PAGE FOUR
taisnl'
EYES
i>a
Nurris
O KATHLEEN NORRIS WNU SERVICE
"Fir’rst I’ll tell you me name, the
man presently said, in a thoughtful,
unhurried fashion. "I’m Paul Me
Cann. Then I want ye to take that
fifty and put it back in the purse—
I'll make it up to Gertrude.
"But more Ilian that,” he added,
and was still, Sheila could not have
spoken to save her soul.
"More than that,” he commenced
again, still regarding her thought
fully, "I want to do something for
ye—for your mother The rent, now (
It is very har’rd on a widow to pay
it, as I well know. Arid then maybe
one of our gcr’rls would have a lit
tle coat--and a hat something a
ger’rl could Ufo ”
Sheila's one hope now was to es
cape. The money burned ir. her
hands; she rl d n t want it. Her
shabby dress had s<- worked upon
his generous sympathy that he
would not be content now without
some pil'dy of help; this beggar
should have a hat, a coat, promise
of rent money.
"I am poor, and my mother is a
widow, but 1 have a hat, and I
don't speak with a brogue!" she
thought of bursting out. But he
would think she was crazy—
She hesitated It was too late.
Mamie was in the room, obviously
with plans against little Veronica's
peace.
"Yes, run along wit’ Mamie, lov
ey,” the father said. "Hut hould a
moment—” he interrupted himself,
as Sheila was about to go with the
others, "1 want your name, me
dfcar’r, and to hear a bit more of
ye.”
Sheila sat down again, but before
he could speak there was an in
terruption.
“Here they all are!” Veronica
shrilled from the doorway. There
was a great sound of bustle and con
fusion in fie hallway; laughter,
voices.
“It’s our Gertrude—she's getting
married to my boy Peter next Tuos
da’,” the man began, when Ger
trude herself interrupted him
She stood in tire doorway, a stun
ning slim girl in a black suit and
carrying sable furs. Her lauehing
voice came into the library. Sheila,
who had gotten to her feet, stood
staring at her. and at the man who
stood beside her. A tall man, with
black curly hair—
The floor rocked beneath her feet;
her mouth felt dry and her head
swam. She knew this man—she
knew this man He had kissed her,
on a certain hot summer ni fht be
side the sea, u der a low-, hot moon
No other man had ever kissed her—
it was Peter!
“Uncle Paul:” said Gertrude. "It
you could have seen Norah Gaynor
get mixed up with Piter s legs com
ing down the aisle, you'd remain
away next Tuesday! Honestly, I
never was so embarrassed in my
life—”
She stared at the red headed girl,
but there was nothing unfriendly in
her stare.
"Gertie, is your aunt there?” the
judge asked.
Sheila could move her eyes to
him, but she could not look at the
door.
"She was,” Gertrude said. “But
of course the minute she saw her.
Von put up a squawk, and Aunt El
lie went upstairs with her.”
“I’ll gG her!” the judge said. Ger
trude turned back Into the hallway
with him; Sheila and Peter were
face to face for one whirling minute.
"Don't give me away!” she
breathed.
"I won’t,” he said quickly, agi
tatedly. “But I have to see you.
I have to see you. When can I see
you. I have to see you. When can
J ,&efi you? I’ve been trying to find
you."
There was no more time; Judge
Me Cann was returning, and with
him was a tall, delicate-looking
woman who turned an eager gaze
toward Sheila Gertrude and Peter
disappeared; the others went back
into the library.
“This young lady bought Ger
trude’s purse at the rummage sale
yesterda'. Mamma.”
“Oh, at St Leo's?” Mrs Me Cann
asked, in a soft, pleasant voice.
“Yes, ma'am,” Sheila managed
to say.
“Do you live near St. Leo’s,
dear?”
"No, ma'am. I live out in the
Bronx. But I work down near St.
Leo’s.”
“She found some money in Gert's
purse—fifty dollars.” the man said.
“Fifty dollars!” Mrs. Me Cann
echoed, surprised. “She's terrible
with money," she added, shaking
h< r head disapp ovingly.
"One g< r'rl come* all the way
down from the Bronx to give back
the money she needs, that another
ger'rl loses," Paul Me Cann said.
Mrs. Me Cann shook her head
again, looked at him mildly.
"Isn't that so, I’apa?” she agreed,
re gretfuliy.
"Ellie, is that fair?” he demand
ed, challengingly.
The woman was serious, sympa
thetic.
"Indeed it's not,” she said, with
a sigh. “Oh, dear, dear, dear!”
“Well, then, you make a sugges
tion,” he said, belligerently. "You
handle it. Are we going to let it
go, like that?”
Mrs. Me Cann looked with infinite
kindness and with a half-smile at
Sheila. The smile invited the girl
into her confidence. "He’s like
that,” it seemed to say, "but it’s
only his way of showing he is
stirred.” Aloud she said, “It seems
to me the only thing to do, Papa,
is do all we can to make the other
little girl happy, too.”
There was such goodness, such
simple friendliness and sympathj
in her quiet, middle-aged face, as
she made this suggestion, that Shei
la felt guiltier and more unhappy
than ever.
“That young girl who was here a
minute back is our ward, Gertrude
Keane, and it was her purse you
found," Mrs. Me Cann went on.
"She and our Peter are get'u g mar
ried on Tuesday. Judge Me Cann
and I feel very happy about it.”
Sheila was ashamed, dazed, fright
ened. She wanted only to escape.
"Tell me your name,” the judge
said, stopping short in a restless
turn about the room.
"Sheila Carscadden.”
“Carscadden!” he shouted. It was
as if a gun had been fired in the
room “You’re from Albany!”
"No. sir We live in the Bronx.”
“I know ye, I know ye,” he mut
tered, transfixed. "Look at the red
head on her, Mamma. She's Con
Carseadden’s ger’rl. Os course she
is.” He snapped his fingers, walked
the floor again. His excitement com
municated itself to the two women,
and Mrs. Me Cann said sympatheti
cally, “Now, take it easy. Papa.
"Con! Con Carscadden,” Faul Me
Cann exclaimed suddenly, pointing a
stout finger at Sheila. “That's who
your papa was.”
“My brother Neely’s named for
him, Cornelius.”
“We were boys together in the
old laundry days up in Albany,"
the man said. "I thank God for
this, Mamma. I’ve prayed for this!
Manny’s the time I’ve prayed that
I'd run into poor Con's children.
That was the cheapest fifty dollars
I ever spent, that Gert lost on us.
You’ve hear’d me talk of this Cars
caddens Mamma? This is Con’s
ger’rl.”
“I’ve heard you talk many’s the
time, Paul,” said his wife, almost
as pleased as he. in her quieter
way.
He wiped his forehead, b'cw his
nose. His blue eyes were brim
ming.
“ ’Twas God sint this child our
way,” he said, clearing his throat.
“I hope it was, indeed,” said his
wife.
"Your father was my fr’nd, my
dear,” the man told Sheila simply.
He sat down, patted her hand; he
was breathing hard "I’ll be yours.
You may lay to that,” he said.
'‘You’ll niver have cause that you’d
regret this night's work. Con Cars
eadden’s ger’rl. And there’s oth
ers, is there?”
’ There’s Joe and Angela and me.
THE ZEBULON RECORD
5 fr/ 1 qA f ■ ■ ' ■
wi
"And she raised you all without
him, did she?”
at home. And Marg'rct and Neely’s
married,” Sheila explained, her eyes
shining with tears.
“And she raised you all without
hirn, did she?”
“My sister Angela w r as ►orn after
Papa died.”
“My God. my God, my God,” he
muttered, “all of you, here in this
city, needin’ help, and I not knowin'
it! Well, your harrd times are over. !
I’ll stand to you. I’ll stand to all
of ye.”
He was walking about again, agi
tated, impatient. Sheila was all but I
crying; there were tears in Mrs Me
Cann’s sympathetic eyes.
“Well, she’ll want some supper,”
tie said. “Mamie said she’d look
out for her. Con’s ger'rl, and the
spit of his sister Julia. She'd a fine, j
coarse head of red hair on her, too. i
Mamma, we'U have to kape an eye |
on these youngsters of Con’s.”
"We will, Paul.”
•‘They’ll have fri’nds, now,” he
said, trembling with emotion, his
handkerchief out again. “They’ll
have good times, now. You'll have
to see Con’s widow. Ellie—find out
what we can do.”
“I'll do it tomorrow, Paul, “Mrs.
Me Cann rose, held out her hand.
“Come with me, Sheila,” she said.
‘‘We ll get something to eat, and
then I’ll take you upstairs, and see
if we can’t find a little hat and coat
of Gertrude's that'll fit you. You’re
a real big girl, but she wears bigger
clothes than you’d think.”
Talking comfortably, she went
with Sheila through a very confu
sion of big, dark, richly furnished |
rooms toward a dining-room and i
into a bright clean pantry beyond
it. And here, true to her promise,
Mamie had indeed arranged a meal
of coffee and salad, a little baked
custard, a chocolate eclair.
Sheila, who had dined heartily on
fish-balls and prune shortcake only
an hour before, realized wretchedly
that she must appear to be raven
ous. When providentially Mrs. Me
Cann and Mamie left the pantry for
a few minutes, she seized the oppor
tunity to pour the custard and the
coffee dowm the sink drain, and bury
most of the salad in the little white
enamel-ware garbage tin that was
already half filled with dead flowers
and lemon peels. She was eating
the eclair when they returned.
They had with them a heavy soft,
dark-blue coat with a fur collar—
the coat of any girl’s dreams, and a
small, soft blue hat.
'Here,” said Mrs. Me Cann, in
her genUe voice id with her gen
tle srr.'le, "these'll go well with
the bag They’re Monica’s —she’s
up at Kenwood, and she’ll be glad
i for an excuse to get new ones.”
Her hands lingered in motherly
, fashion about Sheila, as she helped
to put them on. She smiled at the
results, and Mamie brought her
hands together with one convulsive
clap of triumph.
Sheila, her sense of shame deep
ening every second, hung her head
as she stood before them. It was
all like a nightmare. Their warmth,
their kindness; their goodness were
all completely disarming.
"You've the purse, dear, and the
money in it And tell Mamma that
Judge Me Cann was one of your
papa's old friends, and that I’ll be
, over tomorrow to have a little talk
! with her. And you've your nickel
! for the subway—?”
"You're awfully kind to me, Mrs.
Me Cann." Sheila could only mum
ble She had completely abandoned
the brogue, but neither of the other
women was apt to notice the omis
sion.
‘‘Kind, my dear! When the Lord
has been so good to me.” Ellen Me
Caon said humbly. She went with
Sheila across the wide hallway
again; it was darkened now, but
there was still a dim indication of
lighted lamps beyond the library
archway, arid in some smaller room
there were subdued laughter and
the sound of voices. Mrs. Me Cann
herself opened the big front door for
her guest.
(Continued Next Week)
Raleigh, capital of North Caro
lina, is planning to observe its
150th anniversary in 1942.
•I* •5* * v -J* •> -S* * + .J*+•> •> *4* * -<• *❖+-> 4* -J- 4* •>4-+ •if 4-+ 4- 4* 4- 4* 4‘4>4*v +->4» •> + •>+ +
| EXTREMELY LOW ROUND TRIP FARES |
* Buy round trip coach tickets on sale dail/ between local +
* stations and save 10c on each dollar, t
£ Also low rate excursion fares to Norfolk and Virginia %
£ Beach every day. *
% Special Week End Excursions to Baltimore and Washing- *
+ ton by steamer from Norfolk. £
% Travel by Train for 1 l-2c A Mile
| NORFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROAD *
* H. E. Mann, Agent Zebulon, N. C. Phone 5221 *
a .5. .5. 4. j,. >'• •$> <• *!• 4. 4.4*++ ;* 4- 4- *> 4* >:•+*> ■»• 4* 4-+
4.4.4. 4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4.4. 4.4. 4. 4. -> 4. 4. *4* ** * •£♦ * 4-4*4-4*4* + 4<4* *+++■ 4*
? X
% Plant CCCIIC Lespedeza *
* NOW dCLaI& Garden Seeds *
$ I have the Seeds, Prices Right, By Weight or in Packets, t
% Beets, Onions, Garden Peas, Cabbage, Mustard, Tender |
| Greens, Kale, Tomatoes, lespedeza. Barley, Oats, Po- 5
$ tatoes. Axes, Saws, Mauls, Wedges, Mattox, Bush I
% Axes Hole Diggers. I
A. G. KEMP —Zebulon, N, C. !
«{•
% t
.> + + 4*4* 4-4>4-4-4*4-*4-
| qL %yi For Insurance f
j Pi( Os All Kinds 1
! ~ " Accident Indemnity, |
* j / Automobile and
| j —Farm Loans J
I See D. D. Chamblee for Insurance j
JOIN THE EASTER PARADE ..
IN STYLE
Right now’s the time to get ready for Easter
now’s the time to gather the whole family’s cloth
ing and send it to Zebulon Dry Cleaners for a
thorough pre-Easter cleaning! You’ll get it back
in time and then you’ll all step out into the Easter
Parade looking fine!
ZEBULON DRY CLEANERS
WORTH HINTON, Prop.
PHONE 2721
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1940.
A D MINI S I RA T KIX N DTK E
Having qualified as administra
trix of the estate of Cynthia Rodg- .
era, late < f Wake County, North
Carolina, this is to notify all per
sons having claims against the es
tate of said deceased to exhibit
them to the undersigned at Zebulon
North Carolina on or before the fif
teenth day of March, 1941, or this
notice will be pleaded in bar of their
recovery.
All persons indebted to said es
tate will please make immediate
payment.
This the 14 day of March, 1940.
Ollie V. King, Admx., Estate of
Cynthia Rogers, deceased.
( Mch. 15-Apr. 19-1940)