Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-08-09
CHAPTER l.,
The Ray Of sunIIaht.

OF Joseph SthgBA hardware store IN
Sunrise Cove and fingered on the sill
80 the little girl In the black frocR
and hat with twin braIds Of sunshlny
hair on her shoulders, lowered ut the
entrance Of the dim and dusty place.
She carried satChel In one hand
while the fingers Of the other we've
hooked into the rlvet-studded collar CT
n notified, homely mongrel dog.
"Oh, dear me, Prince" signed the
little girl, "thls must be the place,
Wen just have to go In. OF course !
know he must be nice man; but he's
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 small
Office closed In with grlmy windows.
The uncertain visitor and her canine
companion saw the shadowy figure Of
a man inside the office, sitting on n
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-
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
bla2ed 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.
"Prince" she cried, don't you speak
to that cat-don't you dare speak
to i'll"
"Bless mep croaked a voice from
the office.
The tomcat uttered n second ''ps-s-st
.-ye-ow" and shot up ladder to the
top shelf.
BLESS met" repeated Joseph Stage,
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.
81 didn't have any place to leave
him." was the hestatlng reply.
Hum Did your mother send you
for something's"
moo, sir" sighed the little visitor.
M do
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.
BLESS me, childw exclaimed Mr..
Stage. "Who are your"
The fowerlike face Of the little girl
quivered, the blue eyes spilled big
drops over her cheeks. She approached
Mr.. Stage, STOPPING and squirting in
the office doorway, and placed tlmid
hand upon the broad band Of black
crepe he wore on his coatsleeve.
you're not Hannahs Car'lyn?"
questioned the hardware dealer husklly.
I'm Car'lyn 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 fall
teringly.
BLESS mep murmured the man
again.
Nothing so startling as this had en-
tered Sunrise COve's chief hardware
emporium for many and many year.
Hannah Stage the hardware mer-
chants only sister, had gone away
from home quite fifteen years previ-
Ously. Mr.. Stage had never seen Han
nah again. but this slight, blue-eyed,
sunny-halred 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 Car'lyn," muttered Mr..
Stage again. "Bless me- child how
did you get here from New York;"
"On the cars, uncle. You see, Mr..
Price thought I'd better come. He says
you are my guardlan-it's in papa's
VIII and would have been so in man.
mas WILL if she'd made one. Mr..
Price put me on the train and the con-
ductOr took care Of me.
"Who is Mr.. PriceP" the storekeeper
asked
'He's a lawyer. He's written you
long letter about 1t. It's In my bag.
Didn't you get the telegram he sent
you last evening, Uncle Joe? A might
letter. he called It,"
"Never got it," replied Mr.. Stage
shortly.
"Well, you see, when papa and man.
ma had to go away so suddenly they
left me with the Prices. go to school
with Edna Price and she slept with me
at night In our flat-after the Dunra-
ven sailed"
"But-what did this lawyer send
you up here for?" asked Mr.. Stage.
The question was poser and Caro-
lyn May stammered: I'll Don't