Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charles Franks and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team
[Illustration: "I MUST GO, NOW, I—MUST—GO!"]
With Illustrations by Lucius Wolcott Hitchcock
1919
To My Friend
"I must go, now. I—must—go!"
Susan Betts talking with Mrs. McGuire over the back-yard fence
"Want you? I always want you!"
"You've helped more—than you'll ever know"
He gave her almost no chance to say anything herself
Keith's arm shot out and his hand fell, covering hers
It was well that the Japanese screen on the front piazza was down
It was on his fourteenth birthday that Keith Burton discovered theGreat Terror, though he did not know it by that name until some daysafterward. He knew only, to his surprise and distress, that the"Treasure Island," given to him by his father for a birthday present,was printed in type so blurred and poor that he could scarcely readit.
He said nothing, of course. In fact he shut the book very hastily,with a quick, sidewise look, lest his father should see and notice theimperfection of his gift.
Poor father! He would feel so bad after he had taken all that painsand spent all that money—and for something not absolutely necessary,too! And then to get cheated like that. For, of course, he had beencheated—such horrid print that nobody could read.
But it was only a day or two later that Keith found some more horridprint. This time it was in his fa