Evening star., 1924-10-14

the sea through tangle of thorn ands
| bramble she gave him the slip. Z ri.
He missed the path altogether
| went up to his knees in q bog hole
and got his smart white trousers in
a mess. Ten minutes it took hire TO
work through that tangle, and when
ne came out on the far side there
was no sign of the girl. He cursed
her, damned himself for q fool. su
he was going back-and limpe6 cv,l
She must live close at hand; he'd try
ahead for another mile and then give
it up.
Within half mile he came upon
Roswarva standing among it's stunted
sycamores.
He limped up to the door and rap
ped it with his stick. Simeon Pena
luna came out Ortho greeted him
with warmth. But lately back from
foreign parts, he though he really
must come and see how his good
neighbor was faring. Simeon was
lsurprised: il was the first time the
elder Penhale had been to the house
This sudden solicitude for his welfare
| was unlocked for.
He said he was not doing as badly
as he might be and asked the
| visitor in.
The visitor accepted, would just
sit down for a moment or two and
| rest a bit his wounds, you
know.
moment or two extended 70 an
hour. Otho was convinced the girl
| was some ewherc about-ther. were
no other houses in the ncirhbor-
hood-and, now he came to remen-
Der, Penaluna had had a daughtsr
in the old days, an awkward child.
| all legs like q foal; the same girl.
| doubtless. She would have to SHOW,
| up sooner or later. He talked and
| talked, and talked himself into al
invitation to supper. His persistence
was rewarded; the girl he had met
| on the cliffs brought the supper in
and Simeon introduced her as his
| daughter Mary. Not by a flicker -
I an eyelash did she show that sh,.
! had ever seen ortho before, but curtSisd
to him as grave as a church image.
1t was 10 o'clock before Ortho TOOK
his way homeward. He had not
done SO badly, he thought. Mar
Penaluna might pretend to take no
interest in his travels. but he had
| managed to hold Simeon's ears fas.
| enough.
The grim farmer had laughed till
| the tears started at Ortho's descrip-
tions of the antics of the negro sol
diers after the looting at Figvig ana
| the equatorial mumnery on board tn.
| Indiaman.
Mary Penaluna might pretend NOT
| to be interested, but he knew bet
ter Once or twice, watching her
! out of the tail of his eye, he had
| seen her lips twitch and part. Ha
could tell good story, and knew II.
In solder camps and on shipboard
he had always held his sophisticated
audiences at his tongues tip; il
would be surprising If he could NOT
charm simple farm girl.
More than ever he admired her
! the soft glow on her brown hair IS
| she sat sewing, her broad, efficient
| hands, the bountiful curves of her
And ecod! in what excellent ord.r
she Kept the house. That was tn
sort of wife for a farmer
And he was a farmer now VIII
yes, certainly. He would start vorf
the very next day.
Ihis wandering was all very well
"hile one was young. but he VS.
/ getting on for so and holed all oy,,
with wounds, five to be precise. Hr,l
! marry that girl, settle down and
prosper.
AS he walked home he planned il
an out. His mother should stop al
I
understand that Mary was mistress
Not that that would disturb TereSt
10 any extent; she detested house
heeplng and would be glad to hayt
1T off her hands. Then there wa
Eli, good old brother. best farmer i,
the duchy. Eli was welcome TO stop
100, and share all profits. orth
hoped that he would stop. but
had noticed that Eli had been yer
silent and strange since his home.
coming, and was not sure Of him
might be wanting to marry as wI
and branch out for himself Tres,0i,
aad gone, but there was over fta
or that smuggling money reruaiuirt
and If Eli wanted to set up for him
self he should have every penny -
II TO start him, every blessed penny
II was not more than his due. dea
old lad.
AS soon as Mary expected siEs
ana he didn't expect her 10 rak
more than a week in making I'D he
mino-hed d hand the money over I,
Eli with his blessing Before h.
Ieaeheo nome that night he had set
lled eVerybody's affairs to his own
satisfaction and their advantage.
ortho was in generous mood. being
hotly in love again.
CHAPTER xxyu.
Teresa rode out Of Gwfthian IN 4
hlick temper. Three days before. in
another fit OF temper. she has packed
the house girl from Bosuia, bag and
baggage. and she was finding il ditfi-
cult to get another. For two days
She mad been cauvassing the farms
IN vain, and now Gwithian had
proved blank draw She could not
hersef cook, and the Eosuia house
hold was living on cold odds and
| ends. diet which set the men grurr-
bling and filled her with disgust. She