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"Noe'll talk!" said Julia, when she had brought hiain, and they were seated before it "Don't you want to s no heart for what she proposed "Well, then," she said briskly, but a little ruefully, "let's get to the bottos Just what did you mean you had 'in black and white' in your pocket?"

Slowly Noble drew forth the historic copy of The North End Daily Oriole; and with face averted, placed it in her extended hand

"What in the world!" she exclai it; and then as its title and statement of ownership came into view, "Oh, yes! I see Aunt Carrie wrote -press I suppose Herbert's the editor?"

"And that Rooter boy," Noble said sadly "I thinkto do with it, too"

"'So' to do with it? She usually has all to do with anything she gets hold of! But what's it got to do with an to read, laughing at so; then suddenly she beca the small journal before her in a transfixed hand

"Oh!" she cried "Oh!"

"That's--that's what--I erous "The little fiends!" she cried "Oh, really, this is a long-suffering faes were stopped!"

She juhtful?" she demanded of Noble

"Yes, it is," he said, with a dismal fervour "Nobody knows that better than I do, Julia!"

"Ithe Oriole toward hiesture "I mean this dreadful story about poor Mr Crum!"

"But it's true," he said

"Noble Dill!"

"Julia?"

"Do you dare to say you believed it?"

He sprang up "It isn't true?"

"Not one word of it! I told you Mr Crue more than three or four years, and it's the most terrible slander to say he's ever been married at all!"

Noble dropped back into his chair of ht you meant it wasn't true"

"I've just told you there isn't one word of tr----"

"But you're--engaged," Noble gulped "You're engaged to him, Julia!"