BRENTWOOD
By Grace Livingston Hill
11th INSTALLMENT
Synopsis
When the wealthy foster par
ents of Marjorie Wetherill both
die she finds a letter telling
that she has a twin sister, that
she was adopted when her own
parents couldn't afford to sup
port both of them and that her
real name is Dorothy Gay.
Alone in the world, but with a
fortune of her Own, she con
siders looking up her own fam
ily whom she has never seen.
A neighbor, Evan Bower, tries
to argue her out of it and tells
her he loves her and asks her
to marry him. She promises to
think it over but decides first
to see her family. She goes to
their address, finds that they
are destitute and gradually per
suades them to accept things
they need. When the doctor
calls to see her mother she no
tices that he seems particular
ly interested in her sister.
Marjorie goes to church in
Brentwood, where her family
used to live, and becomes very
much interested in the young
minister there, with whom she
later has lunch in the city.
While at Brentwood she sees
the home her family formerly
owned, buys it back for them
and gives the deed to it to her
father on Christmas morning.
It was a long time before the
Gay family simmered down to
real life again. Betty was just
taking the turkey out of the oven
and Marjorie was filling the
water glasses when there came a
ling at the door again. Ted went
to open it and there stood Gideon
Reaver with a small white pack
age in his hand. It wasn't tied
up in ribbons or seals like a
Christmas present, though it
looked as though it would like to
have been. It just had a rubber
band around it.
Ted welcomed the young man
joyously.
"Come in!" he cried as though
Santa Claus himself had appear
ed at the door.
"Oh, I mustn't." said Gideon
smiling "I just stopped in to
leave this little book for your
sister. I told her I'd send it over
and this is the first chance I've
had. Also I wanted to ask if you
folks wouldn't come over to our
Christmas service tonight at nine
o'clock."
"Oh, come on in," said Ted, "I
want you to meet Dad and
Mother. You aren't in such a
hurry you can't stop a minute,
are you?"
"No, I'm not in a hury at all!"
said Gideon smiling, "but I don't
believe in intruding on Christmas
Day."
"Intruding?" said Ted. opening
the door wide and pulling his
adored pastor in. "Where do you
get that word?"
Then he suddenly turned and
caught the look on Betty's face
as she came into the dining room
exactly opposite the hall door,
with' the great brown steaming
turkey on its platter.
Betty didn't like him to invite
Gideon Reaver in! Betty would
be sore! Now probably Christmas
would all be spoiled! Poor Ted!
He could hardly get through the
introductions.
But Marjorie came shining into
the room and Welcomed the guest,
and Ted felt better. Then his
father and mother were both very
cordial too, and Ted beamed,
though conscious all the time of
Betty and the turkey in the back
ground.
Betty put down the platter and
came and stood frowning in the
hall door, but the frown suddenly
died down. Betty was surprised
to find how young and good
looking Ted's boasted minister
was. She hesitated, wondering
just what to do about the turkey,
and as she hesitated Marjorie
turned and introduced her.
"This is my twin sister, Mr.
Reaver. This is the one you saw
before."
And suddenly Betty was swept
into the circle much against her
will. But he was interesting
looking. and she roused out of her
annoyance and greeted him plea
santly enough.
But Gideon Reaver had a lot
of intuition and he had seen
that turkey.
"I'm just delighted to see you
all." he said with a comprehen
sive glance which took them all
in. "but I'm not going to stop
now. I can tell by the delicious
odors that are going around that
dinner is on the table, so I'll just
run away now and come back
another time and call if I may.
Far be it from me to delay a
Christmas dinner!"
Suddenly the mother spoke up,
almost eagerly it seemed.
"Why not stay and share it
with us?" she asked. She had
seen the eager look in her boy's
eyes.
"Ye 3. do stay," said the father
heartily. "I know everybody will
be delighted."
"Oh. I couldn't think of intrud-
FERTILIZER
for the
Lawn and Garden
F. A.Brendle & Son
Elkin, N. C.
ing that way. Indeed I couldn't.
I was just passing and thought I
would the message."
"But you haven't had your din
ner yet, have you?" challenged
Ted wistfully.
"No, I'm just on my way back
to my boarding house."
"That settles it." said Father.
"Ted go and see if there are
enough chairs to go around, and
Betty, put on another plate!"
But suddenly the front door
which had the night latch off,
opened again, and in walked the
doctor.
"Well. now. upon my word, if
I haven't walked in on a party!"
he said. "I beg your pardon. I
won't stay but a minute. I just
wanted to make sure my patients
were all right and fit for turkey."
"You're just in time!" said Mr.
Gay happily. "Have you had
your Christmas dinner yet?"
"Well. no. I haven't yet, but
I'm used to waiting. I'll just look
at Mrs. Gay's pulse and then I'll
l>e moving on."
"We'll call it brunch then,"
called out Betty suddenly from
the doorway. "Come on, there's
plenty to eat. You get the chairs,
Ted. The turkey is already on the
table. Tlie more the merrier."
They all turned and looked at
Betty's gay face, so changed from
a moment before. Ted breathed
a sigh of relief, and the rest gave
quick furtive glances at the doc
tor.
Mr.-Gay introduced the min
ister and the doctor and they
studied each other a bit cautious
ly. But they were both staying,
there was no question about that.
"Dinner is served!" said Betty,
suddenly appearing in the door
way looking very pretty indeed in
Marjorie's green knit dress with
a bit of erd ribbon knotted in her
hair and a scrap of holly on one
shoulder.
"It's going to be a tight
squeeze, friends, but we thought
it was better than waiting to put
another leaf in the table and eat
ing a, i cold dinner."
Betty's cheeks were rosy and
her eyes were twinkling. She
seemed like a new Betty to Mar
jorie.
The doctor, without waiting on
the order of his going, marched
straight over to Betty and pulled
out her chair, and then took the
one next her. Mi's. Gay smiled
and took her place where cush
ions had been arranged at her
back and feet. The minister
found himself seated between
Marjorie and Ted. Then Mr.
Gay's voice broke into the laugh
ter of getting seated.
"Mr. Reaver, will you ask the
blessing, please?"
Marjorie stifled a quick look of
surprise. There had been no ask
ing of blessings so far in the
meals she had eaten in her new
home, although she reflected they
had been most informal, and her
father had generally eaten up
stairs with her mother. But her
heart warmed to the words that
were spoken and she thrilled at
the sweet silence that had settled
over them all. This minister cer
tainly was a rare one. How great
for Ted to have such a man for a
friend!
As the heads were lifted the
doctor shot a quick keen glance
at the minister across from him.
But it was the minister who spoke
first. ,
"Do you mean to tell me. Doc
tor, that you can always tell
which of these twins is which?"
he asked looking from Betty to
Marjorie at his side.
"Well," said the doctor. 'I can
always tell that this one is Betty,
but I'm not always so sure which
one the other one is!"
They all laughed heartily at
that.
It was a delightful occasion,
and everyone enjoyed it to the
full.
Strange to say neither doctor
nor mthister seemed to be in a
hurry to leave.
By this time they were excel
lent friends, having discovered a
number of tastes in common. The
doctor had inquired where Gideon
preached, and Gideon had sug
gested that he'd better come over
his \yay and open an office. The
doctor said he'd think about it,
and Betty told him they were go
ing to move back there and need
ed to have their doctor handy.
He said he didn't know but he
would look into it.
Suddenly Gideon turned
around to them all.
"Now, why don't we have a lit
tle sing?" he said. "Christmas
isn't complete without carols."
4 It was just as they were sing
ing the last line of "Silent Night,"
that Evan Brower walked con
temptuously up the narrow steps,
and failing to identify the small
insignificant , doorbell in the
darkness gave a thunderous
knock on the door.
Coming as it did into the
sweetness of that "Silent night,
holy night" of long ago, it was
somewhat of a shock.
Ted snapped on the lights and
opened the door, and there stood
a tall haughty young man.
"Does this happen to be num
ber 1465 Aster Street?" he asked.
Ted nodded gravely.
"Is Miss Wetherill here?"
"Wetherill?" Ted hesitated and
was about to say no, then sud
denly it dawned upon him again
and he took a deep breath like
one about to relinquish some
thing precious and answered with
dignity:
"She is." Then he added with
what was almost haughtiness in
his voice, "Won't you come in?"
Evan Brower stepped into the
bouse leaving the taxi throbbing
outside, and looked about the
tiny hall, and the equally tiny
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELK IN, NORTH CAROLINA
parlor beyond, searchingly like a
warhorse out for battle.
But Marjorie, her color per
haps a trifle heightened, came
forward at once.
"Why, Evan," she said plea
santly, "this certainly is a sur
prise !"
She presented them one by one
as they were standing about in
the doorway, and each bowed
courteously, trying to veil their
disappointment at the interlude
in their pleasant evening. But
Evan Brower merely acknowl
edged the introductions by a level
stare at each and the slightest
possible inclination of his head.
"And won't you come in and
meet my mother?" went on Mar
jorie blithely, though she wasn't
at all sure from the look in Evan
Brower's eye whether he was go
ing to follow her or not.
Marjorie led the way to the
couch, and Evan Brower reluc
tantly stepped a few feet nearer
and inclined his head again at
Mrs. Gay.
"I camte," said he to Marjorie
in a rudely lowered tone, "to take
you out Jhis evening. Can you
pet your wraps and go at once?
Will you need to change?"
He glanced down at her pretty
knitted dress with annoyance.
This was a part of finding her
in this little insignificant house
in a common neighborhood, that
she should not be dressed for the
evening! Christmas night and in
a daytime dress!
But Marjorie did not look em
barrassed at his evident disap
proval. She lifted calm eyes to
his face, and speaking in an or
dinary tone that she was not at
tempting to disguise, she said:
"No, I'm sorry. I couldn't go
this evening. I already have an
engagement for later in the even
ing, and this is our first Christ
mas together. I wouldn't break
it up for anything."
"Really, Marjorie, I don't see
that you are required to do duty
all day and evening, too!" Evan's
tone was exceedingly annoyed.
"Well, I'm just as sorry as I
can be, Evan, to disappoint you,
but it's quite impossible. If you
had let me know that you
thought of coming this way I
would have told you not to count
on Christmas at all as I had
made other plans."
And then Evan turned and
stalked haughtily from the room
without anything but the merest
not in Mrs. Gay's direction.
But Marjorie, her color rising
and her head a bit high, walked
coolly to the door with her caller.
"Too bad. Evan, to have this
;ide for nothing, but it just
couldn't be helped," she said
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sweetly, and smiled indulgently
upon him.
At the door he turned savagely
upon her and said in a low
growl:
"When can I see you alone? In
the morning? Will you deign to
lunch with me?"
"Why, yes, I think I could,"
said Marjorie, considering.
"Very well, I'll call you on the
telephone. What is the number
here?"
"Oh, we haven't a telephone,"
she answered brightly as though
that were quite a usual thing in
her circle of friends "Suppose I
just be ready when you say you
will come. Half past twelve or
one. Which will be most con
venient for you?"
"Eleven!" said Evan crisply.
"I'm flying back in the afternoon
and I'm taking you with me!
Better have your things packed
and we can take them with us
where we lunch."
(Continued Next Week)
UNION HILL
Rev. A. P. Walker filled his
regular appointment at the Bap
tist church here Saturday and
Sunday. On Saturday the church,
in conference, voted unanimously
to have annual decoration day on
the first Sunday in June, as has
Eyes Examined Office:
Glasses Fitted The Bank of Elkin Building
DR. P. W. GREEN
OPTOMETRIST
Offices open daily for optical repairs and adjustments of all kinds.
Examinations on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 to 5 p. m.
By Appointment Phone 14#
Insurance
PROTECTION AND SERVICE
Hugh Royall
—Phone 111—
been the custom for many years.
The church extends a cordial in
vitation to the public to attend,
especially those who have loved
ones and friends buried at Union
Hill.
Mrs. Weatherspoon and daugh
ter, Barbara, of Greensboro, spent
Sunday at their summer home
here.
Mr. and Mrs. Britton. of
Greensboro, were the Sunday
guests of friends here.
We are sorry to note that L. D.
Perry is ill at this time.
Mrs. Molley Tilley has returned
to her home in Mt. Airy follow
ing a visit with her brother, L.
D. Perryl
Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Norman, of
Mt. Airy, spent Sunday here with
Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Crouse, the
latter a sister of Mrs. Norman.
Couldn't Bribe Ilim
Soph: "I'd like for you to come
over and have dinner with me."
Professor: "Thank you, sir, but
your class work is already satis
factory."
Cheerful Outlook
Interne: "Did you say any
thing to cheer up Sandy McPher
son after his operation?"
Nurse: "Yes, I told him he
might not live to pay for it."
WESTFI ELD )
perfect for tporls or
Neither dust, nor nor the ordi>
nary shocks of hectic modern life con
disturb its sturdy, accurate Westfleld
movement. Complete with
leather strap. s
W. M. WALL
JEWELER N Elkin, N. C.
Phone 56
Say. "I saw it in The Tribune." Thanks!
Thursday. May 11. 1939