\ THE ENCHANTED BARN
, copyright ISIS, by J. B. Up p tricot t Co.
“Not a room in the whole
place as dear ami cozy and homey
as rhwl” sighed Carol happily,
sinking into the old denim-cov
ered couch before the fireplace in
the barn living room that Mon
day night after she got home.
“I declare, mother, 1 don’t see
how Elizabeth stands it. Ilpr
mother is nice, but she's hardly
ever there, unless she has a
swarm of people dinnering or
teaing or lunching. Site hardly
ever has time to speak to Eliza
beth, and Elizabeth doesn’t seem
to care much, cither. f>he almost
seems to think more of that old
nurse Susan that took care of her
when she was a baby than she
dot's of her mother. I’m so glad
1 was sent to you instead of to
her!” .And Carol suddenly
slipped across the room and
buried her face in her mother’s
nock, hugging and kissing her,
leaving a few bright tears on her
mother's happy face.
i '< »».im a wuiiuri iui i cm i. iu
Mrs. Hollister to find her child
unspoiled by tier first experience
of the world and glad to get bade,
to her home, after all the anxiety
her mother heart had felt. Carol
presently sat up and told them
minutely all about bet- visit. The
grind concert that Sidney had
taken them to Friday evening in
the Academy of Musie, where a
world renowned pianist was the
soloist with the great symphony
orchestra; the tennis and riding
Saturday morning; the luncheon
at a neighboring instate, where
there were three girls and a
brother who were “snobs” and
hadn’t at alt good manners; the
party in the evening that lasted
ho iife (hat they didn’t get to
bed till long after midnight; the
beautiful room they slept iu, with
ever/ imaginable article for the
toilet done in sterling silver with
Monograms; the strange Sabbath,
with no service in the morning
because they woke up too late,
„ arid no suggestion of anything
but a holiday—except the vesper
service in a cold, formal chapel
that Faro! hs I begged to go to;
just a lot. of worldly music and
entertaining, with ft multitude of
visitors for the end of it. Carol
told of the beautiful dresses that
Fiir.oiheth hail loaned her, coral
crepe de ehsie accordion plaited
fur the concert, white with an
01 gugo sash for the luncheon,
pale, yellow with a black velvet
girdle for the party, a little blue
silk affair and another lovely
white organdie for Sunday, and
all with their accompanying
silk stockings and slippers and
gloves, atid necklaces and bands
for her hair. It jvas most won
Uerful to her, an" as they list
ened they marvelled that their
Carol had conic hack to them so
gladly, and rejoiced to see her
nestling in her brown linen skirt
and middy blouse close beside
her mother’s chair. She de
’ cbimFhe’rself satisfied with her
flight into the world. She might
like to go again for a glimpse
now and then, but she thought
sne wouiu rattier nave iMizaneui
out to Glenside. She hated to
lose any ot' the time out here, it
was so pretty. Besides, it was
lonesome without, them all.
About that time Shirley picked
up the morning paper in her of
fice one day to look up a mat ter
for Mr. Barnard. Her eye hap
-petied to fall on the society
coinum and catch the name of
Sidney Graham. She glanced
down the column. It was an ac
count. of a wedding in high cir
cles in whifch Graham had taken
the parr of best man, with Miss
Harriet Hale—in blue tulle and
while orchids as maid of honor
—for his partner down the aisle.
She read the column hurriedly,
hungrily, getting every detail,
white spats, gardenia, and all,
until <h those few printed sen
tences a pietitre was printed in
delibly upon her vision, of Gra
ham walking down the lily gar
landed aisle with the maid in
blue tulle and white orchids on
hift arm To make it more vivid
;*he lady's picture was in the pa
.(•(>* along with Graham’s, just,
.undoC those of the bride and
groom, and her face was both
haiulHome and haughty. One
cdulFlell-that by,the tilt of chin,
the abort upper lip, the cynical
curve of mouth and sweep of
long eyelash, the extreme effect
of her dress and the arrangement
of hor hair. Ouly a beauty could
have stood that hair and not been
positively ugly.
Shirley suddenly real Used what
sho was doing and turned over
tlm page of the piper with a jerk.
20
that tore the sheet from top to
hot tom, going on with her search
for the real estate column ami
the item she was after. All that
morning her typewriter keys
clicked with mad rapidity, yet
her work was strangely correct
and perfect. She was working
under a tense strain.
By noon she had herself in
hand, realized what she had
been doing with her vagrant
thoughts, and was able to laugh
at Miss Harriet llale—whoever
or whatever she was. What mat
tered it, Miss Harriet Hale or
somebody else? What was that
to Shirley Hollister? Mr. Gra
ham was her landlord and a
kindly gentleman. He would
probably continue to be that to
her to the end of her tenancy,
without regard to Miss Hale or
any other intruding Miss, and
what did anything else matter?
She wanted nothing else of Mr.
* Graham but to be a kindly gen
tleman whenever it was her ne
cessity to come'in his way.
But although her philosophy
was on hand and her pride was
aroused, she realized just where
her heart might have been tend
ing if it had not been for this
little jolt it got; and she resolved
to keep out of the gentleman ’a
way whenever it was possible,
and also, as far as she was able,
to think no more about him.
Keeping out of Sidney Gra
ham's way was one thing, but
making him-keep out of her way
was quite another matter, and
Shirley realized it every time he
came out to Glenside, which he
did quite frequently. She could
not say to him that she wished
he would not come. She could
not he rude to him when he
came. There was no way of
showing him pointedly that she
was not thinking of him in any
way but as her landlord, because
he never showed in any way that
he was expecting her to. He just,
happened in evening after eve
ning in his frank, jolly way, on
one pretext or other, never stay
ing very long, never showing her
any more attention than he did
her mother or Carol or the boys,
not so much as lie did to Doris.
How was she to do anything but
sit quietly ami take the whole
thing as a matter of course? It
really was a matter to deal with
in her own heart alone. And
there the battle must be fought if
ever battle there was to be.
Meantime, she could not but own
that this frank, smiling, merfy
young man did bring a lot-of life
and pleasure into their lives,
dropping in that way, and why
should she not enjoy it when it
came, seeing it in no wise inter
ferretk with Miss Harriet Hale’s
rights and prerogatives? Never
theless, Shirley withdrew more
and more into quietness when
ever he came, and often slipped
into the kitchen on some house
hold pretext, until one day he
boldly came out iido the kitchen
after her with a book be wanted
her to read, and was so frank and
companionable that she led the
way back to the living room, and
concluded it would be better in
future to stay with the rest of the
family.
I'tl.’ l l. . l_ V a i • 1 i
►'Mil UU ill I'V II V 1VI11 until
ever of letting her heart stray
out after any impossible society
man. She had her work in the
world, ami to it she meant to
stick. If there were dreams she
kept them well under lock and
key, and only took them out now
and the,n at night when she was
very tired and discouraged and
life looked hard and long and
lonely on ahead. Shirley had no
intention that Sidney* Graham
should ever have reason to think,
when he married Miss Harriet
Hale or some one equivalent to
her, that any poor little stenog
rapher living in a barn had at
one time fancied him fond of her.
No, indeed! Shirley tilted lu*r
firm little chin at the thought,
and declined to ride with Gra
ham and Elizabeth the next time
* they called at the office for her,
on the plea that she had prom
ised to go home in the trolley*
with one of the office girls. And
y*et tlie next time she saw him
he was just as pleasant, and
showed no sign that she had de
clined his invitation. In fact,
the whole basis of their acquain
tance was such that she felt free
to go her own way anil yet know
he would be just as pleasant a
friend whenever she needed one.
Matters stood in this way when
Graham was suddenly obliged to
go west on a trip for the office,
[ to be gone throe or four weeks.
Mrs. Graham and Elizabeth went
to the Adirondack* for a short*
trip. and.the people at. Glenside
settled down to quiet country !
life, broken only by a few visits i
from their farm neighbors, and a j
call from the cheery, shabby pas- ,
tor of the little white church in :
the valley.
CH APT Eli XVI.
, Graham did not seem to for
get his friends entirely while he
was gone. The boys received a !
number of post-cards from time
to time, and a lot of fine views
of California, Yellowstone Park,
and Grand Canon, and other
spots of interest. A wonderful
picture book came for Doris,
with Chinese pictures, and
rhymes printed on crepe paper.
The next morning a tiny sandal
wood fan arrived for Carol with
Graham's compliments, and a
few days later a big box of
oranges for Mrs. Hollister with
no clew whatever as to the send
er. Shirley began to wonder
what her purt would be and what
she should do about it, and pres
ently received—a letter! And
then, after all, it was only a
pleasant request that she would
not pay the rent, about Vhich
she had always been so punctual,
until his return, as no one else
understood about his affairs. He
added a few words about his
pleasant trip and a wish that they
were all prospering—and that
was all.
Shirley was disappointed, of
course, and yet, if he had said
more, or if he had ventured to
send her even a mere trifle of a
gift, it would have made her un
confortable and set her question
ing how she should treat him and
it. It was the perfection of his
behavior that lie had not over
stepped a single bound that the
most particular might set for a
landlord and his respected ten
ant. She drew a deep sigh and
put the letter back into the en
velope, and as she did so she
spied a small card, smaller than
the envelope, on which was an
exquisite bit of scenery, a colored
photograph, apparently, and un
derneath had been pencilled,
“One of the many beautiful spots
in California that I am'sure you
would appreciate.”
Her heart gave an unforbidden
leap, and was promptly taken to
task for it. Yet when Shirley
went back to her typewriter the
bit of a picture was pinned to
the wall back of her desk, and
her eyes rested on it many times
that day when she lifted them
from her work. It is question
able whether Shirley remem
bered Miss Harriet Hale at all
that day.
The garden was growing beau
tifully now. _ There would soon
be lettuce anti radishes ready to
eal. George had secured a num
ber of customers through people
at the store, and was planning to
take early trips to town, when
his'produee was ripe, to deliver
it. They watched every night
and looked again every morning
for signs of the first pea blos
soms, and the little green spires
tu unicm tups, 11 nr sipaise nuns,
beginning to shoot up. Every
day brought, some new wonder. |
They almost forgot they had ever ;
lived in the little old brick house, j
until George rode by tlvpre on
his bicycle one noon and report
ed that it had been half pulled
down, and you could now see the
outline of where the stairs and !
closets had been, done in plaster,
on the side of the next house.
They were ttd very silent for a
minute thinking after he told
that, and Mrs. Hollister looked
around the great airy place in
which they were sitting, and then
out the open door where the faint
stain of sunset was still linger
ing against the horizon, and
said: i
“We ought all to be very
thankful, children. George, get j
the Bible and read the 34th
Psalm.” Wonderingly George
obeyed, and they all sat listening
as the words sank into their
souls.
“Now,” said the mother when
the Psalm was finished and those
last words, “The Lord redeemeth
the sovd of His servants and none
of them that trust in Him shall
he desolate”; “now let us kneel
down and thank Him.”
And they all knelt while she
prayed a few earnest, simple
words of thanksgiving and com- !
mended them to God's keeping.
By this time Mrs. Hollister j
was so well that she went every
day for a little while into the gar
den and worked, and was able
to do a great deal in the house.
The children were overjoyed,
and lived in a continual trance
of daliglit over the wild, free life
they were living. Carol's school
had closed and Carol was at home
all day. This made one more to
help in the garden. George was
talking about building a little
pigeon house and raising squabs
for sale. The man who did the
ploughing had given him a couple
to start with, and told him there
was money in squabs if one only
went about it right. George and
Harley pored over a book that
told all about it, and talked much
on the subject.
the weather was growing
warm, and Shirley was wishing
her vacation came in July or
August instead of the first two
weeks in September. Somehow
she felt so used up these hot
days, and the hours dragged by
so slowly. At night the trolleys
were crowded until they were
half-way out to Glenside. She
often had to stand,-and her head
ached a great deal. Yet she was
very happy and thankful—only
there was so much to be done in
this world, and she seemed to
have so little strength to do it
all. The burden of next fall
came occasionally to mar the
beauty of the summer, and rested
heavily upon her young shoul
ders. If only there wouldn’t be
any winter for just one year, and
they could stay in the barn and
get rested and get a little money
ahead somehow for moving. It
was going to be so hard to leave
that wide, beautiful abiding
place, barn though it was.
One morning nearly four
weeks after Graham left for
California Shirley was called
from her desk to the outer office
to take some dictation for Mr.
Clegg. While she was there two
men entered the outer office and
asked for Mr. Barnard. One of
them was a short, thick-set man
with a pretentious gray mustache
parted in the middle and combed
elaborately out on his cheeks.
He had a red face, little cunning
eyes, and a cruel set to hig jaw,
which somehow seemed ridicu
lously at variance with his loud,
checked suit, sporty neckt^p of
soft bright blue satin, set with a
scarf pin of two magnificent
stones, s diamond and a sap
phire, and with three showy
jewelled rings which he wore on
his fat, pudgy hand. The other
man was sly, quiet, gray, un
obstructive, obviously the hench
man of the first.
Mr. Clegg told the men they
might go into the inner office
and wait for Mr. Barnard, who
would probably be in shortly,
and Shirley watched them as
they passed out of her view, won
dering idly why those exquisite
stones had lb be wasted in such
an out-of-place spot as in that
coarse looking man’s necktie, and
if a man like that really cared
for beautiful things, else why
should he wear them? It was
only a passing, thought, and then
she took up her pencil and took
down the closing sentences of the
letter Mr. Clegg was dictating.
It was but a moment more and
she was free to go back to her
own little alcove just behind Mr.
Barnard’s office and connecting
with it. There was an entrance
lo it from the tiny cloak-room,
which she always used when Mr
Barnard had visitors in his office
ana inrougu ims way sue now
went, having a strange repug
nance toward being seen by the
two men. She had an innate
sense that the man with the
gaudy garments would not be
one who would treat a young girl
in her position with any re
spect, and she did not care to
come under his coarse gaze, so
she slipped in quietly through
the cloak room, and passed like a
shadow the open door into Mr.
Barnard's office, where they sat
with their backs toward her,
having evidently just settled
down and begun to talk. She
could hear a low-breathed com
ment on the furnishings of the
office as indicating a good bank
account of the owner, and a
coarse jest about a photograph
of Mr. Halliard’s wife which
stood on his desk. It made her
wish that the door between the
rooms was closed; yet she did
not care to rise and close it lest
she should call attention to her
self, and Of course it might bfe
but a minute or two before Mr.
Barnard returned. A pile of en
velopes to be addressed lay on
her desk, and this work she could
do without any noise, so she slip
ped softly into her seat and be
gan to work.
(To Up continued Next Weal)
\-■-- » ■
The unbaring ot that $56,000,000
swindle ring in Chicago Indicates
again the truth of the old eaw
that “the bigger they are the harder
they fail.” The rogues were playing
for big stakes on broad lines but
they were caught Just the same.
The Silesian question completely
baffled the supreme council of the
allies. Now it Is up to the League
of Nations. If the league should
solve it—and there Is a fair prospect
that It will—It will deserve a dis
tinguished service medal, at least.
I Many diseases as&y be described as a catarrhal condition. Coughs, colds, nasal I
Starch* stomach and bowel disorders are just a few ci the very common ills due to a
Fight It! Fight catarrh with a remedy of assured merit, a remedy which has• ■
reputauotyor usefulness extending over half s century-—
Not Quite Finished.
The most embarrassing moment of
Iny life was when a new stenographer
came to work for my boss. About
noon of her first day with us I wrote
to the old stenographer and I left the
note in the typewriter when my boss
called me in. Just then the new ste
nographer came back from lunch and
she read the note.
When I came out of my boss’s office
she said, “There Is a note of yours
in the typewriter. Do you want to
finish it?”
The ndte read: “Dear Veggie—I am
writing to let you know of our new
stenographer. She is dead from the
neck up and as slow as molasses. She
has a face like a—.”—Chicago Trib
une.
Indians’ Idea of Man’s Origin.
How the Eartlunaker making man
from bits of clay, first did not bake
him long enough and he came out
white, and secondly baked him too
long and lie came out black, and
thirdly baked him just right and he
came out red, is the Cree Indians’ ex
planation of the creation of the races
of man. This and 24 other Indian
myths are coutuine^ln a collection of
Indian lore recently compiled by
Charles E. Brown, curator of the Wis
consin State Historical museum,
Madison, for summer session students
at the University of Wisconsin.
Reasonable.
The matron entered the seasick pas
senger's cabin softly.
“Is there anything," she said, “any
thing at all that I can do to make you
feel more comfortable?”
“There is,” remarked the girl who
was doing her flrst-tlme-across. “If
you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, my dear, not at all!”
“Well, then, if it’s perfectly conven
ient, you may pick me up and let me
down on the ground under a large
tree, please!”—Richmond Times-Dis
patch.
Be fair; then you need fear nelthet
Gor nor man.
Don’t he Indifferent or you'll soo#
be out.
GENUINE
“BULL”
DURHAM
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1633 GrandviUe Avenue Grand Rapid*, Michigan
-ion-i—— --——•—m—i . >
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