The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-03-16

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 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 find you still here;
was afraid you would have gone"
"You wanted to see me?" was her
rather superfluous 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.
II am planning a 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 your
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?
"The schoolhouse is empty every day
after four" she replied. land all day
Saturday."
ANY day after four?" he reflected.
'The schoolhouse is always empty
after fourY'
To-day is an exception. stopped to
write letter.
"Ah, to write letterw he repeated,
and she heard the skepticism in his
tone. "Then you're not in the habit of
receiving visitors after school hours"
you're my first"
snow you surprise me! / was I'M
der the impression that-er-my son
sometimes visited you here after
school hoursy'
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. 1t must be that some
garbled rumor of her intimacy with
st. Croix had reached the man and he
was here today to put stop to it
But how excitingi 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
course 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 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
mon little hussy and he found her
looking respectable as respectable as
his own wife! 80 SEQ
Mr.. Creighton was indeed feeling as
dazed as he looked-for hadn't st.
Croix told him that the girl was Hitter
ate, vulgar, talked the dialect of the
county?-and here was a girl who
looked not only like lady, but whose
sophisticated bearing and perfectly
good English so astonished him that
for the moment he was disconnected;
a sensation to which he was, for the
most part, stranger. The bare idea
Of suggesting to her that he would buy
her off, pay her to go away. turned
him cold. He had no least difficulty in
understanding Marvin's failing for"
her.
I'm not mistaken, am 1, in taking
you for the teacher?" he asked.
"Pm the noble martyr" she ad-
mitted. "Don't look it?"
He checked the gallant retort which
rose involuntarily to his lips; he'd
spoil everything if he didn't watch
himself-the girl was fetching.
Their attention was caught at this
instant by the noise Of another motor
stopping before the schoolhouse.
Nicely thought with thrill, "What
situation If Marvin walks in here and
finds his father warning me off st.
Croix! oh, cricky"
She was puzzled by the accusing
look with which Mr.. Creighton was re-
garding her-did he think it was st.
Croix' car out there?-and she had
just denied that she ever had visitors
here at her school! No wonder he
looked at her accusingly!