The All-Story, March 1914 — page 137: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

610 from the Masterses’ rickety front gate, and Betty halted Paul with a warning motion. Shyly she took one of his big hands in both of hers. “Dear Paul!” she said, and her voice was low and flutelike as on that morning he had seen her first. “ You are the only person in all the world who cares for me and who wants me to be happy. You are good, Paul. I came to you to-night and you have not failed me. I'll go to Mis’ Shannon's if she will have me.” “God bless you! [t will make me happier than anything in all the world,” he replied ferv ently, “Then I shall surely go,” she said, and swiftly bent and kissed his hand. The next moment she was gone. CHAPTER VIIL DEVELOPMENT. Betty SPRAGUE came to Mis’ Shan- non's. She occupied a little room that opened off the widow’s on the first floor, and there, in a stidden passion of home-making, she surrounded herseli with the few pitiful possessions that she had accumulated during her years with Randy and Sal. Then, all day long, while Paul was away at the store, she slaved, singing about her work and dreaming the sweet dreams that come to youth. But down in the Alasters pink cot- tage there were black looks and threat- ening talk. “The hussy! Ill get the law on her!” snarled Randy to Squire Hardy, goaded to desperation by his wifes ceaseless complaints. ‘She want any more’n wuth her keep at best, an she still owes us fer clothes. Skip aout o here just because she’s of age, will she? J’ll know why! She's my dot- ter. legal adopted, and shell work out her clothes like she done her board!” “Yes,” returned the placid squire musingly; “ but what's got.into her all of asudden? If she was goin’ to leave THE ALL-STORY MAGAZINE. why hasn't she done it before this’ She’s been of age nigh a year now.’ Randy Alasters leered sug gestively and clicked his tongue against hig teeth. “T cal'late it ain't hard to figger,” he said with meaning. “ Young Jerry Thomas’s seen ’em ‘together—her att, that half-baked loon, readin’ out @ books, an’ all that. The shameless hussy! An’ him that I saved fron draownin’ with my own hands! Fing pair they be, squire.” “Look here, Randy,” said the squire sharply, his broad face reddens ing ominously within its circle of snowy whiskers, “if youre aimmn’ 2 Betty's reppitation, you stop right where you be. I won't listen to it she’s the best and decentest girl on the island, ai’ if you calc’late to get ‘hem back you go and see a regular lawyerg Maybe he’ll get a writ for you; won't. I don’t want to hear any more about it. Afore you do anything rot better remember this, Randy—lawyers cost money.” It was a telling shot, and Randy left, cursing under his breath. Sal's ans icipated shrill upbraiding did not add to his peace of mind. For Paul Baird the village had ceased to have any physical existencg judged in relation to himself. Daily he saw the men: lumber down to thes reeking dories and speed out to th Banks; daily the shawl-wrapped, sllatt ternly women and dirty children came in endless procession to Boughton’s store tor trivial purchases: daily hig existence was bounded by the irog cage on one hand and the weighiing scales 9n the other, But he harrdly knew all this. | Into his lite had come an intangible sweetness that had made the desert of his nature bloom as a rose: he had heard the open sesame to the deeps of life that had been unknown to him I’xalted, mystified, wrapped, as it were, in a garment of glory. he lived from waking to sleeping in a world of ex quisite imaginings. ceomichooks.co@