The Project Gutenberg EBook of An Old Chester Secret, by Margaret Deland

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: An Old Chester Secret

Author: Margaret Deland

Illustrator: F. Walter Taylor

Release Date: March 27, 2010 [EBook #31792]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN OLD CHESTER SECRET ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

AN OLD CHESTER SECRET

[Illustration]

BOOKS BY

MARGARET DELAND

AN OLD CHESTER SECRET
THE PROMISES OF ALICE
THE AWAKENING OF HELENA RICHIE
THE RISING TIDE
AROUND OLD CHESTER
THE HANDS OF ESAU
OLD CHESTER TALES
AN ENCORE
DR. LAVENDAR'S PEOPLE
PARTNERS
THE IRON WOMAN
THE VOICE
WHERE THE LABORERS ARE FEW

* * * * *

HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
ESTABLISHED 1817

[Illustration: [See p. 18

"WHAT! INSULT THIS LADY BY ASKING FOR A 'PROMISE'?"]

AN OLD CHESTER SECRET

By MARGARET DELAND

_Author of_
"OLD CHESTER TALES" "THE IRON WOMAN"
"AROUND OLD CHESTER" ETC.

_Illustrations by_
F. WALTER TAYLOR

[Illustration]

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON

AN OLD CHESTER SECRET
----
Copyright, 1920, by Harper & Brothers
Printed in the United States of America
Published October, 1920

To Lorin--
for this book, too,
is his.

Kennebunkport
August 12, 1920

ILLUSTRATIONS

"WHAT! INSULT THIS LADY BY ASKING FOR A 'PROMISE'?" _Frontispiece_

"I WILL NOT GIVE ANY OF MY APPLES BACK. THEY'RE MINE" _Facing p._ 32

"IF I SAW HIM ONCE I MIGHT WANT TO SEE HIM AGAIN" " 56

"HEARTS DON'T ANSWER WHEN REASON WHISTLES TO THEM," HE SAID " 104

AN OLD CHESTER SECRET

CHAPTER I

THERE was not a person in Old Chester less tainted by the vulgarity of
secretiveness than