Contrary Mary

ervice of a Damsel in Distress, and i

in his life he seemed to be taking things seriously. He stayed at home at night and studied. He gave up Jerry Tuckerm

yet, no one but Delilah Jelif

d, timidly; "he'd be very happy. It

've squandered some of my opportunities, but now that

ry. "It is because you trust me, dear

is. "Barry-it seems so queer to th

It was meant fro

it, B

es

nd. Oh, I shall always l

was tender, sweet, and because it was their secret, because there was no word of doubt or of dist

Leila Dick. As he told her his blue eyes beseeched her, and loving him, and hating to hurt him, Mary withheld the expression of her fears, and kissed him and

quiesce-yet surely, surely, love was strong enough to lift

stone bench-he at the other end of the bench, under a bush of roses of a hundred leaves. Sometimes Aunt Isabelle was with them, with her fancy work, sometimes they were alone; but always when the hour was over, he would close his book and ascend to his tower, lest he might meet those who c

life. He lived for that one hour out of the twenty-four. He dared not thi

d been the fragrance of the roses, and Mary Ballard in white on the stone bench beside him, giving him her friendly, girlish confidences; she discussed problems of genteel poverty, t

o-night-h

nge a man's nature? Make a

"You ask that as if I c

to be able to put yourself in the

ow in whose place

rl's,"

ay that the man should be put

to wait until she is su

es

n him? Doesn't dream that he is weak-trusts him absol

be wise. Perhaps for her

at's the

ld make the test. He should wait unti

ust the lifting of her hands and letting the

ry and Leila. Ought

in her ability to rule the d

ith it. He is of age, and you are only his si

could conv

hink him a boy? Perhaps that wo

ust fold

gs are now-I

e should wait. It was as if they both realized that

t did

on a trip to the Main

the workers-every one who could get away was gone. Mary, with the care of her house on her hands,

at," she told her niece, "than running a

ne day Jerry Tuckerman arrived on the scene. The next night, he and Barry and the other radiant musketeers motored over to Baltimore by moonlight. Barry did not come home the next day, nor the next, nor the next. M

after she had called up the Country Club; after she had called up Jerry Tuckerman and had received an

-backed chair, with her throat dry, her pulses

. It began before father died, and it nearly broke his heart. You see, he had a brother-whose life was ruined because of this. And Constance and I have done everything. There

k his sympathy. This

est not to bring him back at once. I've had to deal with such cases before. We wil

you spare

-so there are still thirty days to

ght of his quest. It was as if he had laid upon himself some vow which was sending him forth for the sake of this sweet lady. As Mary came toward him, he wished that he might ask for the ros

her on the terrace steps, looking u

m," he said,

" she said, wistfully, "to take all of this trouble for us. I feel that I

pendent woman. And the touch of her hand on his shoulder was the sw

hed the bottom of the hill, he turned and looked back, and she st

t off their heads, only to find that other heads h

d despair which Roger Poole fought

then another, Roger had come upon him. There had been no explanations. Barry had seemed to take his rescu

that my love for Leila would make me strong. But there's no use trying. I'll be beaten. It is i

the trees on the banks of one of the little brackish rivers which flow into the Chesapeake. They had fished a little in

e said again; "i

, his hat off, his dark hair blo

are our own. Not what o

can say that I haven't. And I've lost. After this do you suppose that Mary

et yourself

ed. "Then you thi

think, Ballard,

another handful and threw it away. Then he said, doggedly, "I'

call th

n't live w

of the thick branches which bent above it said quietly, "Love to me has always seemed something bigger

ill break her heart if anything comes between us. I'm not saying that

he more reason why you've g

I've

an who trie

" eag

ived literally in the open. We cooked over fires in front of our doors. We hunted and fished. Now and then we went to town for our supplies, but most of our things we got from the schooner-me

he go

from old associations. He couldn't resist temptation, so he had come where he was not tempted. His occupation in the city had been mental, here it was largely physical. He chopped wood, he tramped the f

s visibly

concluded, "but the fact that he fought

f fish which they had brought to be cooked by Susan Jenks furnished an unembarrassi

her anxiety had been stilled. And she was very grateful-so gra

ever thank yo

in his, and stood

swered. It was as if he were calling upon her for something she was not ready to give-as if he were drawing

gs, he saw a new look in her e

ped her

k me again to do something for