Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-01-01
CHAPTER xv--contlnued.

seph Stage was quite true. In his self
tshneSs he had been glad all these
years that the hardware merchant was
baked of happiness.
The carpenter had always been a
self-centered individual. DESTROYS of
his own comfort, and rather miserly.
He had not approved. in the first place,
OF the intimacy between Joseph Stagg
and his daughter Amanda.
mo goOd1l come o. that" he had
told himself.
That is, no good to Jedidiah ParlOw.
He foresaw at the start the loss of the
girls help about the house, for his
wife was then a helpless invalid.
Then Mrs. Parlow died. This death
made palmer still TO the carpenter
that Mandy's marriage was bound to
bring inconvenience TO him. Especial
ly If she married "A close-fsted young
business man like Joe Stagg would
this be true. For, at the reading of his
wifes will Mr.. Parlow discovered that
the property they occupied, even the
shop in which he worked, which had
been given to Mrs. Parlow by her par
ents, was to be the sole property OF
her daughter. Mandy was the heir.
Mr. Parlow did not possess even u life
interest in the estate.
1t was a blow to the carpenter. lie
made a good income and had money
in bank, but he loved money too we'll
to wish to spend it after he had made
it. He did not want TO give up the
place. If Mandy remained unmarried
there would never be any question be-
tween them OF rent or the like.
Therefore IL he was not actually the
cause of the difference that arose be-
tween the two young people, he seized
and enlarged upon it and did all in
his power to make a mere misunder-
standing grow into a quarrel that nei-
Their of the proud. hIgh-spirited lovers
would bridge
Jedidiah ParlOw knew why Joe
Stngg had taken that other girl TO
Faith camp meeting. The young man
had stopped at the ParlOw place when
Amanda was absent and explained to
the girls father. But the latter had
never mentioned this fact to his daugh-
ter.
Instead he had made Ioe's supposed
Offense the greater by suggestion and
innuendo And it was he, too, who
had urged the hurt Mandy to retaliate
NY going TO the dance with another
young man. Meeting Joe Stage later,
the carpenter had said bitter things
10 him, purDorting to come from
Mandy. 1t was all mean and vile; the
old man knew it now-as he had
known ii then.
All these years he had tried to add
fuel TO the fire of his daughters anger
against Joe Stagg. And he believed
me had benefited thereby. But. some
how, during the past few months. ne
mad begun to wonder if. after all, ''the
game was worth the candle"
Suddenly he had gained a vision of
what Amanda Parlow's empty life
meant to her.
Carolyn May interested only i'm see
ing her friends made happy. had no
idea of the turmoil she had created In
Mr. Parlow's mind.
During the time that the nurse vas
at the abandoned lumber camp caring
for Judy Mason. Carolyn May. hoped
that something might take Uncle Joe
there.
The next Friday. after school was
out. Miss Amanda appeared at the
Stagg home and suggested taking Caro-
lyn May into the woods with her, for
the weekend" as she laaghingly said.
Tim the hackman. had brought the
nurse home for a few hours and would
take her back to Judy's cabin.
Poor old Judy is much better. but
she is still suffering and cannot be left
alone for long" Miss Amanda said.
Carolyn May will cheer her up"
AIr. Purlow would drive over on Sun
day afternoon and bring the little girl
home. OF course. Prince had to go
along.
That Friday evening at supper mat
tiers In the big kitchen of the Stagg
house were really at a serious pass. Jo-
seph Stagg sat down to the table visi-
bly, without appetite. Aunty Rose
drank one cup of tea after another
without putting a crumb between her
lips.
Say, Aunty Rose" demanded Mr..
Stagg. what under the sun did we do
before Hannah's Carlyn came here,
anyway? Seems to me we didn't really
live, did wet"
Aunty Rose had no answer to make
TO these questions.
In the morning there was smoky
fog over everything fog that the
sun did not dissipate, and behind
which it looked like an enormous SAT-
from ball.
Mr. Stage went down to the store as
usual. News came over the long-dis-
lance wires that thousands of acres
of woodland were burning, that the for
est reserves were out, and that the farm
ers of an entire township on the far
side of the mountain were engaged In
trying to make a barrier over which
the flames would not leap. 1t was the
consensus of opinion, however. that
the fire would not cross the range.
Scarcely any chance of its swoop-
ing down on u.s. decided Mr.. Stagg.
Reckon l won't have to go home to
pillow fire burrows"
At the usual hour he started for The
Corners for dinner. Having remained
in the store all the morning, he had
not realized how much stronger the
smell of smoke was than il had been
ut breakfast time. Quite Involuntary
he quickened his pace.
The fog and smoke overcast the sky
thickIy and made it of brassy color.