Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-09-08

the drooping houyhs of the trees that
overhung the garden wall.
Am | a tn ef," said he. noting the
LOOK OF amazemcnt on Eliies innocent,
dlmpied face | hope not, but to tell
you the truth. have travelled long wav
since breakfast time, and am very
hungry"
tlhe5 heart melted at once. She for
got Aunt kessy's charges and eshorta-
tons.
Hungry, are you said she. WAT
minute and will get you piece of
blackberry PIE and some cheese
She fed back into the house. and pres
emily returned with d triangular edge
of erlmson-blceding pc, enough to
tempt any ones appetite, and compla-
Gently watched her guest while he ate it.
is It nice said he. radiantlv.
The incest III ng | have eaten in
month, enthusiastically answered the
young man. And this cheese Is like
solicited cream
Little lie stood watching him.
Are yon be tin peddIer" I" she asked,
suddenly Did YOU leave yonr pack
out IN the road Because our old tin
dipper is rusted nearly through, and
the1e IS quite 4 bag # rags and clippings
on he pegs back Of the door. if
+" h, am not TIE tn reddIer' SAID
Ellie TUNED very red. feeling con
sclons Of having made a faux pas in her
lmpulsiveness
Il beg your pardon" SAID she. Il
didn't know
81 am very much obliged for your
kindness, said he, rising from the door
sill, which had done temporary duty for
a seat and then he went on his wav.
Ellie looi>ed after him with solemn.
long la>hed eyes
''Hc is very handsome" said she to
herself II think he must be like Don
Mon Mendoza, in the Fall Of Castig-
la or like Guy livingstone. hope he
wasn't offended at my asking him if he
was the tin peddler: but in place like
this one never knows who is who"
Ellie Tier was teacher of the primary
department of city school, and she had
come to spend two weeks Of her vaca-
tion with her Aunt Bessie Parsons, who
was married to farmer And this was
the first day that she had been left to
keep house" all alone by herself
OF course, it was an honor, but. all the
same, there was certain responsibility
attached to il, and Ellie secretly felt that
she would be very glad hen Aunt Bessy
came back from town.
Just then a fOotstep sounded on the
threshold of the back kitchen door, which
opened into the shady luNuriance of the
orchard. 1t was her l'ncle Ben amn.
Ellie" said he, II wish you would
, stir up pitcher of cold ginger anc
water, with little molasSes in it, fo
the haymakcrs. Just remembered tha
had left my coat hanging up here b.
! the window, with Eh-hallo, wher'
! is itl''
'Where is what, uncle2' said Ellie
pausing with the can Of ginger in he
| hand
There was ten dollar gold piece il
leather purse in the pocket of this ala
packy coat" said Uncle Ben jamin. look
ing aghast. 81 forgot to take it ou
when I came from town yesterday, an
now it is gone
He turned every pocket of the thi
summer coat inside out; he snook it a
i if expecting that the missing coin wouI'
drop out, like ripe nut. But all to n
avail nothing was there.
| ''It's the strangest thing in the world :.
said I'nclc Ben iamin. krow | left
here. Has any one been III the hous
since morning, Ellie!'
~ no :" fal1ered Ellie salving he
conscience with the reflection that th
! brown -complexioned stranger certainl
had come no nearer than the door-sill.
Then what has become Of my gold
piece?" said Uncle benjamin.
Il am sure | cannot tell futtere
Ellie, her heart giving a sudden throb a
she recollected the two intervals of be
absence, once for the glass of milk, an
once for the piece of blackberry pie.
During those intervals what might nc
have happened.
'I'll 90 upstairs and look in the burea
drawers, y said Uncle Ben iamin. II al
perfectly certain that the money wf
here in my coat pocket; but still l-'
He fastened UP the narrow, woode
stairway, and Ellie spurred on by ne
nat from the table. and darted down,
lane that led across the brook. an
through patch Of woods to the higl
road beyond.
If | take the short cut over DEM
sons Hill, she thought, Il can cato
him esen yet The thief, the ungrat
ful poltroon To drink the milk az
eat the blackberry pie, and then 70 ser
me so -
She conrsed through the fragra
masses Of sweetfern. across thickets
low growing hnckeberrv bushes, &
purpled over with fruit, under Il
shade Of solemn, old lsne trees and pa
herds of gra ing cattle. who lifted the
heads 10 look at her as she passed
But when at last. breathless and pan
ing, she reached the low stone wall tn
separated Uncle Ben ianln's farm fro
the main road, she reapel her reward.
There, only a few PAGES away. the "a
browns skinned stranger sat on ston
tanning him>ef with the Is de brim
his straw hot. and 'eading from i
pages Of a tiny dlodecimo valume.
Like . younc deer, Ellie Ter shlppe
over the wall and seized his am,
',Oh. YOU WI kei, wicked man = s.
cried, casping fr breath Aren't =
ashamed Of yoursclf tr,ye me back I