Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-12-16
GRAY GOLD.

noot Old lady might have been seen
-. ENGAGED in locking the outer door
,.a,se in tie somewhat retired village
o,Itury. The house, small and neat,
h. mistress, looked primly forth
tiny dooryard, gay with such
Al and brilliant blooms as had re-
i q Weld to incipient frosts. On the
III a biz gray cat, the Sits in his
], Green eyes dilated, even beyond
{ oarly morning wont, with evident
ader and disnay. Clearly that door
~ been locked from the outside
lin The utmost stretch Of his memory.
hat could it fneaii?
rhot It meant something serious was
.dont for. when his mistress turned
S, her rather protracted wrestle with
door, her sweet, puckered old face
nrassed a mixture Of anticipation and
rat slightly tinged with timid awe,
vitl,aI dominated by an evident de-
a,;aation to carry her point, whatever
,,,;gb, be, which must have struck any
stander capable of being amused or
,che1 BiyTom was capable Of neither;
ronld only disapprove. Some people
! some cats are very la'lch alike.
gFbe old lady felt her pets mental at
mle as evidenced by his bodily one.
i slipped the shiny, worn key beneath
mat every family in Bilbury was in
habit Of secreting it's door key under
door mat, and every other family
NV H. took up black leather satchel
If stood waiting beside her. and turned,
bolopeticalIy, to the man of the house:
..Tommy, she said, stroking his rough,
[ay head in deprecating way, "I'm
rry ter leave ye--I'm proper sorry ter
ave ye--but Isaac an me alwus said
ia 20. an'-an | will!'
The hand that had sought to pacify
pm .as suddenly Withdrawn to seek
bcket handkerchief; yet, even while its
rner dried her eyes, her. little pointed
in took on a toubly resolved quicker.
.Tbere's meat an milk in the shed f2r
Tommy, plenty ont, an Ill be back
rain Thursday evenin', if nothin' hap
ms If We W. thing more, there's
AT old rat il me ceiia.; We ha'nt caught
in vet. Good-by, Tommy
But Tommy would not say good-by.
h shook his tail, and turned off in a
mfr; while the old lady, thus given the
bid shoulder, turned away, too, and
tent slowly out at the white gate and
own the street. 1t was early; if any of
he neighbors were stirring they were
b in the kitchen end of their houses.
10 one noticed or spoke to her till she
pached the dingy little flag station. from
hch, three times a day, stray passen-
hers could be conveyed to the junction,
I've miles away, there to make such con-
lection as they might with trains on the
hahn line. The station master, a man
\ it'll just enough regular employment to
breyent his doing much of anything,
opened his dull eyes almost as widely as
be cat had done.
"Goin' ter the city, Mis- Fosdick-all
Ilone:'
"Yes, sir" replied the old lady with
reserve, Il be.
The man continued to eye her, steadily
Ind doubtfully, while he handed out
icket and she paid for it, The withered
band, in its black mitt, never trembled;
put, as it touched his, in making the ex-
Ihange, he felt it strangely cold.
"Ruther an Unexpected start, amt it?,'
bequeried, cheerfully, shifting the bright
FLYER pieces she had given him from one
Dirty palm to the other.
"No, sir, she answered, as quietly as
before, 1--we been expectin' to go for
Eome time
She turned away and he dropped the
honey into drawer; but his face still
Fore Its doubtful look, and, presently, as
Pc stood beside her on the platform,
Thile the short freight train with its red
faboose steamed slowly up, he yentured
Pne last remark:
"Lemme see, Mis- Fosdick, We ha'nt
hever Travelled on the cars afore. have
ey'
His tone said, Hadn't you better think
vice before you do it this timer But
ne answer came as quietly as before:
NO, Mr.. Stephens, never have. Good
PnoFnn, sir" And she stepped toward the
ram, which was coming toa standstill in
compliance with the request conveyed by
very dilapidated flag.
lie could but help her up the high.
R@kward steps and hand her satchel after
lief' out the look of doubt intensified to
pne OF disapproyal as the red caboose dis
appeared among the pines at the river
pehd' and he shook his lead as much as
ION had shaken his tail.
1aSes folks don't know it, I'll bet a
rehe' What in times set the old woman
pat Ter sneak off that way?"
Meantime the old woman, sitting on
Tue hard, shiny cushions of the jerky ear,
Twas Old no longer. She was young Lucy
IVES Inc prettiest girl in Bilbury, and
pug was setting forth along the brightest
i''u"ay that ever opened before will
1s woman feet No, she was not Lucy
IVES either; she was Lucy Fosdick now;
~ was not handsome Isaac Fosdick sit
ns tlefe beside herr And had not Par
u paoott pronounced them man and
h, ns TWO hours ago? There was her new
sA salchel under the seat, and there
w. ~aa d certain little hair trunk somewhere
~ 'op With the driver. Ike and he had
roIl Teu u away carefully, and they were
- sd,lS aiong the river road to Bickford
t,ts a'. as Bill Hankin's best team could
srao, .neni, the woods and fields looked
rema,n, ana more sunshiny than sheever
AMI .oereu TO have seen them before,
aas slad' new life, with all the thun.
sss neads of possible tronbla or ,,r, 10