Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-13


utes later, what have you done? Eaten
up all the company luncheon? Oh, you
greedy
~ didn't do no such thing" shouted
Joe from an upper room, where he was
transforming himself from an amateur
journeyman painter to modern tennis
player. "What are you talking about?''
"Some one has eaten his FLIP cried
Miss francesca "Just look at the
tablet"
"Then it's some tramp sneaked in
through the door that left open to dry
the paint" bawled Joe, smiting his leg.
And while the Dean family were en-
deavoring to repair damages the task Of
housecleaning went swimmingly on at
the Chipley domicile, only two doors
away, the girls and their mother scarce
ly taking time to sit down and eat their
hasty pudding, which, by the way, got
scorched through Maud's overdevotion
to putting the chintz curtains at the
pastors study windows.
But hasten as they would, the newly
whitewashed walls were scarcely dry,
and the furniture not yet rearranged,
when dusk descended on the scene and
Rev. Milo Miner came in.
"Oh, take care, Mr.. Milner!" ex-
claimed Maud, ''the door-the paint is
fresh"
Mr.. Miner solemnly advanced into
the area of the lamplight, and twist
ing himself around to get at the skirts
of his coat eyed them disconsolately.
"More paint" said he. "Blue paintr'
"No," said Marion. "Green."
The two colors were ludicrously alike
by lamplight. The green might be mis-
taken for lively blue-the blue for a
dull green.
"Bluew said the pastor firmly. 'Do
you think haven't the use of my eyesY"
Green" persisted Marian. II know,
because / put it on myself"
"It is not WE'LL" said Rev. Milner,
"for the young to be too positive"
"But truth is TRUTH" said Maud.
"And while I'm about it," said Mr.
Miner, now thoroughly exasperated, 81
deem it my duty to demonstrate with
you concerning the extravagant and un-
warranted style of diet in which you in
dulge during my absencew
81 don't know what you mean," said
Mrs. Chipley, feebly catching her breath.
"Hasty pudding and milk can't be
called extravaganza" hazarded Maud.
"Scorched at that" murmured Ma
rian.
"Roast grouse and currant jelly" said
the pastor. Chicken salad and sponge
cake. And-here again trust to the
evidence of my eyesight-all set out on
your old butterfly pattern china. /
know, because ate of it myself"
"You-you got into the wrong house,
gasped Maud.
'It was the house with the blue door,"
serenely uttered Mr.. Miner, as if this
were an incontrovertible argument.
Marian clapped her hands hyster.
ically.
Mamma" she cried; "Maud, Mr..
Miner was the tramp who ate up Miss
Deans company luncheon. That was
just what Francesca Dean told me they
had prepared And on our butterfly
china tool"
s'It was the house with the blue door,"
stubbornly replied Mr.. Miner.
ssBut Joe Dean painted their door blue
todayr' exclaimed Marian. "And |
painted ours green"
The pastor sank Imply into chair.
"Then," he said, "I've got green and
blue paint both on the skirts of my coat,
and have made dreadful blunder in
the bargain! And must go at once and
apologize to the Dean family; but not
until you, my kind friends, have for
given me for my meddling interfer-
ence."
"But really" said mischievous Maud,
"hasty pudding isn't an extravaganza. !"
Mrs. Chipley and Marian hastened to
deprecate the pastors humility, and he
went sadly to make his peace with Miss
Francesca Dean.
cit is kind O queer" said Deacon
Philpott, talking the matter over some
days afterward. "The dominic, he
plumb admits that he's sort O absent
minded, and needs wife to keep him
straight. And I'll bet even on pretty
Miss Maud and Francesca Dean"
The deacon, however, was wrong for
once in his life. Pastor Miner did get
married, but it was neither to blue eyed
francesca nor dark orbed Maud. Like
q sensible man he proposed to Widow
Chipley herself, and was accepted at
once.
''But if Mrs. Miner does not object,
he said, with due courtesy, 81 should
like to have the front door painted blue
once more. Home Queen.
The Groom Was All Right.