The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-04-27
with the gambril ruff. Sh'd hev'
thought they'd let ye hev a bunch of


matches!''
II tried it." said Linfeld. with a
smile, sbut the young woman slammed
the door in my face, and told me she
had nothing to lend"
"Great Scottr' said Mr.. Deal. ''That
don't sound at all like Isabelr'
As the weeks rolled by, and the first
struggling snow flakes began to de-
scend on the drifts of red and brown
leaves in the cottage garden, Mrs.
Linfield grew moro reconciled to her
new dwelling place. Dick had nailed
down bright carpets in the dismal
rooms and draped the staring windows
with Turkey-red curtains. He had re-
painted the buttery shelves, and put up
a row of pegs in the odd little square
entry. and all in the intervals of leisure
which he contrived to snatch. before
and after factory hours.
"Mother's bit rheumatic. and her
eyes amt. as good as they were." he
said, to excuse the originality of his
proceedings, ''and so do these things
to save her! There's nobody knows
what a mother she's been to me all
these years.
Every one liked the bright-eyed,
earnest-voieed young engineer. Every
one took kindly to his quiet, domestic
little mother, who had turned the
neglected cottage rooms into such
comfortable, home-like spot, except
Isabel Vennor.
"a man who would persecute poor
cat can't be worthy of the name, }" said
she. Don't tell me! Straws show
what way the wind blows! The idea of
his taking class in Sunday-school!
Some people are too hypocritical for
any thing!'
| And yet, in her innermost mind, she
thought Richard Linfeld the hand
soonest man she had ever seen, and
secretly did homage to his chivalrous
goodness to his mother.
IF only it had not been for Jet!''
you'll go to Squire Ogilvie's corn
husking tonight. Bell?" said Jonas
Deals black-eyed daughter. Every
one is to be there. Josie Ottingdean
and Cyrus Dater, and the two Boone
girls, and Mr.. Linfield, the new en-
gineer in Woodman's factory, and"
That's enough" said Bell, with a
sudden strengthening of her slim neck,
and oblique flash of her gray eyes.
'.If he's going, don't want to be there.
I've an utter contempt for that man."
la sakes, Bellp' cried her cousin,
'show you do talk. What in creation
can you mean?"
But to this Bell would return no
definite answer, and Kitty Deal went
away, more curious than ever.
Bell smiled to herself to think how
she had managed to evade her cousins
curiosity: she frowned 10 think how
foolish she had let her tongue loose in
the heat OF the moment, and she was
just turning to enter the house. when
a low, quiet voice, fell on her ear from
the other side of the fence. where the
arbor-vita hedge made a tall and well
nigh impervious screen between the
two places.
miss Vennor," it said, quite COM
posedly, 81 want to know the meaning
of all this"
Isabel Redeemed and started, as she
saw Richard Linfield's eyes looking
full into her own, through a sort of
aperture formed by his two hands,
| holding back the arbor-vit8 bOughs.
For a second she was almost inclined
to run away. but she rallied herself
just in time.
Il have right to know the mean
ing of it"
s.Eavesdropping, eh?" said Isabel,
scornfully. swell. / might have known
that that would be one of your accom-
plishments.
s.Not eavesdropping. said Dick. but
was setting out a young Seeding plum
tree for my mother-mother is dread
full partial to plums-close to the hedge
here, and couldn't help hearing what
you said"
"And heard what you said once, :"
flashed out Isabel, making grasp at
Jet, who just then scampered across
the path. 'You said that you would
kill my cat-my poor, defenceless cat!"
~ said SOP"
Eyes, you said So"
In the same moment the ungrateful
Jet scratched his way out from his mis-
tress' grasp and ran to Dick, rubbing
himself caressingly up against the
young man, with a loud purr.
II don't think could have said