Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-05-16
CHAPTER xV-Continued.

NOAp ! EN- Nv-NOULIHuCQs
IS
He knew very well that what she
had said about his daughter and JO-
seph Stage was quite true. In his self
ishness 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 misery.
He had not approved, in the first place,
of the intimacy between Joseph Stagg
and his daughter Amanda.
mo goodll 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 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
~ If she married close-fisted Young
business man like Joe Stage would
this be true. For, at the reading of his
wife's 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 a life
interest in the estate.
1t was blow to the carpenter. He
made good income and had money
In bank. but he loved money too we'll
to wish to spend 1t after he had made
1t. 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, If 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 mere misunder-
standing grow into quarrel that mel
ther of the proud, high-spirited lovers
would bridge.
Jedidiah Parlow knew why Joe
Stage 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 Joe's supposed
offense the greater by suggestion and
innuendo. And 1t was he, too, who
had urged the hurt Mandy to retaliate
by going to the dance with another
young man. Meeting Joe Stage later,
the carpenter had said bitter things
to him, purporting to come from
Mandy. 1t was all mean and vile; the
old man knew 1t now-as he had
known It then.
All these years he had tried to add
fuel to the fire Of his daughters anger
against Joe Stage. And he believed
he had benefited thereby. But some
how, during the past few months. he
had begun to wonder If, after all. 1.-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 in see
ing her friends made happy, had nc
idea Of the turmoil she had created In
Mr.. Parlow's mind.
During the time that the nurse was
for Judy Mason, Carolyn May hoped
that something might take Uncle Joe
there.
The next Friday, after school was
out, Miss Amanda appeared at thu
Stagg home and suggested hiking Caro-
lyn May into the woods with her, ''fol
the weekend" as she laughingly said
Tim, the hackman, had brought thu
nurse home for few hours and would
take her back to Judy's cabin.
"Poor old Judy is much better, bu
she Is still suffering and cannot be lief
alone for long," Miss Amanda said
"Carolyn May will cheer her up"
Mr.. Parlow would drive over on Sun
day afternoon and bring the little cir
home. OF course, Prince had to g
along.
That Friday evening at supper mat
tiers In the big kitchen of the Stag
house were really at serious pass, 10
seph Stagg sat down to the table visi
bly, without appetite. Aunty Ros
drank one cup Of tea after anothe
without putting a crumb between he
lips.
"Say, Aunty Rose" demanded MI
Stagg, ''what under the sun did we d
before Hannah's Carlyn came here
anyway Seems to me we didn't reall,
live, did we?'
Aunty Rose had no answer to max
to these questions.
In the morning there was smok
fog over everything-a fog that tn
sun did not dissipate, and behin
which 1t looked like an enormous sal
from ball.
Mr.. Stage went down to the store a
usual. News came over the long-dis
lance wires that thousands Of acre
of woodland were burning, that the fol
est reserves were out, and that the farm
ers of an entire township on the ia
side of the mountain were engaged i
trying to make barrier over whic
the flames would not leap. 1t was tn
consensus Of opinion, however, tina
49, 6ro xpould NOT CROSS tho ronpe