THE ENCHANTED BARN CHAPTER I SHIRLEY HOLLISTEK pushed back the hair from her hot forehead, pressed her hands wearily over tired eyes, then dropped her fingers again to the typewriter keys, and flew on with the letter she was writing. There was no one else in the inner office where she eat. Mr. Barnard, the senior member of the firm, whose ste nographer she was, had stepped into the outer office for a moment with a telegram which he had just received. HIB absence gave Shirley a moments respite from that feeling that she must keep strained up to meet has gaze and not let trouble show in her eyes, though a great lump was choking in her throat and the tears stung her hot eyelids and insisted on blurring her vision now and then. But it was only for an instant that she gave way. Her fingers flew on with their work, for this was an important letter, and Mr. Barnard wanted it to go in the next mail. As she wrote, a vision of her mothers white face appeared to her between the lines, the mother weak and white, with tears on her cheeks and that despairing look in her eyes. Mother hadnt been able to get up for a week. It seemed as if the cares of life were getting almost too much for her, and the warm spring days made the little brick house in the narrow street a stifling place to stay. There was only one small window in mothers room, opening against a brick wall, for they had had to rent the front room with its two windows. THE ENCHANTED BARN But, poor as it was, the little brick house had been home and now they were not to have that long. Notice had been served that they must vacate in four weeks for the house, in fact, the whole row of houses in which it was situated, had been sold, and was tobe pulled down to make way for a big apartment-house that was to be put up. Where they were going and what they were going to do now was the great problem that throbbed on Shirleys weary brain night and day, that kept her from sleeping and eating, that choked in her throat when she tried to speak to Mr. Barnard, that stared from her feverish ej r es as she looked at the sunshine on the street or tried to work in the busy monotony of the office. They had been in the little house nearly a year, ever since the father died. It had taken all they could scrape together to pay the funeral expenses, and now with her salary, and the roomers rent, and what George got as cash-boy in a depart ment store they were just barely able to get along. There was not a cent over for sickness or trouble, and nothing to move with, even if they had anywhere to move, or any time to hunt for a place. Shirley knew from her experience in hunt ing for the present house that it was going to be next to impossible for them to find any habitable place for as little rent as they were now paying, and how could they pay more She was only a beginner, and her salary was small. There were three others in the family, not yet wage-earners. The problem was tremendous. Could it be that Carol, only four teen years old, must stop school and go to work somewhere to earn a pittance also Carol was slender and pale, and na ded fresh air and nourishing food. Garol was too young to bear burdens yet besides, who would be housekeeper and take care, THE ENCHANTED BAHN 7 of mother if Carol had to go to work It was different with George he was a boy, strong and sturdy he had his school in the department store, and was getting on well with hisstudies. George would be all right. He belonged to a base ball team, too, and got plenty of chances for exercise but Carol was frail, there was no denying it Harley was ai boisterous nine-year-old, always on the street these days when he wasnt in school and who could blame him For the narrow, dark brick house was no place for a lively boy. But the burden and anxiety for him were heavy on his sisters heart, who had taken over bodily all the worries of her mother. Then there was the baby Doris, with her big, pathetic eyee, and her round cheeks and loving ways...