A New Romance of the Storm Country )
(Continued from last week).
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER L—Lonely and almost friend-
less, Tonnibel Devon, living on a canal
boat, child of a brutal father and a worn-
out, discouraged mother, wanders into a
Salvation army hall at Ithaca, N. Y.
There she meets a young Salvation army
captain, Philip MacCauley.
CHAPTER 11.—Uriah Devon, Tony's fa-
ther, returns to the boat from a pro-
tracted “spree,” and announces he has
arranged for Tony to marry a worthless
companion of his, Reginald Brown. Mrs.
Devon objects, and Uriah beats her. She
intimates there is a secret connected
with Tonnibel.
CHAPTER II1.—In clothes that Uriah
has brought Tony finds a baby’s picture
with a notification of a reward for its
return to a Doctor Pendlehaven. She
goes to return the picture.
CHAPTER IV.—With the Pendlehavens,
a family of wealth, live Mrs, Curtis, a
cousin, her son and daughter, Katherine
Curtis and Reginald Brown. Katherine is
deeply in love with Philip MacCauley.
CHAPTER V.—Tonnibel returns the
picture to Doctor John, and learns it be-
longs to his brother, Dr. Paul Pendle-
haven. It is a portrait of Doctor Paul's
child, who had been stolen in her infancy,
and her loss has wrecked Doctor Paul's
life. Doctor John goes with Tony to the
canal boat and ministers to Mrs. Devon
while she is unconscious.
CHAPTER VI.—Returning to conscious-
ness, Mrs. Devon is informed by Tony
of her visitor. .She is deeply agitated,
makes Tony swear she will never tell of
Devon’s brutality, and disappears,
CHAPTER VII.—Tony’s personality and
her loneliness appeal to Doctor John and
he arranges to take her into his house as
a companion to his invalid brother,
CHAPTER VIII.—Tony’'s presence in
the house has a good effect on Doctor
Paul. He begins to take a new interest
in life. Visiting the canal boat, Tony
finds Reginald Brown there. He attempts
to kiss her. Captain MacCauley appears
and throws the man into the lake. Uriah
Devon orders MacCauley off his boat.
CHAPTER IX.—With the girl a captive
Devon insists that she shall marry Brown,
On her persistent refusal he beats her
brutally, throws her into the cabin, un-
moors the boat, and starts to leave
Ithaca. MacCauley follows in his canoe.
He takes the girl into the canoe through
the cabin window. The men believe Tony
has committed suicide. MacCauley de-
clares his love, and Tony acknowledges
she returns it. The girl returns to the
Pendlehaven home,
CHAPTER X.—At dinner in the Pendle-
haven home MacCauley, not knowing of
her presence in the house, meets Tony,
and his affectionate greeting alarms
Katherine and her mother.
CHAPTER XI.—MacCauley calls at the
Pendlehaven home in his car, ignores
Katherine, and takes Tony for a drive.
Katherine is heartbroken.
CHAPTER XIl.—Determined to bring
about the death of Doctor Paul and so
secure money he believes he would in-
herit, Reginald procures a deadly poison
from Dr. John’s laboratory and places it
in the sick man’s medicine. Tony dis-
covers him in the act. Devon visits
the Pendlehaven house and with Mrs.
Curtis’ assistance endeavors to carry off
Tony. Doctor John thwarts the plan.
Devon is arrested and jailed for theft.
“You don’t appear to be very tickled
to see your old dad,” he threw at
her. a frown wrinkling his face. “Get
up and come over here.” His wicked
eves seemed to be swallowing her
whole. In fact Devon could not make
himself believe this beautiful creatur:
was the Tony who. he thought, had
been drowned in the lake. He felt
a new sensation within him as his
gaze took in every line of the lovely
figure.
“Come over here,” he said once
more, “and tell me how you got out
of the lake that night. Did you swim
ashore?”
Tonnihel shook her head.
“I'm not going to tell you anything,”
she murmured almost inaudibly.
“Well. keep it to yourself, then,”
snapped Uriah. “When I get you back
to the ‘Dirty Mary’ 1 know ways
which'll bring out of you what I want
to know So get your things and
come uglong home.’
Tonnibel felt as if the bottom had
fallen out of the world. Then a boy's
smile, and a boy's words, “Salvation,
little Tony, is always at hand, for
God is goed.” seemed to strike both
her vision and hearing.
Tony believed every word Philip
MacCaulev uttered. He couldn't speak
an untruth if he tried. If as he had
sald, Salvation was at hand, then she
could be saved at that moment.
“I'm busy here,
aged to say.
ing. so I can’t get away just now!”
“You'll come just the same,” replied
Devon, getting to his feet.
“Divine Love is everywhere,” flash-
ed through Tony's mind as she too
struggled up. She dared not scream,
and even if she did, there was no one
in the house who would help her.
Mrs. Curtis and her daughter would
be delighted to have her gone and
Dr. John was out among his patients.
There seemed to be no escape for her
now. She dared not appeal to the
weak, sick man upstairs.
Thinking of him made her blurt
out:
“Did you send that awful Brown
feller here to put poison in Dr. Paul's
medicine?”
Zr, Shadow
daddy,” she man-!
“I'm doing some nurs- |
of the
ines
by GRACE
MILLER
WHITE
CHONG 5 Co HR IB~COIPA)
iW ge
AVR
Uriah glared at her, went white and
put his hand on a chair to steady
himself.
“I don't know nothin’
man or any poison,” he growled.
“You'd better be comin’ along now.”
“Twas the man you said I had to
link up with. He used to come to the
‘Dirty Mary,”” explained Tonnibel.
seeing her words had frightened her
about any
father. “I bet you sent him here.”
“Keep your clack shut,” growled
Deven, just as the door opened, and
Mrs. Curtis entered. Tony whirled
and faced her, although she didn’t
have the courage to utter a word.
The woman Ilcoked from the girl's
agitated face to Devon's, questioning.
ly.
“his is mv kid, ma'am,” said Uriah
with a wave of 1is hand toward Tony.
“I've come to take her home. Get
your duds, brat!”
Tonnibel turned as if to obey, and
Mrs. Curtis caught her arm.
“Go as you are,” she directed,
send vour things after you.”
Tony's eyes gathered a belligerent
expression,
“1 won't go without saying good-hy
to Cousin Paul,” she began.
*1f she gets up there once.” inter-
posed M.s, Curtis, in an undertone to
Uriah F .von, “you won". see her
again.”
Tonnibel had hcard the words and
knew thev were true. If she could
ret upstairs with Doctor Paul and
then loch the door, no one would dare
venture after her,
”"
“11
Devon saw ewift intelligence light
up her face. He didn't intend to allow
her out of his sight. He caught at
her roughly as Mrs. Curtis barred
ker flight to the door.
“Let me alone,” she cried.
alone.”
Uriah snatched her hands, and Mrs.
Curtis buried her fingers in the dark
curls. As Tonnibel cried out again, the
doer suddenly opened, and John Pen-
“Let me
N 7
A i
ON
He Caught Her Roughly.
dlehaven walked into the room. Uriah
dropped the girl's hands, and Mrs.
Curtis fell back with a startled ejacu-
lation.
“What does this mean?”
Doctor John.
questicned
voice breaking.
“Her father,
Curtis repeated.
“I've come for my girl, mister,” said
Uriah, plucking up his courage.
“And she,” Pendlehaven kept his
eyes on Tonnioel, “does she want to
go with you?”
“Whether she wants to go or not,
she will,” ejaculated the other man.
“Nobody can keep a kid from her own
father, I'm a guessin’.”
“Tony, child,” broke forth Doctor
John, “don't look so frightened. No
one’s going to hurt you while you're
with me. Come here, my dear.”
His voice was so low, so tender,
that Mrs. Curtis ground her teeth in
rage. and Urfah Devon felt his power
ebbing away.
Tounibel walked swiftly to Doctor
John's side and slipped her hand into
his.
“Those two said I couldn’t even say
good-hy to—to—" She bowed her
head against the kindly arn: that sup-
ported her and for a moment was So
agitated she could not proceed.
“Hush, dear,” pleaded Pendlehaven,
“Hush! Do you want to stay here?”
“Yes, oh, yes, sir, I do, indeed, sir!”
she cried. “But—but—"
“Then you'll stay,” the doctor told
her in a voice low-pitched and stern.
“If your father thinks—"
“I'm goin’ to have my girl,” gritted
Uriah.
“Then you have the law at your
hand to use, Mr. Devon,” returned the
doctor, “and ‘you, Sarah, I'll ask you
0 attend to your own affairs after
this.”
“But, Cousin John,” argued Mrs.
Curtis, “she’s the man’s own child
Surely he has a right to—to—"
Cousin John,”
“Y » . yY ts h !
My athens hore said Tens oe remarked Katherine, with a sidelong
Mrs. |
A sound of a bell pealing through
the house cut off her words. Then
came heavy footsteps in the hall. Be-
fore anyone could figure on the cause
of this commotion, the door burst
open and several uniformed men
came in. When Uriah Devon caught
sight of them, he made a dash for the
window, but two heavy officers were
on him before he was half way across
the room. It took but a few minutes
for the officials to explain to Doctor
Pendlehaven that they had been trail
ing Devon for a long time, that he
was wanted for & crime in Syracuse.
When they were leading him out
manacled and deeply enraged, he
turned on Tonnibel.
“I'll get even with you, miss,” he
snapped at her, his eyes full of hate,
“and T'll get even with you too, mis-
ter.” He threw the last half of his
sentence at Doctor John, whose only
reply was a shrug of his shoulders.
During the struggle between the de-
tectives and Uriah, Mrs. Curtis had
clutched at Pendlehaven’'s neck, but
he had cast her off without ceremony.
Now the three were alone, Tonnibel,
palnitating and fearful, Mrs. Curtis,
sobbing on the floor, and Doctor John.
looking at her sternly.
‘Sarah,” he said haughtily, “I saw
the disgraceful way you were pulling
this child's hair when I came in, and
at last, much as I dislike doing it, 1
must ask vou to leave my house.”
“Leave?” Mrs. Curtis screamed.
“Where would I go? I haven't a place
in the world but this.”
A careless gesture from Doctor
John told Tonnibel that that fact
didn’t interest him. She slipped her
hand into his. Lifting eyes that were
troubled and dark-circled, she begged:
“Let ’er stay, Cousin John. Mebbe
she didn’t knew my daddy would have
killed me if he'd got me back to the
Dirty Mary.”
Pendlehaven put his arm around
her, ard with a ring of fierceness in
his voice. said:
“There. Sarah. there's pity for you.
If you stay. it's because Tony Devon
pleads for you, not because I have
any sense of duty toward you. 1
hope vou feel properly grateful.”
The doctor strode to the door,
opened it and motioned for her to be
gone. Then weeping, she clattered
away, her sobs audible even after the
door was closed.
For a few moments Tony Devon
wept silently in John Pendlehaven’s
arms,
“Qh, it’s awful to have daddy taken
away to jail,” ske moaned, “but he
won’t be good, he just won't!”
“You're much better off to have
him away, little girl,” soothed Pen-
diehaven.,
CHAPTER XIltl,
Good for Evil.
Thet night for dinner, five people
sat about the Pendlehaven table. Reg-
gis, pale and miserable looking, sat
next to his mother, and Philip Mac-
Cauley was opposite Doctor John.
Katherine, silent and morose, was at
her own place. She had heard her
mother’s version of the afternoon's
happening in amazement and anger,
and it only added to her discontent to
hear Cousin John tell the tale to
Philip.
“Sarah thinks,” went on the doc-
tor, “that we should have tamely
given her up without a word to—to
that brute!”
“I can't see how you can keep a
man’s child from him, Cousin John,”
excused Mrs, Curtis, a dull
mounting to each high cheekbone,
Pendlehaven laughed.
“She wouldn't have been much use
to him In prison, my dear Sarah,” was
his answer.
“What're you talking about?” de-
manded Reggie, turning red-rimmed
eyes on his mother.
“Your Cousin John insists on keep-
ing the daughter of a man named De-
von in the house here when her fa-
ther wants her home,” she replied.
Reggie's face grew a misty gray.
“Devon,” he repeated mechanically.
“] didn’t know we had any such girl
here!”
“She’s always with Cousin Paul,”
\
glance at Philip. “It does seem <«at-
isfying, though, to know who she is.
Mother says she comes of common
stock.”
MacCauley’s face grew dark, und
Pendlehaven cast a glance of anger
at his young cousin.
“Both Kathie and I,” began Mrs.
Curtis. “Why, Reggie, my darling, I
never saw you look so sick in my
life!”
“Aw, cut it!” growled the boy, un-
steadily. “Tell me what became of
the girl’s father.”
“He's going to jail for a nice long
rest,” interjected Pendlehaven. “It
seems he was mixed up in a theft in
Syracuse.”
Reginald got up from the table,
“T don’t want anything more to
eat,” he growled, as his mother start-
ed to remonstrate with him. “I'm go-
ing to bed.”
When he got upstairs, he looked at
himself in the glass. How white and
thin he had grown! He looked as if
he had died and was trying to come
to life again. He was frightened al-
most out of his wits too. Then Ton-
nibel Devon really was in the house. It
hadn't been her ghost that had thrown
him bodily from the window sill after
all. Uriah, knowing that, had come
and made a demand for his daughter
and had been arrested. Perhaps he
would be arrested also, and for a
crime worse than stealing. Had the
girl mentioned the fact of his trying
to poison Paul Pendlehaven? If she
hadn't, would she? When Mrs, Cur-
tis came in to ask how he felt, he was
crumpled ‘in a big chair, shaking as
if he had been attacked with ague.
“My goodness, Reggie, you look
red |
i tracted.
“My Goodneses,
Awful.”
Reggie, You Look
awful,” she said, coming to his side.
“Tell me, child, what's the matter?”
“There's matter enough,” faltered
the boy. “If you don’t want me ar-
rested like that man today, then give
me some money to get out with.”
He dropped his head, and for a mo-
ment she stood staring at him. Then
her mother-heart relaxed, and she
sank beside his chair.
“Darling,” she crooned, “darling!
boy, go to your Cousin John and tell
him all about it. &Ie will forgive you
and help you—"
The boy bounded up, maddened be-
yond endurance.
“Great God,” he cried, “he’d box
me up for ten years! No, no, you've
got to help me get away from Ithaca.
I must have money!”
“Wait,” said Mrs. Curtis, and she
hurried from the room.
When she appeared before Doctor
John in his office, he arose hastily.
“What's the matter, Sarah?’ he
asked.
“Jokn,® she entreated, forgetting to
raise her l'andkerchief to wipe away
her tears, “I must have some money
tonight. A lot of it!”
“For Reggie?’ boomed forth Fend-
dlehaven.
“Yes, he's sick, and I want to send
Lim away, John. Oh! You can't ré-
fuse me this, you simply can’t.”
“Going away doesn’t seem to help
your son any, as I see,” answered the
doctor. “He might better stay home.
Wait till I tell you something, Sarah,”
Le went on with a wave of his hand
to stop her plea. “You are ruining
that boy. Three-quarters of the time
you don’t know where he is, and he
drinks like a fish.”
The woman knew what her cousin
said was true; but the money she had
to have. Yet she dared not confess
what made it necessary.
“But this time, John,” she wept
brokenly, “he’ll go to a place I send
him. He's promised he would. John,
you must help me.”
Pendlehaven sat down and took up
the book he had been reading.
“I refuse to hand out any more
money for that boy,” said he. “Let
him stay awhile, Sarah, and see how
that works out. . . . No. no, there's
no use of your begging me, I refuse
absolutely.”
Mrs. Curtis fled away almost dis-
If she should see her son
taken to prison like Devon had been
that afternoon, it would kill her. And
how could she face him without a
means to help him escape! If she
could only gain admission to Cousin
Paul! He lad always been the more
tender hear*ed of the two.
For a while she walked up and
down her room, wringing her hands.
She was in a state of terrible anxiety
when Katherine came in.
“He's got to go,” repeated Mrs. Cur-
tis, after she had told the whole story
to her daughter. “He says he'll be
arrested if he doesn’t and has made
me promise not to tell John. Oh, if I
could only get to Paul.”
“No one but that girl is allowed
near him,” flashed back Katherine.
“By John’s orders,” supplemented
Mrs. Curtis.
Katherine's lip curled.
“Then why not appeal to her,
mamma? Perhaps she'd reach the
ears of his majesty, the Lord Al-
mighty,” said she.
“Oh, Kathie, don’t be horrid,”
sobbed her mother. “You know very
well I couldn't ask him through her.”
“Then what will you do?’ demand-
ed the girl. “You say Cousin John
won't help Rege, and you refuse to
ask the girl to ask Cousin Paul. Thea
what will you do?"
“You ask her, Kathie,”
Curtis, in coaxing tones.
Katherine tossed her head.
“You've got a nerve to send me to
her for anything,” she shot back, “I
will not!”
Mrs. Curtis came forward with
trembling footsteps.
“Not for your brother's sake? Oh,
Kathie. do!”
“No, I won't,” said the girl, “So
just don’t ask me. Reggie's not my
son, and I haven't any sympathy for
him.” With that she made for the
door and was gone.
For over an hour the anguished
mother walked up and down. Then
as if she had at last reached a con-
clusion, she went to the servants’
quarters. There she sent the maid to
ask Tonnibel to come out to Doctor
Paul's conservatory for a minute.
Tony silently stared at the white
woman when they came face to face.
Mrs. Curtis swallowed her pride, gulp-
ing at the lumps that rose in her
wtiroat.
“I'm sorry about this afternoon,
Miss Devon,” she said. “I really didn’t
understand.”
Tonnibel thought in a flash that
said Mrs.
mrs, Curtis must have gotten re-
ligion; nothing but a softening of
heart could account for the apology.
“Never mind,” she choked. “I'm
awfully sorry about my daddy, but if
he will be bad, then I suppose be
must go to jail.”
This statement renewed the dread
in Mrs. Curtis’ heart about her son.
“Could you take a message to my
Cousin Paul for me?” she ventured.
“What is it?" asked Tonnibel,
thickly.
“My son is ill,” Mrs. Curtis ex-
plained tearfully, “and he must go
away. I haven't any money, but if
Paul knew about it he’d help me.
Will you ask him?”
Tony thought a minute.
“Not tonight!” she replied.
Doctor John—"
“No, he hates my son,” the other
cried passionately. “Oh, you mustn't
say anything to him about it.”
Tonnibel Devon was awfully
tempted to refuse the haughty woman
who had pulled her around by the
hair only that afternoon. But she re-
membered Philip, remembered his
love for her, and relented.
“Come along back tomorrow morn-
ing, and mebbe I can get you some,”
she answered, walking away. Then
over her shoulder she flung back, “I'll
try, anyhow.”
With this last statement Mrs, Cur-
tis had to be satisfied. Reggie suf-
fered dreadfully the night through,
his mother sitting at his bedside.
Tony Devon also had been awake
most of the night. In the morning
after breakfast, she set about gather-
ing courage to approach Doctor Paul.
With Gussie Piglet in her arms, she
sat down beside him, and now the
minute was there to speak, Tony
didn’t know how to begin. But to be-
gin meant to begin, Tony had learned,
so she coughed and blurted:
“Your cousin, Mrs, Curtis,
of pretty, 2in’t she?”
“She would be if she didn’t ery so
much,” responded Doctor Paul.
This gave Tony the opening she
wanted.
“Hex Loy's awful sick, so she says,”
she broke out, “that’s why she cries.
If he don’t go away, he'll die, mebbe.”
The lovely gray eyes grew darker
as they searched his, and Doctor Paul
leaned over and looked keenly at her,
“Did Cousin Sarah ask you to come
to me, little girl?” he questioned In &
kindly tone.
"Tonnibel nodded.
“She says Doctor John don’t like
her boy, and mebbe you'd help her,”
suid the girl, blushing.
The man considered the red face 8
moment,
“Would it please you to have me
help her and him?” he then queried.
“I should think you'd be the last per-
son to ask that. My brother told me
she’s always very unkind to you.”
“Mebbe
is kind
“She don’t know any better,” re-
plied Tony. “She’s never learned
what lovin’ awful hard means, and
mebbe she’s so worried over her boy
she’s got to be horrid to some one.”
Paul Pendlehaven laughed, then he
grew grave. “Perhaps that’s it. Now
do you think you could find my cousin
end bring her here?”
Tonnibel looked at him doubtfully.
“She might make you nervcus,” she
said dubiously.
“] don't think so,” replied the doc-
tor, smiling. “I'm so much better. We
won’t speak of this to John, and I
won't get nervous.” He made the
last promise because the girl's face
was troubled and anxious.
"Tonnibel nodded and hurried out.
She knew which room Mrs. Curtis cc-
cupied and sought the other wing of
the house. When she knocked at the
door, a woman’s voice called a low:
“Come in!”
Tony stepped inside and, turning,
shut the door before she took a sur-
vey of the room. When she did,
almost fainted. Reggie Brown, the
awful man she had known in the
canalboat days, the man who had
dropped the poison into Paul Pendle-
haven’s medicine, was seated very
near Mrs. Curtis, and Katherine was
by the window, wearing a very bored
expression.
An exclamation came from each
one of the three as the girl faced
them, looking as if she were ready to
collapse.
“You didn't get the money then,
girl,” demanded Mrs. Curtis, sharply.
“Reggie dear, I didn’t tell you last
night, but your Cousin John refused
me when I asked him for help, and I
had to reach Paul through---"
Tony's eyes were on Reginald, who
was crouching lower in his chair. Her
forward, staggering step broke off the
speaker's explanation.
“You want the money for him?” she
“You Want the Money for Him?” She
Cried.
she |
i
|
|
cried, pointing a finger toward the
cringing boy.
Mrs. Curtis nodded.
“Yes, he’s my son,” she answered.
Tony drew a long breath, letting it
hiss out through her teeth.
“If he’s your son, ma’am,” she said
falteringly, “then you got a murderer
for a son. He tried—he tried to
poison Doctor Paul.”
Mrs, Curtis got up slowly, a cold
rage rising in her pale eyes. Kath-
erine came forward to her mother’s
side, but Reginald remained silent.
“You lie,” snarled Mrs. Curtis.
“I don’t lie,” cried Tony, hoarsely.
“I don’t lie, either. Look at him, and
see if he ain't guilty. He did put
poison in Doctor Phil's medicine, and
I pushed him off the window. But I
didn’t know he was your son.”
By forcing her eyes around, the
mother caught sight of her boy.
“Reggie,” she screamed, “for God's
love, don’t look that way. Why don’t
you tell the huzzy she lies! Tell her
you'll go to your cousins and let them
know of her accusations. T'll go my-
self!”
She darted across the rcom, but
Reginald’s husky voice called her
back.
“Don’t do that,” he wailed. “Don’t
do it, mater! What she says is true.
I did exactly that thing. I—I tried to
kill Cousin Paul.”
Mrs, Curtis sank down with a
groan, and Katherine uttered a cry.
“I thought you wanted me to, ma-
ter,” went on the boy, wearily. “I
thought you said, if he died, we'd get
money—""
“But, my God, I didn’t want you to
kill him,” mcaned Mrs. Curtis.
“1 didn’t,” said Reggie.
“But you tried,” thrust in Tonnibel,
“And you've told my cousins, eh?”
he asked hopelessly.
“No, 1 didn’t,” denied Tony. “1
‘spose mebbe I would have, but I
didn't know you belonged here. I
knew you used to steal with my
daddy and do all sorts of wicked
things—"
Mrs. Curtis cried out again.
“But J didn’t know you'd try to kill
a poor sick man,” Tony went on, “and
then send your ma to get money of
him.”
“You'll tell him, I know you will,
you terrible girl,” screamed Katherine,
po longer able to restrain herself,
Tonnibel thought quickly. Cousin
P::ul Pendlehaven lived in the house
with an enemy whe had tried to take
his life. This same enemy had tried
to destroy her, toe.
“You said he was going away?’ she
questioned Mrs. Curtis presently.
“Didn't ycu?”’
“If 1 get money,”
drearily, “I will.”
“Doctor Paul wants to see youu,
ma'am,” said Tonnibel, her dark gray.
eyes fixed on the woman. “and if he
goes,” she pointed at Reginald, “and
stays a long time, I'll keep mum.
See?”
Completely overlooking Katherine,
Tony ran out of the room. The next
day she didn’t look up when she
heard Doctor John tell Doctor Paul
that Reginald had left Ithaca. When
she peeped at Doctor Paul, he smiled
at her.
put in Reggie,
CHAPTER XIV.
A Will Is Changed.
The two years that had passed
since Tony Devon had entered the
Pendlehaven home, the greater part
of which she had spent in school. had
brought about many changes. Paul
Pendlehaven had taken his place
among the world’s workers, hut this
does not say that he did not stili long
for the child who had gone from his
life eighteen years before.
Mrs. Curtis was no nearer giving
Cousin John to Katherine as a father
than she ever had. been, and Ithaca
had caught no sight of Reginald
Brown since be had fled from it with
the notion that he might follow Uriah
Devon behind the prison hars. Ihilip
had carried on his wonderful work,
living in the joyous letters he re-
ceived from Tony and spending his
spare time in answering them.
One morning Tony came to Paul
Pendlehaven. smiling and blushingly
girlish, and he motioned Ler to a lit-
tle stocl at his feet.
“Darling,” Le began in a moved
tone, “I sent for you because I've
come to perhaps the most important
decision of my whole life,”
Tony glanced up at him wondering-
ly. He appeared solemnly sober and
looked as if he hadn't slept.
“If it affects me, Cousin Paul, It
can’t be greater than the one you
made over two years ago when you
took poor little me into your home,”
she asserted.
His hand fel! lovingly upon her
curly head as though in benediction.
They both lapsed into a long
silence, the girl’s dreamy eyes fixed
on space, and the man gazing at her
shining head.
“Tony,” he ejaculated at length.
There was something in his voice as
he pronounced her name that dis-
pelled her revery instantly.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, what is
it?
Pendlehaven cleared his throat.
“I would never have believed that
anyone could have wormed her way
into my heart as you have,” he told
her. “How would—how would you
like me for your father?”
Tony tried to speak but, seeing he
had something else to add, waited ex-
pectantly.
“Once, as you know,” went on the
doctor, “I had a little girl of my own,
but the years have been so long and
so many since she was taken away,
1 feel I shan’t have her again in this
world.”
Tony's dark head dropped against
his knee in silent sympathy.
(To be continued).