The Argosy — page 381: what you’re looking at

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

363 IN A DANGEROUS STRAIT. By Mary E. Penn. ‘THE close of a bright spring evening some eighteen years ago. A lingering ray of sunlight flickers across a quiet, suburban street, in the great manufacturing town of Hammerton, and slanting through the uncurtained window of an engravers workroom, rests on the head of its occupant, bent low over his task. He is a tall, slightly-built man of seven or eight and twenty, with a face full of intelligence and refinement; a firm but sweet-tempered mouth, and calm, luminous brown eyes, which have faced the world’s frown without losing a whit of their brightness and courage. The son of a struggling artist, who had left him no inheritance but debts and unsold pictures, Gilbert Haviland had early made . acquaintance with those stern realities of life : poverty, toil, and care. They were his daily companions still, though latterly, his heart had opened to admit a guest whose presence robbed them of half their bitterness. A fresh girlish voice in the next room was singing Dekker’s brave old song, ‘‘The Happy Heart,” and presently, a light footstep sounded outside the door, causing him to look round with an expectant smile. “Oh sweet content!” sang the girl. ‘‘ Honest labour wears a lovely face ” Then, putting in her pretty head of curly bronze-brown hair, she added : *“* Doesn’t the ‘ honest labourer’ want his tea? It is quite ready.” “ Presently, dear,” he answered ; “I have something to finish first.” “No; ‘presently’ will not do; there are crumpets, which don’t im- prove with waiting,” she said, as she entered, seeming to bring with her into the dingy work-room all the bloom and freshness of spring. Gilbert’s smile of tender admiration betrayed his heart’s secret, as he glanced at the bright gipsy face, with its piquant combination of warm, sun-kissed complexion and blue eyes. No word of love had yet been spoken between himself and his cousin, Janet Ray, who at his mother’s invitation had come to share their home when her father’s death left her an orphan, a year ago. But he knew that the girl understood his heart as well as he did himself, and would be content to wait till he was in a position to claim her. ‘Even the prospect of crumpets won’t tempt me to leave this plate unfinished, but I have only a few touches to put in,” he replied, as he shook back his hair, and rounded his shoulders to his an again, comicbooks.com