The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-05-21

llght eyes WIN counCerIelCeu amaze
ment.
you child?" said. she. "Why,
you're not to come in at all! The
girls don't want a whole drove in the
parlor. Three women are quite
enough. And you're SO young you
know"
I'm seventeen aunt" faltered
.iileen.
1.-TWO or three years hence will do
very we'll for you," said the relentless
elder. Try and put such silly non
sense out of your head"
And this was why Aileen vas crying.
Old Mrs. Harrington understood it
all very we'll. She had been young
once. She saw the folly of interior
ence III this particular case, however.
"Dan'Ps wife likes her own way"
said she. She amt pleasant if she
thinks any one is meddlin'. I'll tell
you what, Alieen-you and I'll go out
to the big chamber Overthe stun barn,
and get Pomp to build us up a real
good fire of pine logs in the old
chimbly. There's q carpet loom there
and a spinnin'-wheel and all the tixin's
and I'll show you how used to spin
flax when / was a girl and weave rag
carpet"
"Will you?' said Aileen, with bright
ening eyes. "Oh, grandma, how very,
very nice that will be! And can Iroast
chestnuts and apples in the ashes?-
and will you tell me about your sailor
lover that was drowned before you
ever saw my Grandfather Harring-
toni"
eyes," said the old lady-"yes!
Well hev our New Years by ourselves
me and you child"
So Aileen put away the pretty little
blue merino gown that she had re-
trimmed for New Years Day, and
donned instead, the brown Merrimac
calico that made her look like a robin
redbreast; and Just about the time
that her three cousins were quarreling
for the possession of the biggest dress
ing glass to "do" their hair, she and
her grandmother were adjusting the
ancient spinning wheel in the stone
barn chamber, and piling wood in
the cavernous recess of the huge fire
place.
They had q very pleasant New Years
Day after all, though the tears came
to Aileen's blue eyes once or twice,
when the carriage rolled by over the
hard-frozen road towards the house.
And at dusk she lighted the cheerful
candles, and sat down to prepare
g%randma's supper, with fresh corn
cakes, baked in the hot embers, &C
cording to the receipt of Aunt Felicia,
the colored cook, fragrant coffee and
sweet apples, roasted, and eaten with
cream.
But Captain Dulany, riding his
Morgan horse, Hotspur, through the
pine woods, drew rein close by the old
stone barn, whence he had not seer
the red lights cleaning out for ten
years.
"What can it be?' he asked himself.
"We children used to play at ghost
up there of autumn evening, when the
Vladimir family lived there. Or per-
haps the careless servants have set
something on fire."
He jumped off his horse, flung the
reins over a projecting pine bough and
went in to see what the meaning of
this unwonted illumination might be.
The door stood wide open-the
whole room was aglow with a warm,
ruddy light, Grandma, enthroned in a
big splint-chair before the blaze, was
drinking her coffee, and Allen sat
spinning at the old wheel, with cheeks
softly redeemed and blue eyes spark
ling-a very picture of health and
beauty.
Both started at the sudden appari-
ton OF the captain on the threshold.
81 beg your pardon!" said Captain
Dulany, lifting his hat. ~ saw the
light shining out, and / was afraid that
something had happened"
Something has happened" said
Aileen, laughingly. II have learned to
spin. And grandma and / are having
a picnic. Will you come in, Captain
Dulany?"
"Well, since your coffee smells SO
good, / think | WILL" said the gallant
young officer.
His cup-which for lack of more ex.
pensive china happened TO be a mug
was scarcely poured out, before their
numbers were augmented by Mr.. Fer
rars and young DR.. Fenchurd, who
had seen the lights, and had also OBJ
served "Hotspur" fastened to the
fence.
"May we venture to intruder" said
they, peeping over the stair-rail.
"Oh, certainly" eaid grandma, smil-
ing.
And Aileen distributed handleless
cup and bountiful slices of golden
brown c~orncake, yet steaming from
the fire to her guests.
I'VE are hardly prepared to enter
tain SO large a company" said she
c~omposedly; but we can, at all events,
give you a sincere welcome"
Two-three-half a dozen more
dropped in. Old Pomp was summon
ed to pour fresh pine cones on the