The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-08-21
A Recluse and
Oyer
r.
BY S. B. HACKLEY

InleF jim Leverance, In the Sauuie'
looked inquiringly at his wife, who
had just left her newly arrived guest.
"Mercy, jim Bert would marry
him right out of hand! Dora's enter
tanning her at II o'clock lunch tOmOr-
row. and she doesn't want him to drop
In and meet Bert and the other girls
she's invited. Can't you get him of
to town tomorrow afternoon on some
pretext?"
II guess I can get him to drive I'm
and get that piece of freight we or
dered together; but, say, Name, don't
you think you girls are exceeding your
rights?"
"Oh, hush. Jimmy boy 7" Mamie cried
lightly. "We are safeguarding little
Nathe's interests !"
Jim's snort was not complimentary
to their sense Of justice. They, his
wife and all his wife's people-since
Dora, the youngest Hunter girl, had
married Burrell Craft, the younger OF
the two bachelor brothers, who, togeth-
er. owned a thousand acres Of the
raised blooded horses and cattle for
the market-seemed obsessed with
the fear of Nathan's marrying.
When the Hunters. newcomers. dis
covered the two bashful bachelors,
pretty Dora had annexed Burrell
skillfully. There had been no other
daughter for Nathan. and after the
advent of DOra's little boy, the family,
seeing a possibility Of the child's be-
ing some time heir to his uncle's share
of the farm, had determined nobody
else's daughter should capture" Ma
than.
When Burrell married, Nathan very
sensibly took his cases Of Insects and
moved into q big, comfortable log
house on the back of the farm and
gave the big red brick home up to his
new sister-in-law-a most pleasing ar
rangement to the Hunter family. Ma
than. living alone in his own house,
bit isolated, could be kept from meet
ing their unmarried women guests.
"Mamie's a dear, and Dora's good
to Burrell," Leverance unused as he
rode off. 81 call it rotten they don't
want to see old Nathe, the most affec-
tionate fellow in the world, happy with
woman, too! They have even filled
Burr's head with the ACCESSIBILITY Of
keeping Nathe single. That-that's
getting within mans rights! Well, /
promised to send him off ten miles to-
morrow, but, darn it, feel mean"
The next day Nathan Craft, at the
station, stepped into the danger zone
Jim wished him to enter. An erect
elderly lady with very white hair and
very black eyes spoke to him. Did he
know of small cottage In the coun-
try and somewhat isolated from the
road she could rent until September?
Her daughter, Miss Hagar Mcknight,
teacher, had been i'll, and was or
dered to the country.
When she introduced the daughter,
graceful girl with particularly beau
tiful black eyes, Nathan felt that fate
could hold nothing better in store for
| him than to allow him to take this
winsome creature In his arms and
carry her through life
Yes, he knew of such place. a
small stone cottage on the river cliff.
| Nobody was living In it, but 1t was in
| good repair. This house (Which fact
| he did not mention) was on the five
miles distant cliff on which he spent
every Sunday afternoon in summer
with his butterfly net. A man had
/ committed Suicide there some years
before, but Nathan withheld this fact
also. If they knew nothing Of the I'M
happy story the cliff would be an ideal
resting place.
Three days after, on Sunday after
noon, Nathan took his butterfly net
and set out for Reads cliff. Under
the seat Of his runabOut he slipped
while Shadrach, his negro cook, was
not looking. peck basket Of yellow
meated, pink-cheeked peaches. At the
foot of the cliff Nathan secured his
horse, and with strangely beating
heart, climbed the rugged path.
Back of the cluster Of cedars that
stood between the path and the cot
tage he paused uncertainty. Then he
heard voices.
ooh, mother, isn't II beautiful here?
That nice man that sent us here
don't you love him. mother dear?"
This came clear through the cedars.
Nathan's foot struck stone nolsily.
He could only go on.
"Good afternoon !" he stammered. 81
was passing by and I remembered
there was no fruit here-I have
brought you a few peaches!"
And the cliff was covered with ripen-
ing blackberries!
They greeted him with gentle friend
Illness and after a while walked with
him down the river path where the
butterflies hung over the fire pinks.
With his hobby before him Nathan
forgot his shyness. His clear brown
eyes grew brilliant In his enthusiastic
explanations, and Hagar-Hagar won
/ Sa~ox1 10 tho o,,nuar thpv Ind prepa rod