The Hope pioneer., 1922-06-15
CHAPTER V-continued.

over to him to read; but as he put eut |
his hand to take it I guess he saw
the handwriting, for he drew back
quickly, looking red and queer.
"From Mrs. Anderson to you?' he
asked. And when Aunt Jane nodded
her head he sat still farther back in
his chair and said, with little wave
Of his hand, II never care to read
other peoples letters.''
Aunt Jane said, "Stuff and nonsense,
Charles, don't be silly!" But she
pulled back the letter and read it
after giving a kind OF an uneasy
glance in my direction.
Then Aunt Jane cleared her throat
and spoke.
You will not let her go, of course,
Charles; but naturally had to read
the letter to you. 1 will write to Mrs.
Anderson tonight"
Father looked up then.
"Yes," he said quietly; "and you
may tell her, please, that Mary will
60"
"Charles!''
Aunt Jane said that. But IL al
most ran around the table and hugged
him. Ooh, how wish he was the kind
of father you could do that to!)
"Charles!" said Aunt Jane again.
"Surely you aren't going to give in so
tamely as this to that child and her
mcther!"
"1'm not giving in at all, Jane," said
Father, very quietly again. Il am con-
sulting my own wishes in the matter.
1 prefer to have her CO."
most cried out then. Some way,
it hurt to have him say it like that,
right out-that he wanted me to go.
You see, I'd begun to think he was
getting SO he didn't mind so very much
having me here. All the last two
weeks he'd been different, really diff
ferent. But more of that anon. I'll
go on with what happened at the table.
And, as I said, did feel bad to have
! him speak like that. And I can re-
member now just how the lump came
right up in my throat.
/ Then Aunt Jane spoke, stiff and dig
nifed.
,"Oh, very well, Of course, if you put
it that way. can quite well under
stand that you would want her to go
for your sake. But l thought that.
under the circumstances, you would
manage somehow to put up with the
noise and"
"Jane!' Just like that he interrupt
ed, and he thundered, too, SO that
Aunt Jane actually jumped. And
guess l did, too. He had sprung to
his feet. "Jane, let US close this mat
ter once for all. am not letting the
child 60 for my sake. I am letting
her go for her own. So far as l am
concerned; if consulted no ones
wishes but my own, should-keep
her here always"
With that he turned ana strode from
the room, leaving Aunt Jane and me
just staring after him.
But only for minute did l stare.
1t came to me then what he had said
that he would like to keep me here
always For had heard it, even if he
had said rn9 last word very low, and
in a queer, inGistinct voice. l was
sure had heard it, and l suddenly
realized what it meant. So ran after
him; and that time, if l had found
him, think would have hugged him.
But l didn't find him. He must have
gone quite away from the house. He
wasn't even out to the observatory.
went out to see.
The next day he was more as he has
been since we had that talk in the
parlor. And he has been different
since then, you know. He really has.
He has talked quite lot with me. as
I have said, and think he's been try
ing, part of the time, to find something
I'll be interested in. Honestly. think
he's been trying to make up for Carrie
Haywood and Stella Mayhew and
Charlie Smith and Mr.. Livingstone.
think that's why he took me to walk
that day in the woods, and why he
took me out to the observatory to see
the stars quite a number of times.
Twice he's asked me to play to him,
and once he asked me If Mary wasn't
about ready to dress up in Maries
clothes again. But he was joking
then. knew, for Aunt Jane was right
there in the house. Besides, saw the
twinkle in his eyes that I've seen there
once or twice before. just love that
twinkle in Fathers eyes!
But that hasn't come any since
Mothers letter to Aunt Jane arrived
He's been the same in one way, vet
different in another. Honestly, if it
didn't seem too wildly absurd for any
thing, should say he was actually
sorry to have me CO. But. of course,
that isn't possible. Oh. yes, know he
said that day at the dinner table that
he should like to keep me always. But