Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-03-22

Four o'clock on Monday afternoon,
at which hour Nicely, though not aware
of the fact, was booked for something
of a reception at her schoolhouse,
found her dismissing her pupils with
almost frantic expedition, that she
might be alone to answer letter she
had received that morning, which
cried, or rather shrieked, for an an
all day to write it, Her mother was
in notwithstanding need-her own
dear mother! So, the little sum
which, in the few months of teaching,
she had amassed toward her trip to
Hollywood, must be sacrificed and the
trip Indefinitely postponed.
She had been writing rapidly for
only a few minutes, however, when
her ear was caught by the sound of
car stopping outside the schoolhouse.
Marvin Creighton? Even he was un-
welcome while her letter remained un-
written-and she would have to tell
him so.
A knock on the door which one
could not have called hesitating. 1t
was, on the contrary, peremptory. Fol
lowed Immediately by the entrance of
an elderly, ruddy-faced, white-haired
man who seemed, on sight, an an
achrOnism in this schoolrOom, for
Nicely saw at once that he was pros
perous-looking gentleman of rather
courtly bearing. Not one of the school
trustees-she had met them all. Not
the father of one of her Pennsylvania
Dutch pupils-this was a man of the
town. Suddenly her heart began to
beat faster. No one else about here
could possibly look like this except
yes, it must be-the elder Mr.. Creigh-
ton!
What on earth did he want?
He came to the platform and, as she
rose. he held out his hand. His man.
ner, though courteous, was distant,
and his countenance grave and rather
forbidding.
"This is Miss Schwenckton?"
"Yes?" she said interrogatively.
"Mr. Creighton" he introduced him.
self. "Pm glad l find you still here;
was afraid you would have gone"
"You wanted to see me?" was her
rather superauous question. Her heart
was quaking and she made desper-
ate effort to get herself in hand. The
man looked formidable!
Drawing a chair to the desk, he mo-
toned her to be seated and sat down
beside her.
81 am planning little gift to this
school, Miss Schwenckton. A Christ
mas gift. Electric lights. wanted
to ask you when the men can work in
here without interfering with YOU"
She placed blotter over her letter,
which lay under his very eyes. She
did not believe this electric light stuff {;
he needed an excuse to come here to
see her. What for?
1.-THE schoolhouse is empty every day
after four" she replied, "and all day
Saturday."
"Any day after. four?" he reflected
'The schoolhouse is always empty
after four?'
To-day is an exception. stopped to
write a letter."
"Ah, to write letter." he repeated.
and she heard the skepticism in his
tone. "Then you're not in the habit of
receiving visitors after school hoursr'
you're my first"
"Now you surprise met l was un.
der the impression that-er-my son
sometimes visited you here after
school hours!'
He looked so coldly disappearing as
he spoke that Nicely never for an in
slant supposed he referred to his
elder son, whose visits, being strictly
professional, would, of course, be be.
yond criticism. It must be that some
garbled rumor of her intimacy with
st. Croix had reached the man and he
was here today to put a stop to it |!
But how exciting! What would he do
about it? Try to bride her, buy her
off? Oh, surely that sort of thing was
only movie" device, 1t didn't really
happen; she had never in the whole
curse of her life met any one who
had bought off, any one or who had
been bought Off" If only she could
have known he was coming, she would
have made up for the part; rouged
and powdered like real tough; en-
HANGED her price as menace to St
Croix.. Why, she could have made her.
self look so dangerous Mr.. Creighton
would have paid anything to be rid of
her-enough to finance her needy fam.
lily for a year perhaps, while she
worked herself in at Hollywood. But
the way she was looking just now, he
must be finding her perplexing. That
was why, probably, he seemed so
dazed; he had heard she was com