The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-12-05
JTH BELMORE ENDICOTT

Duck. Sne ulu HOt See u, IpT she WuS
quite as intent upon keeping her face
turned from Mr.. Stage as he had been
determined TO ignore her presence.
Carolyn May was shaking and help
less. Not so Prince. He repeated his
challenging growl and then sprang
at the vibrating head. Miss Amanda
uttered a stiled scream and jumped
up from the log, whiriing to see what
was happening behind her.
Joseph Stage dropped Carolyn Mays
hand and leaped forward with his
walking stick raised to strike. But
the mongrel dog was there first. He
wisely caught the blacksnake behind
the head, his strong. sharp teeth sew
ering Its vertebrae. u
Good dogl" shouted Mr.. StagE ex-
citedly. "Fine dogi"
"Oh. Miss Amanda !" shrieked Caro-
Ign May. IL thought he vas going
to sting you'll did"
She ran to the startled v1fian and
chung to her hand. : Prince nosed the
dead. snake. MH'Staeg looked exceed
iHSS foolish. Miss Amanda recovered
tffer color and her voice simultaneously.
"what a brave dog yours is, little
GIRL" she said to Carolyn May. "And
I do SO despise snakesw Then she
looked directly at Mr.. Stage and
bowed gravely. II thank you," she
said. but so coldly, SO Carolyn May
thought, that her voice might have
| come "just of an iceberg"
"Oh, I didn't do anytbing-really I
didn't" stammered the man. ut was
the dog"
Both looked very uncomfortable.
Joseph Stagg began to pick up the
scattered chestnuts from the over
turned basket. The lady stopped and
whispered to Carolyn May:
"Come to see me, my dear. I want
to know you better"
Then she kissed Carolyn May and
slipped quietly away from the brook.
disappearing quickly In the under
growth.
Joseph Stagg and the little girl
went on across the stepping stones.
while Prince splashed through the
water. Carolyn May was thinking
about Miss Amanda Parlow and she
believed her Uncle Joe was. too.
"Uncle joe" she said, would that
bad old snake have stung Miss
AmandaT"
"Huhi No; I reckon not" admitted
Mr.. Stage absent-mindedly. "Black-
snakes don't bite. A big one like that
can squeeze some"
But you were scared Of it-like me
and Prince. And for Miss Amanda
said Carolyn May very much in ear
nest.
II guess most everybody Is scared
by the sight of a snake, Car1yn May"
"But you were scared for Miss
Amanda's s~ake-just the same as ]
was" repeated the little girl decidedly.
"WellY" he growled. looking away,
troubled by her insistence.
"Then you don't hate her, do your
the child pursued. "Tm glad Of that
Uncle Joe, for I like her very much,
I think she's a beautiful lady,"
To this Uncle Joe said nothing.
II guess" thought Carolyn May
wisely, shat when two folks love EACH
other and get angry tho loves there
just the same. Getting mad doesn't
kill II; II only makes 'em feel worse
"Poor Uncle Joel Poor Miss Aman,
dai Maybe II they'd just try to looh
up and look for brighter things they'd
get over being mad and be happy
again."
When Uncle Joe and Carolyn May
returned from this adventurous wall
Mr.. Stagg went heavily into his OWE
room, closed the door and even locked
1t. He went over to the old-fashionet
walnut bureau that stood against the
wall between the two windows and
stood before II for some moments ir
an attitude of deep reflection. Finally
he drew his bunch OF keys from hi,
pocket and opened one of the two
small drawers In the heavy piece Of
furntture-the only locked drawer
there was. He drew forth a tintyp,
picture, faded now, but clear enough
to show him the features of the two
individuals printed on the sensltizet
plate.
His W eyes looked out Of the pho
tograph proudly. They were mucl
younger eyes than they were now.
And the girl beside him In the pic
turel Sweet as a wild rose. Mand,
Parlow's lovely, calm ~countenanc,
promised all the beauty and dignit,
her matured womanhood had achieved
MANDY! Mandy" he murmuret
over and over again. "Oh, Mandy
Why? Whyr
He held the tintype for a long. loni
time In his hand. gazing on 1t witt
eyes that saw the vanished year,
rather than the portraits themselves
Finally he hid the picture away again
closed and locked the drawer with
sigh and with slow steps left IT,
room.
Carolyn learns from simple