Marion Marlowe's Courage: A Brave Girl's Struggle for Life and Honor — page 26: what you’re looking at

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7 MY “Father must be relenting,” she said: with a bitter smile, “or else Samantha has at last found courage to defy his orders.” She glanced over the letter and then almost screamed in surprise. “Oh, Dollie! Here is news, indeed! I know now why Silas wanted to marry you so badly. He’s been buying chickens and pigs, and is going to fatten them for market, and of _course he is desperately in need of a house- hold drudge, and at last he has married poor, homely, Sallie Green! I guess he despaired of ever getting a prettier woman!” “Poor Sallie!’ cried Dollie, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t envy her a lifetime in Silas Johnson’s kitchen!” , ) “And to think that he tried to make you feel that he was doing you a favor by asking you to marry him,” sneered Marion, “when all he wanted was a drudge for his kitchen!” “T hope he will be good to her,” said Dollie, very earnestly., ~“T wonder what father will do about that mortgage now,’ was Marion’s only answer. “He can’t trade you off to settle it now, so it begins to look as if he’d have to raise the money.” : | ea ™ “Oh, there’s no hope for him now,” said Dollie, sighing. They'll be turned out surely; and have to live with Samantha.” > “But Samantha’s husband won't “have: them,” was Marion’s proirhpt answer, “which means that they’ll be forced to go to the Poor Farm.” | | Phe two'girls stared at each other with ex- pressions of horror. It wasa terrible thought__,fice. —they could hardly endure it. , QUEEN. Dollie blushed as she was reminded so broadly of her sweetheart, and Marion ex- — plained to Bert the whole situation. oe ‘““He’s a noble fellow! I don’t much care what he did!” cried Bert in admiration; “I’d steal, too, if it was to keep you girls from starving, and I think a man is a cad who says he wouldn’t!” | 2 “Oh, Bert! That isn’t right!” said Marion, firmly. “Of course, we forgive him, but, oh, he shouldn’t have done it! It is awful to steal from any motive! I shall give him every penny of my hundred dollars.” Dollie drew .a long breath, and the tears me * , sprang to her eyes. | “We have not seen him since—since we | became suspicious,” she said, very hesitating- _ ly. “Poor fellow! He must be wretched, © and yet he knows that we forgive him!” : “ oo CHARTER Xie: 5 MARION SINGS IN A CONCERT HALE. 8 | Marion was on hand promptly at ten * o'clock, and as Otto Vondergrift saw _ the beautiful face and figure in the broad light — of day he chuckled-a little over his cleverness - 2 in offering her so much money. me a “She'll stick to mé now, whereas she might — have bolted after the first nightsif I had of-. fered her less,’ he repeated to his friend, the some writer, while Marion waited. ‘a hale “She is certainly very beautfftil,” said Marcus Rosen, as he peered at Marion through the half-open door of a private oF 66 ol Cog) EN YT c You mark my words, Rosen,” said Von- tr Bert Jackson came in and found them both dergrift agaiit, “the manager of our rival = He had «brought Marion the ten dollars which she loaned him on the night of his escape.from the Poor Farm, and the money looked like a fortune to the poor girls in their destitute condition. , > When Marion told him of the letter which she had written to Matt Jenkins poor Bert was so delighted that he nearly went into hysterics. “T never dreamed that it would be such fun to be dead,” he said, gayly, “but now I can breathe easv. Matt won't be trying to chase a deader. And I’ve got a*job, too,” he said, delightedly. “Eight dollars a week as clerk in a grocery store?” “We'll come and buy our potatoes and other things of you,” laughed Dollie; “that 1s, if Marion gets a steady place to sing for those people, and as soon as I get real well I'll keep house for both of you.” “Mhat would be glorious,” said Bert, “but I'm afraid it won't work. There's a young man whom I know who might object, Miss Dollie.” weeping bitterly. hall aeross the way will try. to get her.away from.me just the minute he hears her, but | he’s not likely to offer her any more than — she’s getting, Oh, I know the world and the people in it far better than you do} my friend! ; I’m a business man, while you are an artist.” — “T ouess you are right,” was the drawling answer, “but I flatter myself that [ know you pretty well, my dear Otto, and I’m willing to — bet that outside of her making money for } you, you've got designs on the little rustic.” — “Well, if I have, then I am all right about — the hundred,” was the laughing answer, “for — that girl is too shy.to be tempted by a bottle of wine and a supper.” ey “Oh, well, it’§ none of my business, any — way,” said the artist again; “but come, I’m — dying to hear her sing. Let’s take her right | into the hall—it’s perfectly empty.” When Marcus Rosen began playing the — prelude to the song which Marion was e€xX- : pected to sing, the young girl’s timidity dis- appeared like magic. ; The magnificent toned piano absorbed her GEomicbooks.com