Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-25

snatch up. that poor little girl who was
me. and kiss her. and make much of
her, as my own mother would have done
had she been there.
But every now and then between sobs
! peered round In the forlorn hone that
RICHARD would come back. He did not,
and i had to 20 home to my dinner
without seeing him again.
Jane questioned me sharply when she
saw my tear -reddened eyes.
What's the matter, Miss Mar.
jorieW she asked. "Have you hurt
muttered sosscthing about having
bumped my head and she said in q
'1s that air Well, you are a cry.
bnby! Which was all the sympathy
I got from her!
CHAPTER III
After dinner ! haunted the lanes and
fields till It was dusk, but Richard did
not come. / suppose he had forgotten
all about me In tho excitement Of going
home.
l cried myself to sleep that night,
and in the morning I got lin almost as
soon as It was light and dressed myself
and stole out to the fields and stream.
because l felt sure. somehow. that he
would not be so unkind as to go without
saying good.by.
For three weeks We had been such
pals. did not understand then that
he had only condescended to talk to
me because he cou i find no one better.
But. of course. ! saw nothing of him !:
and later on in the morning I screwed
up my courage and went to his school,
house. which he had once pointed out
to me through the trees.
gardener wns sweeping the path
which led to the front door. and went
up to him and asked timidy IL he knew
where Richard Tempest was.
lie stopped sweeping and pushed his
cap to the back Of his head as he looked
down at me, smiling good .naturedly.
Master Tempest !" he echoed.
why. he went home last night, missile.
took his boxes to the station myself in
a barrow"
Tears filled my eyes. though I tried
hard to keep them back.
He didn't say good-by ito me-" I
whispered chokingly.
Are you the young lady from Miss
Nivas.h's school up at the Oaks?" he
asked.
Yes" ! faltercd.
lie put down his broom.
You come along o me. them he
said; he held his rough hand to me,
and led me down the garden to pot.
ting shed. lie took something off a
shelf
IL clean forgot for the moment" he
told Inc apologetically. but Master
Tempest he gave me this for You. Give
1t 'er Yourself. jerks he said. And
tell 'er I'm not cross.
He pressed letter and small bag
into my hands; the bag was half full
of chocolate drops that looked as IL they
had long been carried in warm pocket.
and the lettcr-which I have still.-was
hurricrdly written In q big, boyish
scrawl.
''l'm sorry I didn't say good by to
you--you're better than most girls
And that was the last heard of him
for many years.
Once ] screwed up my courage and
asked his father how Richard was; but
he looked at me so hard through his
pebble glasses that l never dared repeat
the question.
The rest of my life at the Oaks was
unevcntful. never did anything won.
derful, like passing an examination or
taking Il scholarship. made very few
friends.
"You'll never get on In the world.
Marjorie.' Miss Eivash used to say to
ME sharply. You dream too much.
One day you'll be looking at the clouds
and bump your head against the cell
ing
I was nearly fifteen when one after
noon she came into the classroom where
we were trying to interest ourselves in
! tn fnn of ka nI ,l,
for me.
She looked flushed and excited, as
she always did when any of the girls
parents came. When ! followed her
out of the room she whispered to me to
run upstairs and put on my best frock.
as there was some one to see me in the
drawing room.
supposed 1t was Mr.. Tempest; no.
body else ever came to zee me.
l brushed my hair, got an inkstain
off my finger with pumice stone, and
went down to the drawing room.
heard voices as / turned the han.
die; when ! opened the door | saw
man standing back to the mantel shelf
He was an elderly man, with iron. gray
hair, and a stranger to me but some
thing in his eyes as they met mine sent
a little shiver Of remembrance through
my heart.
Come in, Marjorie," said Miss vi.
wash, in the sugary tones she kept for
girls when their parents were present
Don't look so frightened, child.
Don't you know who this gentleman
is?"
/ looked at her. and again at the
man; and once more thnt little shiv-
ering remembrance crept through me.
NO" SAID. in whisper; but in
my heart I knew.
1t was my father!
CHAPTER "