Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-08

Amabel was strangely quiet and re-
strained? She had few girlish COM
panions and her education had been
undertaken by Miss Hetsketh, but then
there was the brown old library, dim in
summer, cozy In winter, with log fires
and hundreds Of books, and occasionally
old friends dropping In for tea, or there
would be bazaar at the church. No
wonder the girls dark gray eyes were
quiet pools reaecti6g only the fame of.
sunrises and sunsets.
my little niece will wait upon you.
She is not a talkative child and I am
sure she will not annoy you," con-
cluded Miss Hesketh after the pecu-
mary matters had been arranged. She
had found Marshall most liberal as to
terms, and when he moved his traps
into the south room on the second floor
she went downstairs to the kitchen,
humming weird little tune in minor
key. Things looked very bright, indeed,
for the old house. Amabel was In the
kitchen hulling Strawberries. She
looked up and smiled as Miss Hesketh
entered, and when Amabel smiled all
the gravity vanished; there was mirth
deliciously, dimples in the creamy
cheeks.
AT sight Of this loveliness Lydia
1Iosketh vas panic stricken. Whenever
she wns frightened or disconnected she
Immediately became very irascible.
i'You must not smile like that at Mr..
Marshall, child-you are SO unusual
looking he might think you were trying
to firt with him. ] believe should whit
upon him myself"
i Amabel's face sobered. For the first
| tinp ake roa1i1al hot ,bn hal 81,
jectionable, unruly face she had always
thought most approvingly of her reflec-
tion In the dim old mirrors, for she was
her own playmate for many years.
why couldn't / wear one of old Hep.
sy's frilled caps, Aunt Lydia? They
ore not frivolous. Hepsy left some
Of them when she went away, and they
are clean and starched in the linen
press She ran and fetched one and
slipped it over her dark hair. No one
would have suspected that the quiet face
under the quaint starched sweeping cap
was that of girl in her teens. With
her small stature and tiny form Amnbel
looked like child playing at grand
mother"
Excellent" pronounced Miss Hes
keith. Now. there is no reason why
you should not carry his meals upstairs
while ! attend to the other work."
Up in the south room Lane Marshall
worked on his play, and was away
sometimes for days riding IN MS small.
high powered car.
One night in August he had worked
until midnight. He put out his lamp
and sat down by the open window.
looking out into the moon bathed gar
len. Perhaps he slept while, for
when he opened his eyes he saw slim,
whitc- clad form fitting down the path
to the lockwood maze where an old
fountain occupied the center. He could
see it all from his post, and he smiled
when he remembered how he had lost
himself in there one day and the odd
child, Amabel, had led him out OF his
captivity,
He watched the form, hardly believ-
ing it could be Amabel, for he had
never seen her without the hideous
cap. She was wearing very straight
white dress that hung Imply about her
bare feet. A great cloud Of dusky
hair hoated behind her. Her feet
hardly touched the ground, so lightly
did she skim down the path and
through the tangle maze. Pungent
odors Of lockwood came to him and
the fragrance Of roses invaded his
was dancing, dancing some interpreta-
ton of her own-a worship of the sill
yer moon-the resplendent stars-the
God above.
How old are you, little girl?" he
demanded.
Twenty" confessed startled ANA
bel.
mercy on us-what are you doing
In this disguise?" he warted to know,
and he nipped off Amabel's sweeping
cap. There in all her gracious girl
I hood, he saw Amabel Hesketh for the
first time. II beg-your pardon-I
idn't-know," he stammered, and
fled to his own rooms.
"Oh, Aunt Lydia" cried Amabel
"Mr. Marshall has found me out, and
he has gone up to his room-and he is
quite nice when he looks at one that
way!"
Miss Heskets smiled grimly. II
shall have to wait on him myself and
you can work in the kitchen, child,"
she planned, but Mr.. Marshall found
his way to the great tagged kitchen,
and as Miss Hesketh soon became re-
signed to his pleasant company he
found his wooing of Amabel progress
ing under the eagle eye of stern
aunt. When the day came that he
asked Miss Hesketh for Amabel she
told him frankly that Amabel's mother
had been a great dancer, Maria. To
her surprise he made no objection and
she could only wonder why he spoke
of happy Amabel as Poor little
butterfly but she did not know Of
that midnight escapade in the garden
and the awakening of Marshall's love.