Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-10-31

phus's angry fingers. Aurilly was fright
ened, his face was so white.
"It was lighted. | saw it, l waited at
the station for over two hours. | saw it 60
ont. waited as long as | dared to see it
lighted again. 1t couldn't have gone out
of itself; somebody put it out. / ought to
have known better than to have trusted"
Aurilly went down stairs in indignant
silence. Little old Grandma Baker, in her
bed. chuckled almost audibly. She beck
oned Rudolphus to her as soon as she had
an opportunity for privacy.
"'Twould tech most mems feelin's to
have girl do such resky thing as that
to get him back to her. she said
"a girl ought to be ashamed of herself
that would disgrace man like that !" said
Rudolphus hotly. AS for what she did
it for-well, man wants to do his own
eourtin'"
Some condolences had been exchanged
between him and Mary Hobart in that long
waiting at the Walwich station, with the
result that Mary had said that he ought to
go back to Aurilly. He had declined to do
this until the light went out in the tower.
Then he had allowed Mary to take his
model to her uncle, the patent solicitor.
| There would be no need for him to 90 for
some time.
/ Grandma was secretly exultant when
| she heard this, but Rudolphus chafed under
the chains of duty and was cross Aurilly
had an injured air !. " - tir,- az
her eyes, and even sanguine Grandma Ba-
ker could not say that there was any
''eourtin'." Rudolphus took his own parlor
organ to pieces and put it together again,
which was not good sign, and he went
over to Walwich and repaired the Baptist
church clock for nothing as usual. And
Grandma Baker wept when the minister
came to see her, because her ''posterity
hadn't the fear of the Lord before their
eyes"
When at length he heard from his inven-
tion Rudolphus had not the strength of
mind to keep the news from grandma. He
felt reckless, and even grandma's reminis-
cences of Joel Freets, who event crazy
a-tryin' to get up new way of tryin' out
cod-liver oil, and died on the town." failed
to increase his misery. The invention was
not new; another man I'd patented it be-
fore him and electricity was so rapidly
superseding oil for lighting that is was
likely to prove of little value in any case.
II guess I'd better stick to tinkerin'
clocks" said Rudolphus, bitterly. I'll" go
round with big one on my back for a
sign, like Jud Atkins
''Jud was a stiddy, likely fellow, and
made good livin', /" said Aurilly, severely.
''The works of the Lord is better than
the works of man." said grandma, piously.
'Cramb 'ries will always fetch their price. =
This hint like many another of grandma's,
produced no apparent effect, but she was
sure young man with no more fattering
prospects in life than Rudolphus would not
long be blind to the desirability ofsecuring
wife with 'proputty." She felt herself
to be an ally of Providence, and was ready
to climb the light house stairs again if there
was any occasion, although she had suffer
ed frightful pains in consequence of that
expedition. But, alas for grandma's faith
in Providence Only a few weeks after
the overthrow of Rudolphuss hopes, and
after he had worked to secure Anrilly'
oranberries from a frost " ith a zeal which,
TO grandma's mind, promised much, the
! brig F0rtuRGtuS dropped her anchor in the
harbor with Smith Kingsbury on board.
Smith had been reported to have been
drowned in the wreck of vessel six years
| before, but instead of being food for fishes.
he had come home from Australia with
five thousand dollars in solid cash, and it
was reported that he meant to buy out the
harbor store, and build himself fine house
on the main street. Before he went away,
Smith had 'kept company with Aurilly
Cleaves; people began to say now that il
she were not going to marry Rudolphus
Baker, perhaps she might do better.
Aurilly combed her hair into twice the
ordinary number of ringlets, and rubbed
her cheeks with a piece of flannel, and
went to harvest party with Smith, and
then he immediatly bought handsome top
buggy and high stepping horse, and took
her to drive.
Aurilly privately packed her trunk not
long after these events, and one fine morn
ing she took her leave of Rudolphus. ~
kind of thought twas prudent not to let on
to grandma that | was goin', bein' she's so
easy upset. she said "Aud she has kind
of got an idee into her head that you and
me was keepin' company. l am sure
don't know how she came to, for | never
was one to be willin' to resk my bread and
butter to them patent fixin's, and girl
that has got some property of her own has
| got right to look for something kind
of solid and substantial in husband, if
do say it. I've got Lucindy Mitchell to
come over and take my place. / thought
this would be as good day as any for me
to go, for you know at the anniversary town
meetin' they voted to hire a carriage ia
send Aunt Keziah Plummer-shes my
great aunt-tO see grandma, because they're
about Of an age, and the oldest folks in
town, and they hain't seen each other for
as much as twenty years. thought like
enough you hadn't heard OF it, not bein' the
kind that goes to town meetin'." There
was tinge of contempt in Aurilly's voice.
''Mr. Kingsbury he told me, and thought
'twould be best to surprise grandma, kind
of take her mind off of-off of things not
turnin out jest as she wanted 'em to. There
amt no reason why you and me shouldr' I
part friends"-Aurilly extended her hand
graciously-"and | do hope you'll get a
good wife, with a faculty to keep things
| goin', for that's what you need"
Rudolphus WINGED sensitively at this
thrust. He thought to himself that it was
| deserved, and it caused him to straighten
his shoulders as he went to break the news
of Aurilly's departure and OF the prospec-
tive visitor to his grandmother.
'Lucindy Mitchelll What business has
she a ascending her herep If | want Lucin-
| dy Mitchell, | can send for her. | hired
her once, and she wasted good victuals and
scum off the cream to take off her freckles,
and was always a starching her own petit
coats" Grandma sat up in bed and her
little witchlike face quivered with anger.
'1f you'd a-courted AuriIly up spry, like