
built along the shore of a deep inlet
cutting in from the great lake, whose
blue waters sparkled as far as one
might see towards the south and west.
) Uncle Joe assured Carolyn May when
she asked him, that from the highest
hill I'm sight one could see only the
lake and the forest-clothed hills and
} valleys.
"There's lumber camps all about.
Mebbe they'll interest you. Lots Of
building going on all the time, too"
He told her, as they went along, Of
the long trains of cars and of the
strings of barges going out Of the Cove,
all laden with timber and sawed
boards, millstuffs. ties and telegraph
poles.
They came to the last house In the
row of dwellings on this street on the
very edge Of the town. Carolyn May
saw that attached to the house was a
smaller building, facing the roadway,
with a wide-open door, through which
she glimpsed benches and sawed lum-
ber, while to her nostrils was waited
a most delicious smell of shavings.
"Oh. there's carpenter shop!" ex-
claimed Carolyn May. "And is that
the carpenter, Uncle Joe?"
A tall old man, lean-faced and close
ly shaven, with a hawk's-beak nose
straddled by a huge pair of silver
bowed spectacles, came out of the
shop at that moment, jackknife in
his hand. He saw Mr.. Stagg and.
turning sharply on his heel, went in
doors again.
"Who is he, Uncle Joe? repeated
the little girl. "And, If / asked him,
, do you s'pose he'd give me some Of
those nice, long. curly shavings?"
That's Jed Parlow-and he wouldn't
, give you any shavings; especially
after having seen you with me-" said
l the hardware merchant brusquely.
. The pretty lady whose name was
Parlow and the queerlooking old car
penter, whose name was likewise Par
/. low, would neither look ut Uncle Joe
3 Even such little girl as Carolyn May
could see that her uncle and the Par
:. lows were not friendly.
BY and by they came In sight of The
; Corners-a place where another road
8 crossed this one at right angles.
In one corner was a white church
! with a square tower and green blinds.
In another of the four corners was set
a big store. with a covered porch all
3 across the front, on which were shell
tered certain agricultural tools.
There was no sound Of life at The
y Corners save a rhythmic "clank, clank.
clank" from the blacksmith shop on
o the third corner.
On the fourth corner of the cross
: roads stood the, Stagg homestead-a
/ wide low-roofed house of ancient ap-
pearance, yet in good repair. Neat
e ness was the keynote of all about the
e place.
q 'Is this where you live, Uncle Joe?''
asked Carolyn May breathlessly. "Oh,
{ what beautiful big place! 1t seems
n awful big for me to live inv'
t Mr.. Stagg had halted at the gate
and now looked down upon Carolyn
May with perplexed brow. swell,
(, we've got to see about that first" he
t muttered. saThere's Aunty Rose"