The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-04-07
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
The Entertained Stranger.
eY S. 3. HAcKLEY.
Copyright, 1913, by the Mcclure
i Newspaper Syndicate.)

ground by a dance at the big old
house that was the old home OF Jos.
eph DAWN, now given up to tenants.
zoerayda Starr, bashful, olive
skinned, wistful-eyed, slipped out in
the yard where, by bent old iron
bench, an immense clump OF white
June lilies lowered.
"oh, the pretty, pretty things" She
mnrmured happily as their fragrance
met her.
Most OF the pretty things Of life that
should have been Zoe's were appro-
priated by her sister, selfish Dolly.
ctady Starr was not more proud Of his
office OF constable than he was OF this
SNOWY daughter, and Dolly managed
to cajole him into giving her all that
he could spare.
To Zoerayda's surprise, Frank Rec.
tor, newcomer, whom the Fergusons
had hired to help in the tobacco crop,
rose from the bench.
please sit down." he said. us she
hesitated; "since I've been here I've
been coming out every night to see the
lilies open.
my mother used to love them so.
Ny mother" he answered the sympa-
thetic question in her brown eyes-"I
left my mother buried there in upper
OHIO, three months ago, and I've been
wandering about since. When get so
4 can hardly stand doing without
mother, get out somewhere, whore
there are flowers-ard-" he broke OF
and sat down on the bench beside her
s Zoe raised her timid eyes to his.
nSometimes." she faiterel. some
times, even when I'm working, get to
thinking can't stand things. and
just drop my work and run out where
we've got a little flower garden, AMI
then in few minutes I'm all right"
At the erd OF an hour Rector rose.
81 am ashamed to have kept you" he
,apologized, "but IL forgot the dance.
Its not-not everybody / can talk to
about my mother"
He held out to her spray of the
lilies, and Zoe noticed that across the
back of his hand there was a long
white scar.
..Young Rector seems to like your pa
awful WE'LL" Mrs. Starr remarked
few days afterward. Hes dropped in
to talk to him three nights this week.
But just wait, Zoe, when Dolly comes
home, he'll come ever eyenin'!"
when Dolly comes home Saturday
he won't ask me to show him the
flowers any more!" thought, Zoe,, in
] a sort OF resigned despair. Dolly is
so pretty-she takes everybody"
On Saturday evening, when young
Rector stepped upon the Starr porch.
he met vision with silky yellow hair
waving about its milk.whitc face its
dancing miscchievous eyes blue az
harebells, its slim, 1.-THE figure enVel-
oped in white organdy, with a blue
sash the color Of its eyes-Dolly her.
self.
Next morning there came letter to
Mrs. Starr. Tommy, her eight-year-old
grandson, was sick of fever.
"Send me one Of the girls for a
month, please, mother" Myrtella's let
ter pleaded.
II don't see how can do without
zoo!"
aYou can't-you won't" began her
mother, then stopped.
.'Myrtella-maybe she'd rather have
SOU. than Zoe" she ended lanely. But
Zoe went.
Hell never think OF me again" Zoe
told herself, with eyes wet on her way
to her sisters; Dolly won't let him."
Soon after exultant letters came to
Zoe. ~ went buggy-riding with Frank
Rector-he took he to the Sunday
school picnic" Dolly wrote. Frank
took me to the ice cream supper Fri.
day night, and to the show at town Sat.
urday night"
In the fourth week Mrs. Starr sent
for Zoe.
"Pye been countin' the days until
could get you home" she told her.
''Dolly's no help on account o. bein' 50
prosecuted with beaux. Zoe! After thr.
tobacco's housed in September" she
smiled pridefury, ''Dolly's goin' to. \
marry that fellow Rector, and all the
other girls have been tryin' so hard
10 catch him!" Zoe turned that her
mother might not see her whitening
face. Hes goin' to take her to Ohio"
Mrs. Starr went on. "a man there
where he used to lives give him a
good job.
Two weeks before the day set for
/ the wedding Mrs. Letitia Prince, Mrs.
STAIRS sister, gave big dinner" to
tho prospective, bride and bridegroom
and twenty of their friends. Dolly, re.
splendent In a pale blue silk, bought,
heaven knows why, with the rest OF
her wedding finery, sat beside her be-
ttothed at table.
Zoe, mutely pretty in a pink wolfe
Of her sisters waited on the table,
and once, seeing Rector's eyes on the
young waitress's wistful face, Dolly re-
gretted the loan of the pink dress.
While they were seated at table the
nail carrier came in, bringing a let.
Ter to 1.-THE Constable of DAWN"
Arrest on sight" OF read, Roscoe
Beal, escaped convict; gray eyes, curl
ing lashes; hair, blueblack and thick:
scar across back of right hand" Sign,
ed, Warden Michigan State Prison"
a blaclmess came before zoe's eyes
&c she looked over her fathers shoul-
der ct the photograph that accompan-
fed the letter.
Starr read the description again, and |
turned. to Rector.
Ever been in Michigan, FrankP" he |
Nor A hot nusR enveloped Rec.
tor.
sure your nane amt Roscoe Beal"
Sure, sir!"