The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-05-20
CHAPTER XI-Continued

play, Mis- MaSon! l never hearo
nothin' like it except over the radio;
and if you ask me, you've got that
teller named Hoffman, beat to q
frazzle!"
Leonora arose from the packing
box to acknowledge his honest trib-
ute with curtsey; while Don sug-
gested: "Give them some more,
Nora, before they leave" and for
twenty minutes Nora played to as
appreciative an audience as any
artist could desire. Indeed, the
Portland men would accept only the
minutest payment for their serv-
ices.
'It want nothin'," declared the
older man as they arose to go.
"Nothin' at all; and the music was
pay enough anyhow. Wasn't it.,
Joe?"
"Joe," still dazed, assented with
a mute nod. They departed MUNICH
ing Nora's molasses cookies, and,
Don told her (when Tom Littlefield
had returned to the box stall which
he was converting into the north end
of a banquet hall'), with their
souls refreshed"
And next morning, as if Fate were
really trying to make up for past
unkindnesses, Don received note
from the editor of an American
weekly, to whom he had sent one
of his Letters from Cape Town"
The article, it seemed, had filled a
long-felt want. Check for American
magazine rights was herewith en-
closed" and they would be glad to
run the entire series during the
coming year.
The check, compared with those
received from England for the same
material, was almost dazzling; and
they both appeared to go a little
mad. Nora rushed to the piano,
while Don, to the exceeding joy of
his small sons, proceeded to dance
the Highland Fling.
When the music ceased and he
dropped breathless into the red lac
quer chair, Tom Littlefield, who had
arrived during the commotion, in
quired if he should call the doctor,
''or are you comm out O. that con-
niption fit all right alone?"
In answer Don tossed him the in
credible check.
THAT'S yours, Mr.. Littlefield. You
can blame that innocent strip of
paper for this vaudeville act Of mine
which was put on merely to cele-
brate the fact that, for the time be-
ing, anyhow, the dark cloud of finan-
cial worry has vanished from the
horizon. We're sane again now, and
I'll get back to the shingling if
that's what you want"
Not until the last possible mo-
ment did they leave the place. New
er had they left any place with
such regret. The weather had been
almost miraculously perfect for that
time of year, a fall long remem-
bered by the natives. Tom Little
field, possessed of minute directions
from Leonora, planned to go on
with the work when other jobs were
scarce. t'"
It'll be a real life-saver to me,
Mis- Mason" he assured her.
'There amt much dom here come
wintertime, and ! get restless. I'll
be more'n glad to keep an eye on
the place and do a days work now
and then; and when you come back
next spring things'n be ship-shape.
declare, I'm downright sorry to
see you CO."
"And I'd give almost anything to
stay, Mr.. Littlefield," Nora con-
fessed. "After all, there's no place
like horne, is there?-and I've new
er had one of my own before Not
for worlds would have Mr.. Mason
suspect it, but don't mind owning
up to you that I dread to leave"
She did; yet happy winter with
Constance Venable (who had sold
the Inflated island where Carl met
his death, and for financial reasons
was staying abroad indefinitely lay
Just ahead. Things were going ex-
tremely well when they returned to
Maine for another summer; and as
a complete surprise Nora discov-
cred not only running water in her
box stall kitchen, but small and
shining bathroom, the result of an
intrigue between her husband and
the old Maine builder.
Not until that summer did she
hint to her father of this permanent
abiding place. Going to the beauti-
full antique desk which they had
purchased of four egg lady," as
the boys called her ('Because," the
woman explained when Don told
her honestly that it was worth much
more than he could give, ''them
antique dealers is maxim my life
miserable anyhow, and Mis- Mason
never forgets to ask after my sick
boy'')-going to that desk Nora con-
structed the postal card that was
to play an important part in her
life some three years later. Glanc-
ing over her shoulder as she fin
ished it, Don smiled a bit sadly
at what he feared was merely an
other disappointment.
It was, he observed, q. fantastic
postal. First came the verse from