The Camp Fire Girls in the Outside World | Page 5

Margaret Vandercook
me one. I slept all night in your office,' I answered. He didn't
seem surprised and I thought that rather funny. But afterwards I learned
that he had been a poor boy himself and had slept in all sorts of queer
places. He is still poor enough, goodness knows, but he has graduated
in law and set up an office. He will succeed some day, sure as faith.
You can bet on him."
Betty bit her lips, her eyes dancing with amusement and curiosity.
Actually her visitor was becoming so much in earnest over his friend
that he was forgetting to be afraid of her.
"But what about you and your success?" she demanded.
The young man flushed, moving uncomfortably in his chair, as though
yearning to get away from his questioner, and yet not knowing exactly
how.
"Success, my success? I haven't yet used that word in connection with
myself. I have just managed to keep on working, that's about all. Mr.
Andrews let me continue sleeping in his office after I told him my story
and cleaning it to pay for my lodging. Then by getting up early enough
I arranged to take care of a few others for money and to run errands
now and then. I read in between times."
"Read? Read what?" Betty inquired inexorably, half smiling and half
frowning at her own persistence. For somehow in their half hour's talk

together she had seen something in Anthony Graham that made her
guess that the young man had worked harder and dreamed better in this
past year than he was willing to acknowledge to her.
But Anthony got up from his chair and began deliberately backing
toward the door. He seemed suddenly to have became more awkward
and self-conscious. "I read the law books, as there wasn't anything else
to read. And I was determined to get more education so that in the
future Nan need not be ashamed of me. Afterwards I went to night
school and----"
"So you have made up your mind to be a lawyer yourself some day."
Betty sighed with satisfaction. How very like a book his confession
sounded! She wanted to get more information from her visitor and yet
at the same time longed to rush upstairs and commence a letter to Polly
O'Neill at once. Wouldn't Polly be interested? For she had predicted on
the day of their first meeting that the young man would either turn out
to be absolutely no good, or else (and here Betty blushed, recalling the
prophecy) "Remain your faithful knight to the end of the chapter."
"But why did you come back to Woodford if this Mr. Andrews was
befriending you and giving you a chance?" she inquired, fearing that
her illusion might now be shattered.
The young man did not reply at once.
And he scowled until Betty had an uncomfortable recollection of the
expression which she had seen on his face the day of his attack upon
Polly and her.
Then after moving a few steps nearer the fire so that he and the girl
were once more facing each other, Betty could see that his scowl had
been due to embarrassment and not anger.
"You are awfully good to be willing to listen to so long a tale of a
ne'er-do-well," he returned. "I came back to Woodford because I was
determined to make good in my own town. A fellow that can't trust
himself in the face of temptations isn't worth being trusted. I'm going

back to Mr. Andrews later, perhaps, but this winter I am to stick right
here in Woodford and live down my bad name if I can. Judge Maynard
says he will give me the same kind of a chance that Mr. Andrews did, if
I am worth it. And I shall be able to see Nan and the others now and
then. It didn't seem fair for me to be leaving all the family troubles to a
girl."
Involuntarily Betty clapped her hands. She had not intended to express
her emotion openly, but so pleased was she with Anthony's reply that
she couldn't help it. The next moment she felt a little ashamed of her
enthusiasm.
"Oh, Nan is equal to almost anything; we consider her the greatest
success in our Camp Fire club," Betty protested. "Nan is studying
domestic science at the High School and intends teaching it some day,
so she will make you awfully comfortable at home."
The young man put out his hand. "Good-bye," he said. "I never
dreamed I would be brave enough to ask you to shake hands with me
for a good many years yet. But since you have been kind enough----"
"To ask you ten thousand questions," Betty laughed, rising and putting
out both hands with a
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