The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-09
tina, she found I. impossible to secure

at H>st>t3iItt 80 n1ueu Uff1fa.
"Well l Declare
This exclamation was caused By the
rumbiing old stazc-coach. that daily
passed her house. stopping at the front
gate, from which alighted her niece.
who ran lightly up the walk and into
the house. followed By n s;rongiy-built
man. bearing on his shoulder n good
sized trunk. which he deposited in the
hall. ere making his exit.
How d. We do. Aunt Susan'' with
a hug and a kiss. mo; a slave to
rheumatism, I hope?"
Yes" replied the Widow barley,
who, by the way. was q tiny woman OF
fifty, with n face not unlike the
wrinkled apples that grew on the tree
in the garden. ''the monster has me
again in his clutch. But Whatever
brings you home? You haven't surely
been sent adrift?"
YES, aunt" a tremor Of pain
threading her voice in spite OF her ef-
forts TO appear ~unconcerned, times
are dull, and Madam Brown has SO lit
tie work, that she deemed il expedient
TO dispense with the services Of those
girls who proved the most incompe-
tent. i, being the least skillful Of all
her apprentices, was discharged with
out regret. Most summarily she dis
missed me, withholding the few faint
words OF commentator she gru1gingly
bestowed upon the others. 1 have no
taste for dressmaking. aud was termed
a regular botch. Not a very good rec
~ommendation To help secure another
situation, Ell? But never mind. aunt! l
see | am needed at home. How are
things prospering?'
"NOt at all" in her most dolorous
tone. The place is fairly weighed
down with mortgage. and for aught
know to the contrary Mr.. Lincoln may
foreclose any day. Yes, any day may
find US without a shelter. Our larder
is about empty, and there is no money
to replenish il; all Of the flour has
been scraped from the barrel, and to-
day l vas obliged 10 borrow a pailful
from Jane Gray; then. too. there is not
a tea-leaf in the caddy. and / do not
know how TO exist without my cup of
tea. | had meant to have dug a few
bushels of potatoes. and got Mr.. Den
ver's horse TO 20 TO market To obtain
some of the things | cannot get along
without, but | am good for nothing
good for nothing!' with a profound
sigh.
Never mind, aunt don't worry.
I'll see what can be done in the morn
ing"
And the next forenoon, about ten
o'clock, with a hoe swung over her
shoulder, and a ~half-bushel basket in
her hand, in which reposed n half
dozen potato bags and a dainty repast
done up in a newspaper. she trudged
to the potato-lot To see what could be
done; for the widows niece, Garnet
Einbers, vas a girl equal to any emer-
gency.
She was a slender, graceful girl,
neither blonde nor brunette. but n
combination of both, as pretty a Great
ure as one would care to see, with her
wonderfully fair complexion, tinged
with the merest flush of pink, her dark
eyes, almond-shaped, and full of vim,
Swallowed by black curling lashes. and
a superb abundance Of red-brOwn hair
cOiled low on her well-shaped head.
She had donned a dun-hued calico
dress, which she had fastened up on all
sides to keep clear of the dirt. thereby
displaying a foot arched and slender as
an Arabs and over her head. hiding
her wondrous hair, was one of her
aunt sunbonnets, making her look, rs
she declared, \ regular guy. She
reached the lot and set to work in
earnest, but somehow she made little
progress. OH if some strong-handed
masculine creature were but around!
What short work he would make of the
job!
At this juncture the report of a gun
sounded near, and Garnet looked up
Just in time to see a chipmunk, running
along the fence dividing her aunt's lot
from Mr.. Denver's, topple over. and an
instant hence a man i'm gray, muscular
ly framed and handsome as Apollo.
with wide sombrero shading his face.
appeared in sight. How propitious the
fates were! What she had devou.ly
wished for was yonder-a man. Mr..
Denver's hired man. withoutdoubt. She
suspended operations, and with her hoe
raised aloft, cried out:
"Here, young man, come here! want
you to help in digging a few bushels of
potatoes. / will see that YOU do not
incur Mr.. Denver's d;spleasure by do
ing as l desire. And. indeed, for that
matter, you might as well be working
for me as to be idling away your time
in killing harmless creatures. Come,
what do You say!
"All right, miss; I'll be with you rs
soon as l a exchange my gun for a
hoe, for suppose you intend to keep
on diggingP"
Certainly. Now don't be long about
it. That's a good mani"
She was earnestly digging away when
he vaulted over the fence. and stood
by her side, hoe in hand, his hat
lower down on his face than ever.
But Widow Darley's niece paid no at
tention to his personal appearance. He
was nothing but a hired man. SO wheth-
er ugly OF comely, what mattered it to
her?
Old Sol, an inflated ball of heat.
glowered upon them sayagely. and the
perspiration stood out in beaded drops
upon their faces as they ,oiled on, Mr..
Denver's hired man making no better
progress with his row of potatoes than
Garnet with hers.
The girl glanced at him contemptu-
ously.
You don't succeed any better than
Ia girl. You are the greenest hand
at digging potatoes l ever saw. Mr..
Denvern not keep you long. know"
perhaps not,' he said in a non
chalant way. Il am a green hand at
it, l acknowledge. but l guess l can
learn after q while. See, miss. l have
done my work we'll"
Garnet condescended to inspect it.
90 myr" she cried out vexatiously.
show stupid, how very stupid you are!
You haven't got the potatoes half out
the hill, and those you have hauled out
are wellnigh chopped to pieces by the
hoe. You WELD that instrument as If
it were your intention to mutilate, to
destroy. You need dig no more!"
SWELL" leaning ~contentedly against
the hoe-handle, and wiping the per-
spiration off his forehead with the dain-
test of white handkerchiefs, from
which emanated the perfume of violets,
"what next shall l do? Issue your
commands, Miss-Miss'-