The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-02-22

cot cn. She couldn't mend it. She was
.ollersa botcher.' Mrs. Tibb felt distracted
and was contemplating the coat, despair
iuplv when a siveTY voice called her, ana
stanainn mn che saw the santrsS dal9nter
| holding o little basket.
"Here. Mrs. Tibb,' said she, are the eggs
I promised you from my Htmburgs. t3t
them under your Dorking hen, and you'll
have a brood th4t'il lay all the year roand,
| AMI then Door Mr.. Leslie l know no out;
| for / saw him across the meadoWs-can
have new. laid eggs every morning.
Mrs. Tibb with profuse thanks bemoaned
| the cuate's small appetite, told Miss Mel
ton two or three instances OF his simple
heroism and unpretending charity, which
made the YOUNG lady look at her with seri-
| Gus ewes as one hearing unsuspected truths
and then explained her present aaA'ety
about the coat.
Il will help you, Mrs. Tibb, smiled Flo
IA; though people don't know it, / can fine
draw and repair wonderfully. five me the
coat" and the young lady, seating herself
in Mrs. TIbb's old fashioned chair, made a
charming picture as she deftly repaired the
damaged sleeve, Mrs. Tibb standing by
with open mouthed wonder.
There, said Flora as she gave it back,
Il am proud of my work. Mind You don't
tell who did it" she added, with a faint
blush; and Mrs. Tibbs vowed she wouldn't
as she CONTESTED the young lady out of the
pretty cottage.
Of course she did, within half an hour,
and to the very last man she should have
lone so. Gerald Marley coming in with
botanical specimens the squire asked him
to leave for the curate, found Mrs. Tib5s
in ecstacies over the coat, and she, think
ing Flora's praises could not be toO loudly
sounded, told her visitor.
His face was immobile white In her pres
ence, butaS he went down the garden to
the road he frowned savagely. To his shall
low and conventional nature this act OF
Flora's was a dire demonstrating all the
fools tongues ~wagging," he SAID, cutting
at the hedges with his stick
and then turning a corner, he
came on his fiLnce, and Notwithstanding
her charming completeness, told her his
mind in a tone and manner quite new to
the high spirited girl, who at first opened
her eyes in quiet astOn,shment, and then
resented the authoritative manner, and
seeing with q slearness of perception in
herent in her, how Artificial was the ma
ture she had deemed so genuine, retOrted
proudly on him, ana at last taking off
her ring, gays it to HIM, at the same tune
cancelling her engagement.
Mr.. Waverly lost his usual composure
ngd raved. Ultimately this struck him
as ridiculous in a public road, aud he
sulkilv followed Flora to the house,
where she had told everything to her
father who-of course-yielded to his pet
ted daughter. sympathized with his nephew,
but agreed that the best thing he could do
was to rrtlrn to London, which he did.
Flora, unseen, saw him go, and thought OF
the coat.
Meanwhile the eurate had returned and
heard the story from Mrs. TIbb. His color
charged when he stood looking at the rent
which Flora's deft fingers had repaired, as
if he could read a story there. Suddenly
be threw the coat down with a murmnr of
self reproach and tried to forget it. But it
was hard task and the meeting that night
had q very inefficient chairman, much to
the village astonishm ent and their rival
neighbor's secret e~xultatlon.
But the summer days went on and Ar
thur Leslie vent about mis- parish the same
kind and tender pastor, gentle, strong and
clear of judgment. But the strain told on
him. Now and then with q Joy he could
not hide, guilty as he felt it, he saw the
beautiful girl whom he was doomed To mad
ly love; the ecstacy of seeing and hearing
her voice, only aggravated so stern a Judge
Of himself, his wrong. Departure was his
only remedy; with wrenching pain this he
resolved on and told the squire, not giving
hi his reasons.
The next day he saw Flora in TIE village
and each finshea crimson on seeing the
Other; the girl, like all her sex, growing
composed Grst. asked him why, as all were
sorry TO her, ss was going to resign his
curacy.
Il will tell you, Z" he said, very pale.--
Such wrongs de serye plain speaking. l
have been mad enough to love you. yea
engaged to another maa.a
There waS silence; at last, looking up,
Leslie saw her face suffused with a very
charming blush and q shy, happy light in
her eyes.
But I'm not engaged, she murmured
very low"
The sagscious reader can guess the ex-
plantations and arrangements which fol-
lowed, and that the curate--soon a rector
Ever had On affection for that happy
coat.