The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-04

to the path, walked to tho stable, looked
warily around him, and. entered. a.. Then,
glancing around, and seeing nothing he
could conveniently appropriate, he climb
ed a ladder, gaining the top Of the hay
NOW, borrowed hole in one corner, and
lay down with satisfied grunt.
It WAS VOL for him, perhaps, that he
ensconced himself so soon; for hardly had
he passed from sight when there was a
stir and y confused nluttering behind, the
hedge. %,aE< p ,aET {
Hiram's long nap was over. He rose
slowly to his feet, and looked stupidity
over the landscape.
"This here's pretty go-this is!'' lie
grumbled. ttA'most sunset, too! I've
kept watch like the mischief, have! I
wonder, now, what Quincy III say?'
With many misgiyings, sHiram made
his way to the stable. He went into the
building, came out, and looked down the
road, up ut the house, and then swore.
"Gone!' he calculated. leone, an I
don't know where! The little mare amt
here, an l don't know who's got her! !
Well, I might as we'll look out for new
place. might! rather think this has
fixed me! Howsumever, l want su'thin'
to eat, an what's more, I'm goin' to hev
it. Hollo!'
Hiram was going up to the side door
of the house when this exclamation es-
capped him. There, under the window,
he saw imprinted on the yielding soil, a
clear cut impression of q mans boots.
He stopped and examined the foot prints.
Evidently they greatly interested him.
SWELL" he soliloquized at length,
standing up and regarding the tracks in
the earth like tipsy Robinson Crusoe,
| ''well, there amt but one man around
here as wears such narrer boots as them.
There amt no mistake about it. the Teller
as wore them boots was Captain Kenrick !
An the tracks amt more'n two hours old.
| He's been here, then, an cuss it all! I
didn't see him. He's probably gone off
ridin' with Mrs. Quincy Now, there's
no sense in takin' the bread an butter
out O my mouth, an six dollars a week
out O. my pocket for nothin'.. Here's the
evidence that Captain Kenrick has been
here. There's no dodgin' it. He made
them tracks, an I shall tell Quincy that
there's been one visitor here to-day; an
shall tell him who it was. I shall say
the captain stood under the winder here
a-talkin' what IN Moses was he standin'
here for if he wasn't talkin'? "a talkin'
with Mrs. Quincy, an she ale lin out
an latin, an'-oh, calkerlate can fix
it up all right"
With a sudden remembrance that he
was hungry, Hiram went up to the door.
Turning the knob, he stepped back in
| wonder.
"shet," he said, IAN locked up!-.s
Katies gone, too"
Hiram's face again grew perplexed
Here was another problem to solve-and
! all on account of the contents Of that flat
bottle.
"Katie's with her, he decided, prompt
ly, IAN the captain has been here, if he
amt with her now.''
There remained but one more obstacle
for him to clear from his path. 1t was
past the time that he should have met
Mr.. Quincy at the railway station. How
I ever, Hiram's mind was of a highly in
genOus turn. ,-.
"I1l PRETEND" he said, refectively,
that the COWS broke into the lower corn
field, and tore down forty feet Of fence,
an while I was fixin it;up, Mrs. Quincy
went off with the horse,
Hiram had no sooner invented this
fiction than he deserted the carriage COM
ing up the road, and went down to the
sable to receive it with his usual solemn,
decorous countenance.
Just at dusk, as Hiram was rubbing the
little mare down, Mr.. Quincy came into
the stable. He, too, had seen the tracks
in the little flowe--bed, under the window
and he knew that Hiram's broad soles
never made them. >..a--- a.....
E. "Well, Hiram, !" he said, with an air. 70
carelessness, "any visitors2" %, f<,., :
Hiram cleaned tho card he was using,
looked at it attentively, and said:
=" / rlther guess there was! I ruther
guess you can see where Captain Kenrick
stood in under the sittin' room winder, a.
talkin' with Mrs: Gurney-he ,a-leanin'
up against the winder, an she leania'
out"
Mr.. Quincy scowled darkly. If he
himself had not seen and examined the
trampled flower bed, he would have had
suspicion that Hiram was not telling the
truth for his wife and Katie had already
said that Hiram had not been seen around
the premises during the greater part of
the day. AS it was, he felt like i choking
Hiram, kicking himself, and numbering
Captain Kenrick-but he dared not think
of his handsome young wife for minute:
Without more words, Mr.. Quincy
walked slowly up to the house, clenching
his hands and cursing in the dusk, while
Hiram shut up the stable, and went
to the cow-ya1d about his milking, con-
graduating himself on his felicitous i'm