News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1918-08-14
CHAPTER |.
The Raw of SUNLIGHT.

sun heSitated to enter the omen dool
of Joseph Stages hardware store il
Sunrise Cove and fingered on the sill
so the little girl in the black frocl
and hat. with twin braids of sunshiny
hair on her shoulders, lowered at the
entrance of the dim and dusty place.
s;She carried a satchel in one hand
while the fingers of the other were
hooked into the rivet-studded collar OF
mottled, homely mOngrel dog.
@Oh, dear me, Prince!" sighed the
little girl, this must be the place.
Wen just have to go in. OF course ]
know he must be nice man; but he's
such a stranger"
QIer 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
q man inside the office, sitting on q
high stool and bent above a big ledger.
The dog, however, scented something
else.
In the half darkness of the shop he
and his little mistress came uneXpect-
eddy 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 arched
back, swollen tail and yellow eyes
5lazed defiance.
'Ps-s-st-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
10 that cat-don't you dare speak
70 til"
BLESS me-" croaked a voice from
Lhc Office.
The tomcat uttered a second "ps-s-st
-Ke-ow" and shot up a ladder to the
top shelf.
BLESS mew repeated Joseph Stagg,
taking off his eyeglasses and leaving
thsana in the ledger to mark his place.
WHAT have you brought that dog in
here for?'
Me came to the Office door.
81 didn't have any place to leave
him." was the hesitating reply,
"Hum! Did your mother send you
Tor something's
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. 1t fell upon the
slight, black-frocked figure and for an
instant touched the pretty head as
with an aureOle.
s'Bless me, ch;ldw exclaimed Mr..
Etagg. "Who are your"
The fiowerlike face of the little girl
4uivered, the blue eyes spilled big
drops over her cheeks. She approached
M. Stage, 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 Car'lyn"
questioned the hardware dealer huskily
I'm Car'lyn May Cameron" she
confessed. you're my Uncle Joe. I'm
very glad to see you, Uncle Joe, and
end l hope-you're glad to see me-
and Prince" she finished rather fall
taringy.
@'Bless me-" 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-
charts only sister, had gone away
from home quite fifteen years previ-
-uuSIy. Mr.. Stage had never seen Han
nab again; but this slight, blue-eyed,
suDny-baired girl was a replica of his
SISTER, and in some dusty corner Of Mr..
Sbsgg's heart there dwelt a very faith
fuI memory Of Hannah.
ISoihing had served to estrange the
brfGher save time and distance.
@EEmnah's Car'lyn," muttered Mr.
Stsgg again. "Bless me, child! how
Sid sou get here from New York;"
''sOn the cars, uncle. You see, Mr..
Prize thought I'd better come He says
You are my guardIan-it's in papa's
viii and would have been so in mann
mas will if she'd made one. Dir.
Price put me or the train and the con
duczor took care of me.
J8-ho is Mr.. PrieeT" the storekeeper
ssIzpa-
@11ess a lawyer. He's written you
a long letter about it. It's ia nay bag.
DiqDz you get the telegram he sent
you last evening, Uncle Joe? A night
lettag.' he called It."
a17ever got it." replied Mr. Stagg
shQJVsE
'TVesi, you see. when papa and NAM
1a had 30 go away so suddenly they
left me with the Prices. I 80 TO school
zit,7 Edna Price and she slept with me
IL night in our flat-afteT sle Dunra.
ven saiLed."
e7sut-what did this lawyer send
rou Ezn here fOr?" asked Mr.. Stage.
Toe question was poser and Caro-
IN Nav stammered: II Don't
xuar1hus always take their little girl,