Daily Republican., 1889-01-14
ONLY a DnAB WOMAN.


Jones took their seats, packed their va
Uses snugly under their seat, and fastened
their natiy silk umbrellas IN the rack
overhead There was only one other
passenger-a woman In q brown water
proof cloak and green veil, with a
ndded market basket In her lap, and
tremendous ear trumpet In her hand.
"Only deaf woman" said Colonel
Jones, glancing toward her.
II see," observed Mr.. Richmond.
we need put no particular restraint on
our conversation"
"Are we all ready?" shouted Colonel
Jones, who was unused to the lelsurely
methods OF life In place like Blue Sta
ton.
The driver appeared to rouse hlmsel
from a sort Of doze.
81 be, II you bel' said be git IN.
Kate! Look out, thar, you Sorrellp
And away they rolled.
yes" said the colonel, rubbing his
neatly-gloved hands. at will be a gen.
uine surprise. And l meant 1t to be. l
want TO see for myself how things are"
Certainly" said Mr.. Richmond,
lurching from one end of the seat 10
the other, rs the wheels took big stone
on their way.
The lad is over head and ears In love, "
said the colonel.
Young men will be FOOLS" observed
Mr.. Richmond, cynicsly.
But school teacher-a district school
teaeherl" sighed the colonel, who was
tall and portly and clean shayen, with
very black eyebrows and hair Just dashed
with silver.
"A good many nice girls take to that
business, remarked Mr.. Richmond, who
was eaunt gentleman, with hollow eyes,
y parchment-colored skin and general
dysPePte air.
at Isn't that despIse the trade" said
the colonel. You know that a. well a.
do, Redmond II the girl is good and
pretty, I'd as soon she should be a school
teacher as anything else. But want NV
boy to have real homellke home, NV
wife gave me one, and / solemnly believe
1t was the making Of me. And Victor's
wife must be no mere book machine or
wearer OF fine clothes. If she can't sew
and sweep and cook, SHE'S no 1T mate for
my sou Well, you sec l have been
studying the matter over"
II SET" said Mrs. Richmond, holding
desperately to the leather strap above bis
head, as the driver guided the wheels
over u succession Of stumps on the side
OF the road.
81 give them no time for preT aration, !"
said the colonel, chuckling. 81 drop
down upon Miss Alden like a wolf ON the
fold. see just what she lie; / Judge for
myself wouldn't give fig for all the
Latin and guitar music aud china paint
ing in the world II woman can't make
a loaf Of light, sweet bread and cook A
steAkl Eh? l am sure beg a thousand
pardons, ma am, as q sudden sWinR of
tie coach preclpitated his head against
the basket and sent the ear trumpet roll
Ing to the floor. "Allow mel Do YOU
want TO get QUIT"
For tho woman with the green veil was
mating vehement gestures with her hand
TO the driver. che put up the trumpet
with an inquiring expression of face
IND = you - want to --get-outp
roared Colonel Jones into its conyoluted
depths, the veins starting out on his fore
head as he did so.
"Yes, sir, please" said the woman;
and the courteous colonel himself got
out to expedite the removal Of the bss
ket, the trumpet and sundry b own paper
parcels which constituted the BELONGINGS
oil their fellow passenger.
The green-veiled head bowed acknovI-
edgmtnts, the colonel lifted his hat ike a
modern Don Quixate, and the stage en-
yeloped In cloud OF dust, rolled away
toward the brightness of the western sky.
The green-veiled passenger caught IN
her parcels, skipped over the stone stile
with amazing Alaerity for 80 apparently
feeble a parsonage, and flew like a deer
across the wooded solitudes until she
came to a low, red farmhouse, and en-
tered cosy kitchen, where middle-aged
woman was making blackberry pies.
heres your trumpet all mended,
Aunt ROxsnna," said she. "And here's
the ALPACA dress and the three yards of
flannel, and the basket with the tea and
sugar and spices. What are you going to
have for supper ?''
''Spring chicken" said Aunt Roxanna.
in the soft, subaued voice peculiar to deal
people. They are on the bu try shelf
all dressed aud ready. And baked pota-
toes; calculate to have them pics ready
to go into the oven right off,"
"splendidP said Lurana Hopkins. AZ
want one of them. Aud must have the
chickens and that loaf of gingerbread"
LA, me !" said Aunt Roxanna, SIS
the girl crazy Z"
Its for the schoolma'am," explained
Lurana, with her rosy mouth close to the
ear trumpet. seller beams father came
up from the train with me in Zadoc Haw-
ley's stsge, and he took me Tor deaf wo-
man, because OF the trumpet, l suppose,
aud talked before me to his friend real
tree. And he's come out here TO surprise
the schoolm y am, and find out whether
she is good housekeeper or not. And
II she isn't, he's going to set himself dead
against the matchp
u never heard nothing like 1t in my
lifel" said Aunt Roxanna.
and she isn't-you know she ism II"
said Lurana. ''She just lives In half oil
the Widow skerritt'e house, and boards
terself on bread and milk. But she 10 as
sweet as peach, and people can't have
all the accomplishments At once"
mo, TO be- sure not, said Aunt Rox-
anna, her slow wits following Lurana's
rapid speech with considerable difficulty.
"And she shan't be cheated out Of her
lover, not II | can help IL, +" said Laurana,
hurrledly packing the bFoilers, neatly
wrapped In a napkin, into her basket,
and experimenting them with LOAF OF
spicy smelling gingerbread, two unbAked
blackberr pies. a pan of biscuit and
glass jar OF honey. snow, q little canis-
ter CT coffee" said she, ''and some OF
these pickles, and l believe that's all.
You must hunt up something else for
euppsr"
And once more Lurana sped across the
helds, crossing noisy brook on the
perilous span of fallen tree, picking her
way deity through the bummocks of
swamp and reaching the Widow Skier
rltps cottage, while the Blue Station
stage, travelling the regular road, was
still good mile and quarter away.
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