The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-01

telling Lizzie Bascom SO to-day. BE came
right up behind us on the street, and I
know he heard. You ought to have seen
his face !"
az dd.,,t see what you've got agin him.
remarked Mrs. TORY, absently, as she
dotted down figures.
81 haven't much of anything that I know
of against him. only I don't think he's
much of a teacher. He can't do examples
as quickly as you, l know, and I don't
think a mai has any business to be school,
teaching if he can't do examples as quickly
as an old lady"
Mrs. TORY stopped her work and fixed
face.
"Letty TORY, there's some things you
don't understand. You never will under
stand 'em, il you live to be as old as Me-
thuseleh, as far as that's concerned. But
you'll get so you know the things air:
Sometimes it don't make any difference il
a~nybody's ignorant, an faint got any
book-learning; air old, an h'd a hard
workin' life. There'n be somethin' in 'em
that everybody else 'ain't got; somethin'
rve got this faculty; 1 can cipher. 1t
'ain't nothin, agin Mr.. Plainfield if he
'ain't got it; it's a gift"
Her voice took on q solemn tone and
trembled. Lefty looked at her with child
ish wonder. "Well," said she, with q sub
anyhow, without it. 1 guess I'll have
So Lefty ate another apple silently, while
her grandmother worked at the problem
again.
She did not solve it as easily as usual.
She worked till midnight, her little lamp
drawn close to her on the kitchen table;
then she went to bed, with the answer still
in doubt.
'It amt goin' to do for me to set up any
longer" said she, forlornly, as she replaced
if 1 do. But I declare 1 don't see what's
got into me. l hope I amt losin' my fac
ulty..'
morning, as soon as their simple breakfast
was eaten and Lefty had gone to school,
| she seated herself with her slate n pencil.
found her grandmother still at work, and
no dinner ready.
ST do declare! cried the old woman.
'sYou don't mean to say you're home, Let
ty! 1t amt twelve O'Clock, is it?"
"Course it is; quarter past"
81 'ain't got n mite of dinner ready,
| then. I've been so took up with the sum !
hadn't no idea how the time was goin'. ]
don't know what you will do, child"
"Oh, I'll get some bread and milk. grand
Ild Iu6b Go oOoh hoN0 90 0hy AAh AoS
Got the problem done?"
"No, [ faint. / feel real bad about your
! dinner. I'll kindle up q fire now and fry
you an egg-there be time enough"
cpd rather have bread and milk"
After Lefty had gone to school for the
ing fruitlessly for an hour longer, she
at declare,6 said she, 'I'm afraid 1 an
losin' my facultyw
Tears stood in her eyes. "I won't Civ.
up that I am, anyhow" said she, n tool
the pencil again.
When Lefty returned, in the latter par
of the afternoon, she scarcely knew it, will
the full meaning of the word. She saw her
but her true consciousness was so full o
figures that Letty's fair face could only
look in at the door.
Lefty ran in hastily; a young girl wa
waiting for her outside. ooh, grandma,
cried Lefty. "Lizzie's going to Ellsworth
to do an errand for her mother; She
coming back on the last train. Can't 1 g
with herr"
Her grandmother stared at her for
minute and mad no answer.
"She's got tickets for both of us. Cam
I 20, grandma"
Lefty smoothed her hair a little m pu
ON her best hat; then she went.
"Good-bye," said she, looking back a
the intent old figure; but she got no an
swer.
"Grandma's so taken up with the ex
ample she's got that she doesn't know any
thing,' she told her friend when she wa.
outside. "She didn't answer when I sal
goodbye; she forgot to get dinner to-day
too.o
Mrs. TORY worked on and on. Sh
never looked up nor thought of anythin
else until it grew so dark that b coul'
not see her figures. cpl have to light tn
1ann - said she with n Siph.
After it was lit she went to work agair
She never thought of wanting any supper
though she had eaten nothing since morn
ing.
should have been home then-eight, an
nine, but she never noticed it. A fe'
minutes afterward some one knocked O
the door. She ciphered on. Then til
knocks were repeated, louder and quicke
Somebody's knockin' I guess" sh
muttered and opened h door. M
Plainield stood there. He was a hand
some young man with rosy cheeks; he wa
always smiling. He LODGED past her int
the room inquiringly; <:
"Is Lefty at homer" said he.
"Yes, Lefty. Is she at homer"
"Why, yes, she's here. Lettyw
"Has she gone to bed?"
"Why, yes, I guess he has" Mr.:
TORY opened the door at the foot of th
stairs. "Letty! Letty!"
ST guess she must be asleep" said sh
into the kitchen. "Want me to go up ar
see? Did you want anything partickler:
He hesitated. "If you had-just as SOC
-I-had something special"
Tit old woman climbed the steep, inca
peted stairs, feeble, with a long pat
every step. She came down faster, rec
less of her trembling uncertainty. "St
osp1 ~ kb arof Taffu5c o0nnf IVbora is chns
"You know she went to Ellsworth vii
! Lizzie?"
mo, didn't
"Why, she said something to you abo
i. 1t, didn't she?"
, tI don't know whether she did or not
"Lizzie just told me that she missed h
in the depot. She left her there for a mi
ute while she went back for something ST
had forgotten. When she came back 81
, was gone. The train was all ready, al
. got on herself. She did not see her in t
r depot here, and has been crying about
l and afraid to tell till just now. I car
!. right over as soon as I knew about it."
: 80, Lefty! Lefty! Where's Lefty?
a Mr.. P%lainfield, you go an find her!
:. right off! You will, won't you? Let
!. 81 always liked Lefty" said the you,
b man, brokenly. "Irl and her-don't y
q worry"
4 "You'n go right off now?'
a "Of course l will; 1 won't wait a mi
ute."
so, Lefty, Lefty! Where is she? WI
. shall [ do? That little bit of a thing-a
a she vas always one of the frightened XII
% -out all alone; IN it's night! She new
went to Ellsworth alone in all her hull Ii
She didn't know nothin' about the tow
1 an she didn't have a cent of money in b
pocket"
4 'In send Mrs. Bascom over to stay wi
you," Mr.. Plainfield called back as
hurried off.
> Soon Mrs. Bascom came, poking /
white, nervous face in the door inquiring
"She faint Gomez"
ar "No. o, Mis- Bascom, what shall 1 dc
80, Mis- TORY, I do feel SO bad about