Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-01-02

we would bend to her WILL
'sWal, wal" said Uncle Jonathan,
still staring at the soot-incrusted bricks
of the chimney, Its only natural that
you should want to go once in awhile.
Gals can't be cooped up like young
chickens in a pen. And you've worked
like all-possessed to help get ready for
the boarders, that I'll allowr'
Just then the creaking of Aunt Sta
sia's heavy shoes sounded nearer the
bedroom door than usual. Prue and
Cherry flew up the narrow wooden
stairs like frightened birds: Uncle Jona-
than rose up and eSeiAguished the one
candle which still burned on the high
mantel, and the room was left in dark
ness.
With breathless delight and a multi
tude of shy precautions, Prue and
Cherry dressed for their first full-blown
party, each ''doing" the others hair,
and adorning it with clusters of wild
rosebuds and crimson clove-pinks, and
escaping down the sloping shed-roof,
skipped away under the starlight, re-
straining their gay voices and sweet
laughter until two or three dew
drenched meadows should have inter
posed between themselves and the old
peaked-roof farmhouse under the but
tonbal1 trees.
But watching their swift footsteps
was pair of cleaning green-gray eyes,
on which they had not calculated, and
Aunt 'Stasia drew back her night-capped
head from the pantry window, with
subdued chuckle.
They think they've fooled me,
s'pose,' muttered she: ''but they hain't.
They've got out all right, but they
won't get back quite SO easy, guess.
And one things dumb sartin-not a cent
of the city boarders' money do they get!
Sly, deceitful minxes! 1 do wonder how
they ever managed to lay hands on
them rose-colored gownds without me
KNOWN of it,''
So there was one silver lining to the
| cloud. Aunt 'Stasia never oncesuspect-
ed her husband of being an accomplice
to these two young conspirators.
''I'Il teach 'em lesson" said she to
herself, as she lighted the candle, got
out her knitting, and prepared to await
| the course of events.
Eleven o'clock struck! Twelve, and
| still Aunt 'Stasia sat there, resolved to
die sooner than yield to the drowsiness
| that weighted-down her eyelids. At
length she started up at the sound of
footsteps on the rude plank bridge that
| Spanned the trout brook at the foot of
| the lane.
| There they Gomez said she, spring
ing to her feet and bundling a shawl
around her head"
Her eyes could scarcely pierce the
starry dark of the summer night, but
there were figures coming up the lane,
| sl,o f,;- L.
sound of muff1ed voices.
Creeping down to the shadow of the
old smoke-house, Aunt 'Stasia there
awaited her prey, and bounced out upon
them as they advanced.
''Oh! yesve come, have YEP" she
screamed. ''You lazy, good-for-nothin'
tricky things. But I'll teach you les
son we never larned before. Go in there,
quick!''
Opening the smoke-house door with
one hand, she used the other as pro-
! peling force to push the amazed new
corners into the dismal, old place, turn
| ing the rusty key in its wards with a
jerk, and then whirled around to con-
front their escort tall young man,
who, having fingered to close the lane
| gate, was just making his way up through
| forest of tall weeds.
| ''As for you, Calvin Harding" said
| she, ''clear off these premises, quicker'n
flash, or I'll onloose the bulldog!
Amt you ashamed of yourself, teachin'
| two gals to disobey their maternal
gardens? Eh? Amt you?"
ssMadam-"
''Don't madam me,'' cried the ex-
| cited woman, .'or I'll call Bose and scat
IL, H14o
'sWill you listen to me, my good wom-
an? Or are you stark, raving mad?"
| AT this moment Uncle Jonathan made
his appearance, carrying lantern.
| whats the matter, Anastasia?'' he
bawled. SIS it chicken-thieves or
tramps? I've got the old musket here:
shall fire?
And from the path under the apple
trees two pink figures emerged, hurry
ing along like moving rosebuds, with a
| Stalwart young man on either side
Calvin Harding and Cissy Aliens
Oldest brother, Andrew
s'Oh, Aunt 'Stasia Oh, Mrs Barton, -
they y-cried. ''What has happened?"
! Aunt 'Stasia stared around at the
the lantern.
| DIuu L juSI Suu6 you GWO girls 1nCO
| the Smoke-house?'' she stammered.
''And if it wasn't you. who was it?"
Just then the rusted lock of the i'm
provised prison-house gave way beneath
the repeated jerks of the tall young
man; the door flew open, and out rushed
two screaming women.
.'Take us away, Herbert,' they
screamed. ''The woman is mad Don't
| let her come near us.''
| who be you?" demanded Uncle Jona-
than. holding his lantern high in the
air.
''My name is Corliss,'' stifiy ex-
planned the stranger. 81 was bringing
my wife and sister here to board with
| one Mrs. Barton, at Buttonball farm,
and we took a carriage at Button depot
to drive across country. But one of the
hors4s fell lame and the driver refused
to go any farther, SO we started to walk,
| and we must have lost our way, for
'sYou haven't lost it.' screamed Aunt
'Stasia. This is Buttonball farm, and
| I'm Mrs. Barton It's all a mistake, my