Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-08-31
land Uncle Benjamin will

his sleeve, land Uncle Benjamin will
search you"
"Search me- For what7"
Gas if you didn't know" retorted
Ellie, curling her pretty upper lip.
The own-complexioned stranger
was tall and broad-shouldered, with
thews and sinews like those of q
gladiator.
Miss Tier was something under five
feet in height, and a resolute turkey
/ gobbler could have put her to flight at
/ ten seconds warning. But, neverthe-
less, he followed her as meekly as if he
had been a feeble prisoner in the grasp
of giant constable
al don't know what it is AL about, "
said he, but if you say go with you, go
it is''
/ Ellie deigned him no answer Argu-
ment, she felt, could only injure the
/ dignity which formed her chief strength.
And so they proceeded in silence
across the green pasture-lot, and through
the sylvan woods up to Uncle Benjamin s
back door.
/ That worthy soul was drawing a
bucket of clear, cold water from the well
: to moisten his parched throat.
His hair was rumpled; great beads of
perspiration stood on his forehead.
Evidently up to this time his search had
been fruitless.
And at the same moment there was a
rattling of wheels, and Mrs. Parsons, FL
lies aunt, drove her little red pony
around to the rear, and jumped out of
the low wagon.
"Mother," bawled the farmer, who
had not yet caught sight of the i'll
assorted pair toiling up the ascent be-
hind the gnarly apple trees, have you
seen that ten-dol ar gold-piece that
E5enezer Farley paid me yesterday? [
left it in the pocket of my alapacky coat
when l took it off and"
eyes, 1 know you didn said Mrs.
Parsons briskIy. And an awful place
it was to leave it in. l saw it there my
self when [ brushed the dust off your
alapacky coat, and [ took it out and
put it in the top, left-hand drawer of the
pine desk in the spare chamber. L
meant to have told you of it before [
went, but somehow it slipped my mind. "
"Je-rusalemw grunted Mr.. Parsons.
81 never was so glad of anything in all
my life!''
Ellie, from behind the orchard wall,
had overheard every word of this col
lQquy. She let go the sleeve of her cap
''Oh, I am so sorry!'' faltered she.
''Please forgive me! II thought"
''You thought had stolen this miss
ing treasure" said her companion, his
lips relaxing into an involuntary smile.
''WeH, under the circumstances it was
not such very unnatural conclusion.
Only, young lady, let this be lesson to
yOn not to Judge too hastily hereafter"
He bowed, raised his hat from his
n and wants ba6 md tho laa fU oannnV
of the old apple trees.
And the next Tuesday evening, when
Ellie went to the second of the Course
of Lyceum Lectures in the village with
her uncle and aunt, she recognized In
the speaker Of the evening her anony-
nous friend who had appreciated the
blackberry pie so thoroughly.
She could feel herself color to the roots
of her hair as she sat there.
q" First l took him for tin-peddler,"
she said to herself, ''and then for thief.
What must he think of me?"
But when she was formally introduced
to Edgar Williams at the close of the
lecture, and tried to stammer out her
apologies, he only laughed.
''Pray do not veX yourself about it"
said he. ''As for me, | have forgotten
all the disagreeables of the day, and re-
member only the delicious taste Of that
piece of blackberry pie that you gave
me, and L have thought more than once
since that | should like to become better
acquainted with the lovely giver."
Ellie blushed prettily, and the &C
quaintance thus oddly begun ended some
months later in a quiet wedding in the
city, in which the little school teacher
and the brown-face lecturer took rather
prominent parts SATURDAY Night.