Red-Robin

mplated invasion of Patchin Place in search of a Forsyth heir he knotted a lavender scarf about his ne

ached his agreeable task. At the door of 22 Patchin Place he dismissed his taxicab and stood for a moment surveyin

resolutely up the narrow, steep stairway, puffing as he ascended. It was necessary to count the landings to know, in the dimness of the hallway, when

lor that the little man blinked in amazement. A mite of a girl wi

t ridiculous to ask the question for surely it must

isn't home. Won

inted boxes and pots and tubs. And after another blink Mr. Allendyce perceived that there were a few real chairs, very shabby, and a table covered with a c

m birds perching, the bewildered lawyer discovered, in various places a

eadfully noisy. They love c

ne up close to him. He perceived with something of a shock that she limpe

ousness and understanding; in the corner of her lips lingered a tender droop oddly at variance with the childish dimple of the finely moulded chin. Though the

e you,

calls me Red-Robin beca

immie

ent. Do you

was wondering how his investigators

she wanted it cheap, Jimmie says. But we didn't have anything to eat today so he took the pictur

rtled at her astonishing frankness. He

Does your Jimmie s

riend. If it were not for me Jimmie'd go away with Mr. Tony. Mr.

is your bro

d. "My-brot

. Go

m Go

ou

it was too formal for a little girl. So he calls me Red-Robin and h

o have crumpled together a

ort of insignificant, to be Gor

t that heir should be a girl had never entered their calculations. And a little lame girl at that; Mr. Al

ter with you, Mr.-why, you

ether. He flushed under the wondering wide-eyed scrutiny of his

l, are you?" w

aping up millions of dollars. And there's a very big house there that looks like a castle because it's built of gray stone and is up on a hill-it has everything but the moat itself. And an old lady lives there all

bout the old lady and the lonely castle. "That's what Jimmie calls her-poor old thing. Jimmie

you mean th

of course. That's Jimmie's pet s

father h

une or mill or anything. Oh, Jimmie's wonderful. Why, we wouldn't trade our little home here for two of her cas

hat, my

it's because I don't know many people. But I wish I just had a little money. You see I'm not

cited that he wriggled on the rickety

y, Miss Gordon-w

on't mean that I'm not happy here. I love it. And I adore Jimmie. Bu

in the

uldn't have to be tied down; I heard Mr. Tony say so, once, when Jimmie was very blue. He didn't know I heard. Now Mr. Tony's going off for a long cruise in the South Seas on a sailing boat and he wants Jimmie to go with him. He's going to write stories and he says if

e the world had never seemed so full of youth and color and adventure as it did

th that the old lady, Madame Forsyth, wanted him to come to Gray Manor to liv

sn't any he!

w. But a Forsy

might go to-

y, because of your name. But our mistake does not make you any less a F

" broke in Ro

r the Forsyth family. And I am-if your

ll never con

"You say you have no-particular

t I'd have to give

anor under my guardianship to live for a year. At the end of that time

wet, "unless-I-gave him up. All his life he's made sacrifices and given up things f

ould have scorned such a suggestion as "ridiculous! ridiculous!" But the Cornelius Allendyce of the lavender tie

I RUN AWAY

ldn'

ur father would accept th

st couldn't let Jimmie come back with the ice cream and cake and maybe a pumpkin pie and-not find me here. Our parties are s

le. Madame only waited a telegram from him to set forth upon her trave

Manor for a long time. I will call at three-tomorrow. I trust you will make your Jimmie u

red Robin. "Not when I tell

orking out a plan for the morrow. He gave a last look about the room as though he wi

ice. If you decide that this step is-too irregular,

obin. "That would

e he enjoyed a zest in living. As a lawyer his life had been necessarily cut-and-dried; there had been little room for adventuring. And now, in a brief half-hour, he had let himself into the wildest sort of conspiracy. (He sto

the little man's conscience for even after the startling summi

in leaned over the table writing a letter. Her task was made

ver so nice and fathery-so you see I will be looked after as well as can be. Jimmie dearest-darling, you must not worry about me or try to make me come back for I'll be all right and you must go away with Mr. Tony and paint lots and I'll be so pro

Forsyth opened the door. She thrust it i

r his arm he carried the picture

nt it," he exp

in disappointment; not the sligh

from a masterpiece. We don't want her to have our picture anyway. I'm not a bit hungry-are you, Jimmie? Let's sit here all cosy and you read