Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-11-24

I'm fifteen ter-day," she SAID SOFT
ly to herself, placing the pitcher on
the pine table. Some vague connec-
ton between the birthday and the
blossoms existed in her youthful i'm
agination; why, she could not have
| explained. No celebration of any
such anniversary had ever been hers.
Certainly, hard work and premature
care had been her lot the past three
years.
Nv Todbeater at that moment was
slouching around the entrance to the
"Palace HOTEL of Bluff City, five
| miles away. If any one had asked
him the age of his young house. keep
err. who was also his sister and the
only one left, he would probably
have been unable to give any defin-
tie reply. A sense of inferiority to
the inhabitants of Bluff City, against
which he struggled with backwoods
| brayado, lent additional awkward
ness to his demeanor.
The hotel clerk, with fis hair
plastered low on his forehead, and a
| cheap pin glittering on his bright
| blue tie, seemed consequential per-
sonage. Yet the Palace Hotel was
far from palatial, with its two low
stories of wood, it's whitewashed in
terror, its meagre air of bustling i'm
portance, its seedy boarders and
stray travellers. Only the added dig
nifty of the County Court in session
swelled all activity to an unaccus
toned degree, and impressed the
country visitors who lounged about
the attractive resorts of Bluff City
with sense of its metropolitan gran
deur.
"Right smart o. folks hyer in Their
| city to-day" ventured Fly Todbeat
er to the overpowering clerk.
"Full to the roof" he responded,
loftily, his thoughts limited to the
prosperity of the hotel. "Got case
| in court, Mr.. Todbeater?"
"Naw," replied the settler, sham
bling across thereon. "Mought hev
he'd ez we'll ez not, too. Duck Hawk
in's sheep they've been runnin' in
my pastur, half ther time lately, am
Ira "a sued i'm fur it sure eff it had
MT been fur Pamely bcin' so sot agin
lit. Pamely haint no erpinion o. Their
law, she hain't. / lowed ther wasn't
no reason why shouldn't hev
case ct court ez well ez some other
fellers ez hedn't no more proputty'n
1 hev. guy it up, though; no use
! tryin' ter fight Duck Hawkins m
| Pamely ct Their same time"
"Hullo, Jim Carroll J" cried the
clerk, Familiarity.
A young man of easy appearance
| entered the room, aud at once greet
ed Hy Todbeater as an acquaintance.
| He was well dressed and even at
| tractive, if one avoided looking into
his eyes. He drew the settler along
hurriedly toward one of the rows of
wagons encircling the square, and
| then told him to stop moment be-
fore the most pretentious store. He
came out with large package in his
hand, and took seat beside the set
tier.
"Drive on" he said hilariously,
"You are rich man lily Todbeater."
~ allow it'll be ali right if Pane
ly don't"-reluctantly hesitated the
other.
| "Oh, IN see to that ~ said the
young man, with great confidence.
"I've got something here that will
make it all right. It's birthday
present, you know. She told me it
was to-day, and had this all ready"
Hy's jaw dropped in establishment;
it was new idea to him. He cluck-
ed to the old sorrel, and slapped the
lines lazily, evidently overcome with
the endeavor to grasp all the new
ideas which had recently been thrust
into his unaccustomed brain.
i i l.. i i. =.