Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-11-27
seventh Of the nine hats

maidcn's was pointed, and grasping a
cirgarettc as fondly between his teeth as
she held her sunshade, sailed out of the
side door. 1t was awfully warm, and he
was taking a deal Of trouble for nothing,
perhaps II he only could discover if
she was in her hammock, as usual. Mis-
cradle old houses, so low; beastly fence
so high! Yet stay, there is single hole
in one end Of the fence, and he can peep
through that; SO, jumping up on box
he cautiously reached his optics up to
the aperture and saw-what? Had bit
of the celestial sky suddenly been nailed
to the other side, or what did it all
mean2 1t was easily explained. The
two people had each looked through the
knot hole together, and the brown eyes
had gazed into the depths of the blue
ones.
/ The blue eyes, with woman's quick
perception, instantly divined the situa-
ton and fed, while the brown ones, with
duler comprehension, remained station
arv till thev took in what it all meant.
Somehow Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Frowne
did not hear of this meeting. 1t would
have been rather delicate matter to ex
plain the reason they had in spying, so
nothing was said.
Several days passed and no other en-
counter OF sisnv q, vue enemy, so oenie
ventured out one day to the Office. AS
she came back and into her own gate,
what should she see on the front veranda
but large turkey oiling its feathers and
seemingly quite at home. 1t belonged
to the Brownies, jamie knew, for she had
often heard its rattling call during the
summer. and once or twice had seen it
eating from Mrs Brownies hand. But
the idea of its venturing here was too
much. and with vigorous tapping of
her skirts she hustled it off the steps and
out of the gate.
The turkey would not stay ut home.
When jamie went into the house, back it
came and ensconed itself on the Frame
work of the hammock aud greeted her
with subdued rattle when she came out
for her usual swing after tea. Again she
put it out, and yet when morning came,
there it was in the same place, placidly
oiling its feathers as before. What was
verse, Janie's pet kitten was missing,
and the small help insisted that she saw
it on the steps of the Browne residence.
All day she waited its appearance, bat
when night came it was still missing.
In the Browne house came strange kit
ten, but not so strange that Mrs. Browne
did not know that it belonged to jamie
Snow; and from the Browne house the
pet turkey had disappeared; Mrs.
! Brownies help suggested that the Shows
had killed and eaten 1t.
,;rrl,f nd
STAYED on. At sunset jamie found it re-
posing calmly in hollow it had made IN
her scarlet geranium bed. and her wrath
; was aroused. Something she would do.
She would climb up by dint of the posts
and throw the beastly thing right over
the fence. If it caught on the cruel wire
so much the better; so, seizing the tame
/ bird under one arm, she started for the
fence, climbed up the posts, and holding
the turkey high above her head, pushed
4 it over with vigorous There now,
when right over her shoulder descended
white kitten from the Browne yard.
/ A few minutes before it had been dis
covered sleeping on the top of Raymond's
best light hat; and obeying the iupulse
OF the moment he had seized the inno-
cent creature, climbed up the fence and
thrown it over. Itwas wrathful in each,
but considering how they had been bred
with n hatred of all that the other
/ owned instilled into them from their
/ youth up-it was scarcely to be wondered
/ at; but it was funny. too, and they both
| laughed heartily each side of the fence,
as the kitten lighted with NEW and the
/ turkey with an ominous gobble. 1T is
so absurd" jamie thought, ''for us to
/ be enemies when we are SO near to each
other; and such grand times as VIC might
have"
The next day was set apart for the
gathering of the currants, but Mr.. and
Mrs. Snow were suddenly called away
The currants must be picked, so jamie
volunteered, and carrying large tin pal
started out. 1t was slow work. The
bushes were so prickly and the currant'
thumped down one at time in the pail
and to jamie it seemed a hopeless task tc
think of covering the bottom even.
"It's awfully silly for us to be mad,
said voice from the top of the fence
''and l could help YOU with those cur
rants if VIC weren't it added, as Jani'
i glanced suddenly up.
$50 you could, she said demurely
entering into the spirit of the fun, and
deciding it was awfully silly. ''Let'i
play VIC are friends. But how can yor
get overl"
81 can't" replied the youth, "but
can come through. l have my LITTLE
hatchet here, and that wicket is only
nailed up slightly; I'll pull the nails ou
if you say So"
The maiden consenting, there wert
presently four hands picking instead o.
two, and it was wonderful how quickly
the pail filed.
They talked it all over and concluded
it had assuredly been absurd and wrong
for both houses to be thus at arms for 81
many years and both agreed that i
was much better to dror the final &C. thar
have disputes and hard feelings over it,
The wicket opened to let the you'll
through again into his own garden. ant
jamie went to the house IN time TO NEE
her parents, who praised her diligence
but asked no questions as to whether any