The Press., 1891-11-26

Agnes pushed open tho front door, bleached ike bone in the sun. un- painted and harsh on it's hinges from disuse, while Burns drove the wagon round to the back entrance, and she heard him cackling with his wife over the s'incubator" and the probable stir 1t would make on Scrabble Hill Agnes realized perfectly that she was far be- yond the Littlefield social standards and the more distant perspective of the city where she had been a distinguished light, and would now be measuredby theScrab- ble Hill foot rule, which was entirely different from anything she had ever known.
 Fortunately there were no very near neighbors. The farm ran up the Buck river valley into the lonely hills, where wild looking cattle grazed and sheep scampered over the rocks at their own free will The outer door from the low step, made of fiat, worn field stone, opened directly in on Dame Rollins keeping room, a three cornered, odd shaped apartment, a little askew and "off plumb" like the rest of the house, but with four small windows placed curiously high up in the wall, and with corner cupboards and wooden chimney piece over an old fireplace that had long been bricked up. Itdid not take Agnes more than two minutes to determine that the bricks must come out of that fireplace forthwith if she scratched them out with her finger nails
 A high pine wainscoting painted gray ran entirely round the room, and above it was quaint old landscape paper rep resenting Diana and her nymphs Ut the chase. The floor was covered with 8 homely rag carpet, spotted with braided rugs, and beautiful caricatures of George and Martha Washington in black frames hung against the chimney back. The furniture was delightfully."- spider legged and quaint, and the bright sunlight came dancing through the vines Mrs. Burns had trained over the windows The room was musty from long shutting up. but Agnes. with the promptness that distinguished her. threw open all the windows, turned George and Martha face to the wall, rearranged the furni- ture and called for Burns to knock the Dr1cKS out or the chimney.
 Burns was in the barn, but his wife answered the summons, making long, lean shadow on the wall. She sat down on the edge of chair like parallel line trying to conform to custom and folded her hands in her apron, though the big bony wrists were still conspicuous
 Burns must knock the bricks out of fhA Dh | krN $I&aE Evsu- place on cool evenings. There are plenty of fat pine stumps on the farm that will make capital blaze"
 "How do you know the chimbly will dror, miss Faint beec used for years, not sence Granther Rollins time, and it's most choked up with chimbly swal- lers." .t
 .'It must b. made to draw" returned Agnes, slightly contracting her beauri ful, classic brows.
 Mrs. Burns looked ut her with q sol emn, unwinking eye. Fl guess it will be like the incnmbater." said she myste- riously. ''But Burns is bound to do all he can to please you, miss: all in reason. of course. aud he'll tend to the chimbly the first wet day"
 "It must be done today returned Agnes in her high, girlis!l iinperiousness that had begun to rise under Mrs Burns stony gaze.
 Mrs. Burns opened her thin, fishy lips and emitted the vmtls.- Well, never did; it beats me aD heller. " and then fell into silence. Agnes precipitancy had confused her ideas, accustomed as she was to the good old country rule of never doing today what you can put of until tomorrow.
 "The world wasn't made in minute, miss," she put forth at last, "but Burns will try and content you. He's good at dealin with whims and fancies and i'd. dlefaddle ways. He had a great-aunt that was queer, who brought him up by hand. She had spells of bein out of her head, and guess it was a pretty good school of patience
 Agnes turned red and choked down a laugh. "See it's done," said she; "l want fire on the hearth this evening.
 The effort of putting Burns and his wife in their true place was rather ex- hilarating on the whole
 "Mebbe you will be lonesome some night" said Mrs. Burns, beginning to plait up the edge of her apron. "The winds whistle round this hill to beat all. and every window casin rattles differ ent way The trustees of the school deestrict are trying to find boardin place for Miss Crab, the new teacher The Jenks folks would take her for two dollars week and let her do her own washin and ironin. but their victuals is pretty poor. and the trustees would be willin to pay twenty shillfns. Mebbe she'd be company for you nights. miss. If you'd furnish room in your part of the house wodldn't. mind giyin meals and we'd go shares on the school money She's got 8 young man that comes Sun days over from Spring Village to take her buggy ridin. but he's quiet. and don't believe you'd mind him morn a chair. There goes Miss Crab now on her way to the school house. and you can take squint at her if you choose.
 Agnes glanced out of the little win dow. and after surveying the young per son, who seemed to run to cheap aftif- cials and dollar jewelry. she declined to