The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-09-10


titE3 center t1Dte-
The dinner was late that day, and the
Iaeal had tae air OF being scrambled to-
get2aE, which sometimes happens IN the
best regulated boarding houses. Things
had EFhitched" early IN the morning, and
poor Mrs. Bissel had stzsiven IN vain 20
catch up with her work She did notap-
paar at tao dinner table, for her Irish
maid, Bridget, seemed 30 have complete
" lost her head, and the kitchen was up-
si9e Down. Mrs EiS5ell dished up the
food, and the Old man carried the plat
tars and vegetable dishes TO the dining
room GOCr, where Anne received them.
Yea cCula hear the scuffiing; Of his old
fest as lie went 10 and fro in the passage.
Mrs. Bissell's other boartiers, the Holmes
family, had been waiting round hungry
fer half an hour. They were slow. silent
people, even to the little boy and girl,
who, with hair ''sliclzetl' down close TO
their cheekbones, the upward turn Of
the eyes and rather fat noses, had q
Mongolian cast Of countenance. When
! Eke bell rang Miss Carver came IN with
that irritated pinch of the thin lips they
always wore when dinner was late. But
| as Mrs. Bissen kept her for a dollar q
| week less than any Of her other boariters
the privilege Of open complaint vsas
taken away.
The young doctor occupied the head Of
the table, and Anne filed her mothers
! place with easy assurance, as if nothing
| ever went wrong III the Bissell establi3h-
ment. Et was shame, Miss Carver
| thought, for Anne to look as cool and
unrufded as ice cream while her mother
! was stewing over the kitchen fire. And
then she was so undeniably, so exasper-
| atingly pretty. Her auburn hair-peo-
pie called RED hair red when Miss Carver
was young-rippled in a mass across her
white forehead and down the slope OF
her round mock, and was gathered in a
great fluffy, curly nest at the back, just
defining itself in loose coils. The pale
pinlz of her gown suited well with her
dazzling complexion and dark hazel eyes,
dancing in the light Of innocent mis-
| chief She talked all the time, as if the
light fou Of her girlish chatter could
cover up the deficiencies Of the table ser
vice and the irregularity with which the
courses arne in. Miss Carver, intrenched
IN aggressive silence, felt that Anne was
sham and wondered how far she would
succeed in pulling the wool over the
young doctors eyes.
But tho doctor had no starch about
him. He seemed to find some aInuse-
.nent in the difficulties of the situation.
He made himself thoroughly at home
and told so many funny stories about .
healthy ole town where he had tried to
establish himself, and had been starved
out for lack Of patients, that Miss Carver
found herself laughing until the tears
came under her glasses The Holmes
children were grinning from ear to ear
and stretching their lipless mouths like
india rubber bands over the doctor
funny stories. The table grew 80 merry
that tired Mrs. Bissen in the kitchen
stopped to listen, while the old man, put
ting his brown, crooked hand up to his
good ear, did hkewise-
He'll be popular" said Miss Carver
30 herself as she went slowly up stairs.
He'll make friends as easy as water
runs down hill. Father always said we
must distrust easy popularity. | dc
hope he'll see through Anne Bisse1. II
her mother had any Judgment with the
girl she wouldn't let her throw hersel:
; at that mans head"
Miss Carver spent most Of the after
noon spying cut of the window to SEE
the doctors Office furniture come-heavy
mahogany and rosewood, all the best
and hanasomest; desks, chairs, cabinets
and pictures, implying the cultivated
and rathez, luxurious tastes Of young
man of pretty good length OF purse.
Miss Carver opened her eyes when sht
remembered the depths of poverty tx
which he had declared himself reduced
by the unnatural healthfulness of ket
tletas. Guess he's extravagant, sht
thought 10 herself, as she tied on hel
bonnet at nightfau to go and call On hel
particular friend, the Widow Harkawsy
| and, though the widow was deaf Of on
ear and partly blind, before the mex
night the whole of Littlefeld knew tha
a young DR.. Tibbets was hulnorist; tina
S he had been frozen out Of Kettletas b.
) the longevity Of the people, and hat
a come to LittIefeld wisnut say visibl
t means, but with large amount Of hand
: some Office furniture, and that Ann
e Bissell-Ueil, it is easy to conjectur
: what was whispered about Anne Bissell
0 The Office was all in apple pie orde
: when Miss Carver reached home at te
;. time The Office door stood open, ant
J there was the doctor with his coat OF
s arranging his medical cabinets AM
: whistling softly to himself. Mrs Bis
S sell had put new muslin curtains to tn
S windows, and Anne had filed a vas
: with moss roses for the center table
those precious roses she cherished lik
0 goId-an attention Miss Carver neye
/ had received in all the years she ha.
lived in Mrs Bisselps house.
"The sun is going to rise and Sc. c.
: his head, . thought Miss Carver rs sh
took her way up to Ter room, smeilin
the tea biscuits fron the open kitche
door. But she could not hats the youn
- doctor There vvaa SnYnethiup engaQini