DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 35 



I replied : "I was about to tell you that my 

 mother was born at Easticott and that her name 

 was Mary Crocker." 



" Tha dusn't zay so ; cum 'ere and let me zee 'ee." 



He rose and put his hand upon my head and 

 said : " Ess, fay, you be a son of the rogue that 

 rin off with Mary Crocker to the 'mazement of 

 more'n wan of us. Don't 'ee zee the red curly hair, 

 Martha ; you should knaw et." 



" Yes, and I know the voice now. 'Twas strange 

 I did not think of George." 



The sound of wheels caused a little flutter of 

 excitement and the daughter hastened to be first 

 to greet her father, who bustled in unconscious 

 that there were strangers until he saw us. There 

 appeared to be a conspiracy of silence, for all he got 

 by his appealing look to his wife was a smile and 

 a nod Granfer's way, and from there a shaky nod 

 to where I sat. He turned to me with a smile that 

 quickly faded, took a seemingly involuntary step, 

 halted and exclaimed: "Why! it's George Geen 

 over again." He seemed quite unable to take his 

 eyes from my face until his wife said : " This is 

 Mrs Geen, Robert." As he shook hands with Nell 

 he told her that I so strikingly resembled the man 

 who stole his first sweetheart that for the time he 

 had been lost to all else. 



" You did not die of a broken heart," said Nell. 



" No, Mrs Geen, it did not break for Mary, but 

 it would have done had Martha refused me." 



"Where are you staying?" needed a repetition 

 of much that had already been said, and when we 

 told him we were depending on Bobby to take us 

 home he laughed and remarked : " Oh, we all know 



