The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-11-20

years 10 come, felt in some way defraud-
I'd. Mrs. Thornpin declared the house
was damp. dismal, mouldy old place,
shaking with the sea-ague, and sure To be
down some night on the head of who ever
was I'm IL. Whatever possessed old Mrs.
Chitts she didn't know. Deb had qups
aud cranks enough Of her own all along,
and would be harder To manage now than
ever.
And indeed ii seemed she was not tar
from right. for Il appeared Deborah was
quite satisfied TO "move' with cat, red
shawl. and a flower pot.
IL shall have plenty of every thing when
Jerry comes back" she said smiling.
"Better wait till he does come," was the
grim reply.
"Oh, you know, want to have every
thing ready for him."
Wrereat Mrs. Thornpin laughed to her
self; for Deb, as she said, was capable of
''living right along" with the sunlight
shining on that gray shanty. and a patch
ofrag carpet on the floor, waiting for Jer-
I ry forever.
/ So Deb went her way in her sun-bonnet
and old gray gown. wltha snatch of Glove
| pink in her hair. and took refuge in the
ancient shingle-front house.
All that bright, breezy day of Deb's
fashion. washing down and cleaning ND
the big bare raflered kitchen. with many
pauses TO look out of the wide stumbling
windows at the gray trimming ocean, the
white foam line, and the wlnd-blown sand
and sedge. For Deborah, as her sister
said. was lazy as born lady"-a lady
who thought herself well dressed in Il
patched gray gown and rosebud.
"When Jerry comes back I'll have folks
enough running here" said the infatuated
Deb to those who condoled with her on
her sea-shore solitude.
But there came change over the quiet
OF Rushtown. There were whispers in
the air of an approaching invasion. A big
Speculation, in a bic gold chain. with big
voice, and big company at his back, had
found his way along the sea-shore. There
was talk ofvilla sites, and villa plots, and
ocean views, and there were flaming plac-
ards up at the village inn. and there was a
big tent down along the sands. with cav
streamer atop Oft, and crowds of busy,
beer-drinking people about it, invading
the ocean quiet, and vulgarizing the place.
as Mr.. Lymph declared.
And finally, Il appeared. the willy auc-
u0neer threw covetous eye on the slight
ed two-acre lot which was generally shifted
at by the village as "Deb's property
And TIE speculative Mr.. Jones courted
Deb and coaxed Deb, and endeavorcd TO
bring her to reason and TO making a sale |
at his own price-a good price for a few
bushels of sand, as he observed, worth /
nothing. except that they stood in his
way But Deb was shrewd for once. for I
the sake of Jerry. When Jerry comes |
back it would not do TO have cheated him \
out of what was Justly his due. So she /
bargained and put OFF and haggled with
the eloquent auctioneer, for Jerry's sake,
until finally, as you can never bring wo-
man TO reason. he was fain TO give her her
price. And he touched his hat respectful II
Iy when they closed the bargain, for he
respected money, did Mr.. Jones. and Deb
was far richer woman than when he first
met her. and had proved to be sharper
than he was after all.
That was a proud day for Deb when she
deposited the proceeds of that one bust
ness transaction of her life in the snug lit
tie bank Ola neighboring town. She still
owned the shaky old house and a Bit of
land aboH 1t. and she had handbook be-
sides There was small aum coming to
her yet, and, happy as princess. she
walked along the sands. in her sun-bon-
net, to meet the gallant auctioneer at the
pig tent, for, seeing that Deb was a landed
"a .
hat gentleman had invited her down to
he great clam-bake and sale. to see. as he
aid, "how the thing was DONE" and to
ettle up. Ii was all wonderful scene to
Door sim pie Deborah-the Fasting. crowd ,
"a tables. the rushing, jostling, good-hu-
nored people who bid high prices and
frank beer, and hankered 10 get out by
he ocean. In her interest and excitment
he fingered with the rest till nearly sun :
ct.
You had better be careful of that :
money!" said the auctioneer, kindly, as she !
ut the purse in her pocket when they /,
settled up" There are ill-looking fell .
ows hanging about here. It's bad for /.
one woman to have much money about !.
err" !
= sha'n't always be lone woman
aid Deb. in the fullness of her heart. !,
linking of the time when Jerry would be :
ack. as hig and brave and fearless as any ).
ody. =
That night there came a new moon over =
ne water: the wide dim stretch of lifting :
Taves was family silvered. the wraith-like
list lying beyond glimmered like a Milky :
Way. But Deb was not lingering out y
oors tonight, dreaming and brooding. as y
as her wont at this hour. She sat IN the y
reat shadow-haunted kitchen, her sun =
onnet still on her head. candle flarng \
eside her-a candle which flickered un- q
eadily over a tumbled heap of bills, in !
rspersed with a few odd pieces of silver. q
&c hoardings Of years.
Deb was counting her treasure. gloaiing
yer Il like miser. Window aud door
ere open the sea-breeze came floating
{. Eager. happy, intent. she heard MOTH :
z, feared nothing. The wind was al. y
avs making racket about the disjointed ~
q place. and Deb had got used TO 1t. IL u
unded like sinister football now on the II
reshold. bat Deb never looked up. She
d not see dark face bending over her III
onlder; she did not see the shadow of a ~
awny hand craMling sfealthilv over the :"