OLIVER OCTOBER BY GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON AUTHOR OF “BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK,” “SHERRY,” “VIOLA GWYN,” ETC. NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1923 COPYRIGHT, 1922, 1923, BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC. PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY The Quinn & Boden Company BOOK MANUFACTURERS RAHWAY NEW JERSEY CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I OLIVER IS BORN IN OCTOBER 1 II HIS RELATIVES AND HIS NEIGHBORS 15 III WOMEN IN RED SHAWLS 36 IV HIS FORTUNE—GOOD AND BAD 46 V OLIVER IS FOUND TO HAVE A TEMPER 65 VI A PASTOR PROMISES AID 85 VII THE MINISTER’S WIFE 94 VIII GLIDING OVER A FEW YEARS 109 IX HOME FROM THE WAR 128 X IDLE DAYS 140 XI OLD OLIVER DISAPPEARS 155 XII ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT 166 XIII THE GOOD SAMARITAN PAYS 174 XIV JEALOUSY WITHOUT LOVE 185 XV THE THIRD FAIR LADY 196 XVI MR. JOSEPH SIKES INTERVENES 201 XVII MR. GOOCH DECLARES HIMSELF 212 XVIII JOSEPHINE AND HENRY THE EIGHTH 228 XIX OLIVER COMPLAINS 242 XX DETECTIVE MALONE 252 XXI LOVE WITHOUT JEALOUSY 265 XXII THE CORPUS DELICTI 281 XXIII THE BREWING OF THE STORM 294 XXIV THE HANGING 308 XXV MR. GOOCH SEES THINGS AT NIGHT 322 Oliver October CHAPTER I OLIVER IS BORN IN OCTOBER