Vernon Parish Democrat., 1922-02-02

ater In Henry's attic; but FIorenca
gave him to understand that the the
ater could not be.
Henry and Herbert had both
stopped Speaking to Patty Fair
child, for each believed her treaeh.
erous to himself; but Florence now
informed Herbert that far from de-
pending on mere hearsay, she had in
her possession the confession Of his
knowledge that he had ocular beauty
--the ruinous bit of writing in his own
hand and signed with his complete
name-that she had discovered the
paper where Patty had lost it and that
1t was now in a secure place, aud in an
envelope upon the outside Of which
was already written, "Wallie Torbin,
Kindness Of Florence A."
Herbert collapsed. So did Henry
Rooter, a little later that evening, af-
ter a telephoned conversation with
the slave-driver.
The two miserable printers were
back in their places the next after
noon.
And on Saturday the new Oriole,
now in every jot and item the in
spired organ of feminism, made its
undeniably sensational appearance.
A copy, neatly folded, was placed
in the hand Of Noble Dill, as he set
forth for his place of business, after
'lunching at home with his mother.
Florence was the person who placed
it there-without charge She came
hurriedly from somewhere in the
neighborhOod, out of what yard or
alley he did not notice, and slipped the
little oblong sheet into his lax fingers.
"Therew she said breathlessly.
'There's a good deal about you in it,
this week, Mr.. Dill, and 1 guess-I
guess"
"What, FlorenceT
II guess maybe you'll" She looked
up at him shyly; then, with no more
to say, turned and ran back in the di-
rectiOn whence she had come-and
was gone. Noble walked on, not at
once examining her little gift, but car
rying it absently in fingers still lax at
the end of dangling arm. There was
no life in him for anything; Julia was
away.
Away-and yet the dazzling crea-
ture looked at him from sky, from
earth, from air; looked at him with
the most poignant kindness, yet al
ways shook her head! She had an
swered his first letter by a kind little
note, his second by kinder and littler
one, and his third, fourth, fifth and
sixth by no note at all; but by the
kindest message Through one of her
! aunts) that she was thinking about
him great deal. And even this was
three weeks ago. Since then, from
Julia-nothing at all
But yesterday something a little
stimulating had happened. On the
street, downtown, he had come face to
face, momentarily with Mr.. H. l. At
water, Senior, Julia's peculiar old
father; and for the first time in No
ble's life this Mr.. Atwater nodded to
him pleasantly Noble went on his
way, elated: Was there not something
ing? There had been an easement of
the pain of absence; and he glowed
with thoughts of Mr.. Atwater.
The glow faded somewhat from
Noble when he reached telephone i:
he called up his mother, and she said
there was no recent news of Julia
current in the Atwater family cOnnec-
tion that she could hear of: none Of
them had word that she was coming
home. However, Noble did not de-
scend all the way into the cellar of
his soul; some of. his glow remained
and kept him a little more cheerful
than he had been for several weeks.
The kind greeting Of Julia's father
had stirred his Imagination. An event
so singular might be interpreted in
the happiest way: What had Julia
written her. father, to change him so
toward Noble? And Noble was still
dreamily interpreting as he walked
down the street with the North End
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