POPULAR NOVELS BY MRS. MARY J. HOLMES. TEMPEST AND SUNSHINE. DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHTS. ENGLISH ORPHANS. HUGH WORTHINGTON. HOMESTEAD ON HILLSIDE. CAMERON PRIDE. 'LENA RIVERS. ROSE MATHER. MEADOW BROOK. ETHELYN'S MISTAKE. DORA DEANE. MILBANK. COUSIN MAUDE. EDNA BROWNING. MARIAN GREY. WEST LAWN. EDITH LYLE. MILDRED. DAISY THORNTON. FOREST HOUSE. CHATEAU D'OR. MADELINE. QUEENIE HETHERTON. CHRISTMAS STORIES. BESSIE'S FORTUNE. GRETCHEN. MARGUERITE. DR. HATHERN'S DAUGHTERS. MRS. HALLAM'S COMPANION. PAUL RALSTON. THE TRACY DIAMONDS. THE CROMPTONS. (_NEW_) "Mrs. Holmes is a peculiarly pleasant and fascinating writer. Her books are always entertaining, and she has the rare faculty of enlisting the sympathy and affections of her readers, and of holding their attention to her pages with deep and absorbing interest." Handsomely bound in cloth. Price, $1.00 each, and sent _free_ by mail on receipt of price. G.W. Dillingham Co., Publishers, NEW YORK. [Illustration: “Here by this grave I promise all you ask.”] The Cromptons BY MARY J. HOLMES G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY PUBLISHERS NEW YORK COPYRIGHT 1899, 1901, By MRS. MARY J. HOLMES. _All rights reserved._ _The Cromptons. Issued August, 1902._ CONTENTS PART I CHAPTER PAGE I. THE STRANGER AT THE BROCK HOUSE 9 II. THE PALMETTO CLEARING 20 III. THE INTERVIEW 32 IV. HOPING AND WAITING 44 V. MISS DORY 48 VI. THE SERVICES 58 VII. COL. CROMPTON 66 VIII. THE CHILD OF THE CLEARING 80 IX. THE COLONEL AND JAKE 88 X. EUDORA 102 PART II I. HOWARD CROMPTON TO JACK HARCOURT 115 II. JACK HARCOURT TO HOWARD CROMPTON 122 III. ELOISE 127 IV. THE ACCIDENT 139 V. AMY 149 VI. AT MRS. BIGGS'S 160 VII. RUBY ANN PATRICK 178 VIII. MRS. BIGGS'S REMINISCENCES 189 IX. LETTER FROM REV. CHARLES MASON 199 X. PART SECOND OF REV. MR. MASON'S LETTER 211 XI. SUNDAY CALLS 218 XII. THE MARCH OF EVENTS 227 XIII. GETTING READY FOR THE RUMMAGE SALE 242 XIV. THE FIRST SALE 256 XV. AT THE RUMMAGE 261 XVI. THE AUCTION 271 PART III I. THE BEGINNING OF THE END 285 II. THE LITTLE RED CLOAK 294 III. ELOISE AT THE CROMPTON HOUSE 304 IV. THE SHADOW OF DEATH 315 V. LOOKING FOR A WILL 323 VI. IN FLORIDA 336 VII. IN THE PALMETTO CLEARING 342