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Our Serial Story

“WAS SHE HER BROTHER’S KEEPER?”

(By Ivan Adair.) (All Rights Reserved).

(CHAPTER TlL—Continued). Someone came up and interrupted them at the moment, and no more could be said, but Lil had not changed her mind, she would pay for the suit and Jim would pay her back the money week by week. She would be firm with him. She would not let him off. She left the mills early in the afternoon, and went down to the bank. There was no difficulty about getting ♦the money, but Lil felt annoyed and anxious. Jim was getting out of her control. That was very plain, and this larger salary would help him in that direction. She regretted, too. touching the little store. It represented many self denials and it meant saving and scraping again. The girl sighed as she sought out the tailor. She entered the shop, feeling a' once that this was not a place wher mill hands came. She felt that sti ! more when a man came forward • servo her. She explained that she, wanted 1 pay a bill, and was asked to come the office. Here a supercilious boc keeper dealt with her. “Mr. James Forbes, but the suit paid for.” "Paid for?” Lil stared in amaze » ment. "Yes, paid for. Hero it is. The book-keeper sot her finger on an entry, "paid for by cheque. The cheque is drawn up in favour of Mr. Forbes, and is signed ‘Leonard Thornbur.’ ” Light flashed across Lil’s mind. She saw at once what had happened. Her brother had been borrowing from Thornbur. She felt a pang of shame. This was even worse She felt the eyes of the book-keeper curiously upon her. She thanked him, muttered something about a mistake, and got out of the shop as fast as she could. Out in the street she stood thinking. She would put her foot down on this at the beginning. It must not happtux again. She. began to walk rapidly back to the mills. Suddenly she stopped short. She did not want to meet Len Thornbur, and 10 meet him alone. After all, the delay of a few hours could not matter. She turned on her heels again, and went back home, only calling at the Post Office to purchase a stamp. If she could have got that anywhere else, but she couldn’t, and Mrs. Coulters being slack that evening was ready for a chat. "Eh. dearie,” she remarked as she hunted through covers for the one she wanted; "but you don’t look the best. What’s the matter? I don’t see you walkin’ with your lad now. Had a fall out like?” Now Lil never knew just how much Mrs. Coulters knew. True she was related to Maisie, and Maisic and Lil were accounted friends and companions, but then Maisie and Lil shared the general opinion about the length of the old lady’s tongue. Also Mrs. Coulters had poor sight, and though she might have seen Lil walking with "a lad,” she might not have identified that lad as Arthur Watson. One good thing about the village | gossip was that she often answered i her own awkward questions. . . " ’Tisn’t good this falling out,” she said now T slowly, and carefully detaching a stamp from its fellows; "and I hear a pretty love talk about a good looking young mill hand and a. certain manager. Confess now dearies; it* is courtin’ you that Mr. Thornbur is when ho is takin’ such a mighty interest in the brother.” Lil grew hot with anger. "It is nothing of the kind. Mrs. Coulters,” she said sharply. "The manager of the mills is nothing whatever to me. He did help my brother, but my brother is well fitted to take the work he has got. I hate stories like these.” But she belonged to the unsnubbablc variety of human being. She merely chuckled unbelievingly, and went on to another topic. "Well. I should not say, but we might be getting rid of Miss Maisic Logan. She’s been setting her cap at a young fellow’ that used to lodge with them. ’Twas sai l he had someone else in the town here, but Lady Maisie is going to bide awhile with her mother, and. once a mother takes the matter up—” Mrs. Coulters had been holding the stamp in her hand, just out of Lil’s reach; now she moved it a little nearer, and Lil, with no thought of manners, snatched it and fled. She hurried to write her letter before Jim should get home. It was a very short letter indeed, and very much to the point. Lil begged that Mr Thornbnr would not lend Jim money, as she did not like it, and it was giving the boy a bad habit, that was all. When Jim came in he was apparently in a sulk. He ate his supper and went out again at once. Lil was rather glad of it. She was too vexed with him to talk. She half expected a summons to the manager’s office next day, but none camo, and in the interval the episode of the suit had not been mentioned by brother or sister, but when Lil came in she found that the post had brought her a letter. It was from Thornbur, and was longer than the one she had written to him. "Dear Miss Forbes,” the manager ■write, "I have your letter, and as you wish it, I shall not lend Jim any more money. The sum I did lend was a very trivial one really, and the lad did not want to trouble you for it, but since you object so strongly I shall do it no more. Jim seems to be shaping very ■well indeed, but these arc early days to judge. ‘‘ I hope you arc feeling stronger. Please remember that if you want a friend or any help I am more than

willing to do what I can. It was a great delight to get your note even on a matter of business, but I am a lonely man in Greenvale and in the world. Ever very sincerely vours. LEN THORNBUR. Lil read the letter through. Then she tore it in half, and put it between the. bars of the stove. As a letter and a letter written by Thorbur it meant nothing to her. She did not feel any desire for his frienship, and even the assertion of his loneliness did mot touch her. What did reach her was that he had promised not to lend money to Jim, and that Jim was thus safeguarded from that temptation. She wondered if she ought to fell her brother, and decided that it might be better to do so. She waited an opportunity, for Jim was still suffering from the sulks.

Seeing that he showed no signs of ‘•n early recovery, she took the bull by the horns, and spoke out as they sat "gather at lhe supper table that light. She said: "Jim, I have called I the tailor’s shop and find that you avc paid for your suit out of money •rrowed from Mr. Thornbur. I have ritten. to Mr. Thornbur asking him s a very great favour not to lend ■ou money again, but I want you to tell me if you have borrowed from him before and what excuse you made. He told me nothing beyond promising not to help you again.”

Lil stopped speaking, realising that there was something wrong. Tier brother’s face had gone as white as death. He looked as if he were about to faint. The girl was startled, and hardly connected the young man’s looks with what she had been saying. As a child .Tim had been rather subject to fainting fits, and she thought he was going to have one now. She rose and ran to open the window and to get water. Jim lay back in his chair with closed eyes. His forehead was damp and clammy, but if Lil could have seen into the brain behind those closed eyes she would have learned that Jim intended to shield himself behind the illusion of a fainting fit. Presently the colour began to drain back to his face, and he looked up languidly. He seemed so ill that his sister was taken in. She put her hand on his forehead. “Jimmpy, why did you not toll me you were feeling ill?” she asked. “Oh! it’s nothing; you were ratty I—” Ho closed his eyes again and asked feebly. “What were you talk I ing about when I turned giddy? Oh. ; I know Thornbur wrote —what did he | say?’’

“Only that he would not lend money to you again. Don’t worry any more about it. You won’t borrow from him. T know. Jimmy. This will bo a lesson. Would you like to go to bed?” Ho refused saying ho had to go out, that the air would do him good. Ho said ho was only going to the Logans, and Lil, although she had misgivings, felt he would be safe down there. Although the matter was more or loss closed, Lil retained an uncomfortable impression of it. She know that her brother had faults, but that he might be deceitful had never occurred to her. She realised now that Jim might have secrets in his life of which she know nothing. However, she. did not refer to the subject. Jim continued to wear the expensive suit and to got out of the house as soon as he could after supper. Ho seemed anxious to avoid conversation with his sister, hut Lil put fTiis down to sulks, and did not worry about it. But towards the end of the week—throe days after the trouble about the I

suit, to be exact —something happened, something that, was indeed the bursting of a great storm, a storm that overwhelmed Lil, washing away the. foundation of her trust in her brother, sweeping over her own life and happiness like, a tempestuous flood. She was sitting busy, with a pile of Jim’s socks, darning and mending, when she hoard the low knock at the door that she had come to associate with Lon Thornbur. She felt, annoyed, not that Thornbur had worried her. She hud seen nothing of him since Jim had taken up the new wmrk. (To be continued.)

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19250722.2.73

Bibliographic details

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19364, 22 July 1925, Page 9

Word Count
1,730

Our Serial Story Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19364, 22 July 1925, Page 9

Our Serial Story Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19364, 22 July 1925, Page 9

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