The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-10-12
By Janet Of. Fairbank
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrill Co.


cence. for he. too. found grief some
thing that II was impossible to chat
about. and he said to himself that
under strain his young founding was
showing breeding.
Acting on his suggestion. Mrs. Will
liam Cortlandt made an effort to APP
proach the girl. She was willing
enough to do 1t. for her heart was too
kind not to respond to the appeal OF
lonely child. but she was forced 20
report no success.
she absolutely was short with me.
Hendricks-imagine thati I could get
nowhere, with her,"
Mr.. Cortlandt sighed. The reticence
which delighted him In Ann he often
found sadly lacking in his sister-in-
law. He took up the matter with the
child, however. Ann" he said, fore
Ing himself, with some difficulty, TO
speak directly to a disagreeable point.
why were you so stiff-necked with
Mrs. Cortlandt? She meant to be kind
TO you, and one should not be priggish
with those who mean to be kind"
Ann shot to her feet, and stood.
tense and erect. at his knee. 81 know"
she said. 81 was horrid to her. :.
couldn't help ii. You see-she
hated my mother-she and Mrs. Rem
neslyer. . So l can't talk to them
| about her. There's only you. :.
You and Mrs Allen. I've been think
ing. Mrs. Allen is used to me:
she had me with her almost all my
life. you see-and she is all alone,
like me. -. | could be help to her.
some. know she would take me-
| am almost certain she would"
1t was out at last, and she turned
swiftly away from him. so that Mr..
| Cortlandt could not tell if she were
crying or not.
| He was curiously moved himself
There was something so valiant in
AIMS .abdicatiOn that he wanted to
take her in his unaccustomed arms,
and bid her defy the world. He looked
at her slim back and her stiff1y held
head. and wondered if tears were
streaming down her face. Suddenly
he was ashamed of the half formed
thoughts he had harbored as to how
he would ever succeed in unburdening
himself of the inheritance of his broth
ers stepchild. He had never seen Mrs.
Allen, but now he thou yht of her with
an antagOnism that amazed him.
He wanted Ann himself All at once
this realization shot acros. his bewil-
derment. simplifying everything. He
wondered how he could ever make the
child understand his need Of her. +.
Her shoulders moved convulsively, and
at once, without any further delibera-
ton. he went over to her. what am
doing?" he wondered. as he went. He
turned her to him. Yes. she was cry
ing. Mrs Allen can't have you'll" he
said at once, almost roughly. 81 want
you myself"
Ann dashed the tears from her eyes,
and looked up at him for an instant.
"Why?' she saio. "Why do you want
me-" She strained away from him,
repellent and hard.
All ct once hopelessness swept over
Mr.. Cortlandt. "How could 1 hope to
win child's affection?" he wondered.
Undoubtedly she preferre Mrs. Allen.
81 want you because I've come to care
for you, my child" he said heavily. 81
am quite selfish about it." He looked
steadily down at her lifted face, and
saw joy transfgure 1t, in a flashing
glimpse, before she flung herself upon
him. and gave way to an outburst of
sobs.
After that there was no question of
AIMS future: the old man and the
child understood, whatever bewilder-
ment the rest of the family might have
about their relationship. Mr.. Cort-
landt frankly abandoned himself to
the JOY he felt in his vicarious parent
hood He came home early in the at
ternoons, in order to teach Ann to
drive, and he delighted In her fearless
ness. 1t was. however, in the long
winter evenings. when he took advan-
tage of the freedom from social en-
gagements which his mourning gave
him TO read aloud to Ann, that he most
enjoyed her. They dipped into all
kinds of books; he found this expert
menting with a child's Imagination to
be a pure delight, and Ann lowered
Intellectually under so stimulating a
cOmpaniOnship.
The first time they went to Grace
church for the Sunday morning serv.
ice the child was the recipient of many
| ole
bonnets. She looked extraneous and
insignificant in the big Cortlandt pew
and -as possibly aware of it. for when
the service began she hunched herself
nearer it's other occupant, where she
might lean against him and share his
hymnal, after the pleasant Milton Cen.
ter fashion where books were few
Just ahead of them was his sisters
pew. with Mrs. Renneslyer-very love
ly in black cashmere tempered by ar
!. ermine cape-siuting straight and alert
at one end, and her husband, red-faced
and jovial-loOking, slouched down In
his corner on the aisle. Between then
was their son, Hendricks, named fol
Il his uncle and destined from hi.
cradle, as Mr.. Cortlandt well knew, Il
be his heir and his favorite. With
AIMS lack of beauty in mind, 1t gave
him some satisfaction to look at hi.
nephew, for young Hendricks at thir
teen resembled neither his beautiful
mother nor his dashing father. He
was a fat child. with somnolent eyes
and lips that pouted, as he endured
the sermon. "Clarissa shouldn't throw
stones" her brother reflected.
When they came out on the steps
they found light snow falling. Close
hv tbo pate was an eSpeciallv fine turn