The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-07-22
FARMER TIPTON'S NIECE.

FARMER TIPTON'S NIECE.
Her Unexpected Visit Brought
About Two Happy Marriages.
II don't like girls!" said Farmer Tip
ton.
His houselkeeper made no answer.
I'm fact" added Mr.. Upton, II hate
'em!'
Still Mrs. Martin did not reply.
''But what can do about it?" he re-
sumed. IF I'd had twcnty-four hours
notice, I would have gone over to
fair growled Mr.. Upton; but here
comes this letter like a stroke of light
ming, to tell me the girl will be here to-
night!'
Mrs Martin smiled little and went
on with her work, the picking over of
Upton was particular in his eating.
and although Hester, the maid-of- all
work, was skillful in the use of pots
and pans, he never could relish any
thing which was not of1Mrs. Martins
cooking.
ready for her." said Mr.. Upton. ''She'n
have to say all night in any event. But
I shall send her back again tomorrow
morning. I don't want a niece to live
with us. If had wanted anything of
the sort, I could have asked for it, 1
suppoa...''
Mr.. Upton lived in a pretty old farm
house, stcep-roofed and Swallowed by
monster button-ball boughs-a house
where Tiptons innumerable had been
born and died, where every stone wall
had its associations and the very apple
trees and gooseberry bushes were de-
cEning into an honorable old age, with
ichen-covered stems and crispy, dead
boughs breaking away with every wind.
1t is, perhaps, unnecessary to add that
he was an old bachelor, as full of whims
and caprices as ever old bachelor was.
Nobody, said the neighbors, could get
along with him but Stella Martin; and
she couldn't if it had not been that she
and Thomas Upton had been boy and
girl together, and, somehow, were used
to each other, in the days before Stella
married that wild, reckless young Mar
tin, who spent her money and broke
her heart in such short order, and then
shot himself in n gambling saloon.
Such a merry, laughing gypsy as she
used to be, and now
'Why,'' cried the neighbors, ''she
don't speak to nobody!''
1t was lovely old place. Uol1yhocks
clustered in the garden, tapglcs of vel
vet red sweet-williams bordered the
path and bushes of dark southernwood
hung over the door steps. To Mr.. Tip
ton it was the dearest spot in the world.
Mrs. Martin used to bring the family
mending out into the porch, sometimes.
of q summer evening, and look w.stful-
ly at the red sunset shining through the
trunks of the cedar trees. But what
ever her impressions might have been,
she kept them to herself.
If Mr.. Upton did not like the idea of
a young girl visitor beneath the ancient
roof of Upton Hall, Phebc Cresshill
liked it. still less.
*'You can send me out into the wilder
nesses much as You like, said
Phebc, crying Il whole river Ganges of
tears into her trunk, as she threw slip
Pers, collars. cologne bottles and work
baskets, an homogeneous mass, into its
depths; "but I never, never shall leave
off caring for Harry! Not if You were
to send me to Alaskan
sChild,' said Mrs. Crcsshill, sharply.
''don't be goose! The engagement is
to be broken off, and there is an end of
the whole" thing!'
but smile to herself. It was all very
we'll for mamma to talk. but ma ma
did not know that the bakers boy had
carried at the bottom of the basket of
rolls n note to Harry Havens, and that
Harry knew, we'll as she did herself,
that she WIS going to a Grabbed old
uncle down in New Hampshire, and
that she should always, always love
him, no matter what they said to her
or whittier they sent her.
And SO, in the peaceful purple after
glow of the juno evening, Phebc Cress-
hill and Mr.. Upton eyed each other
with mutual disfavor.
How do You do, nncle?'' said Pf1ebe,
with a stiff little courtesy.
'.Oh!" said Mr.. Upton. 'sThis is the
girl, is it? Yes. How do you do? Mrs.
Martin. here, will give you some sup
per-
And he went off to make sure that
the barn doors were properly locked
and the hen house secured, for there
was a rumor of burglars in Quiet VAL
ley, and Mr.. Upton had the finest AL
derney cows and the choicest breed of
Brahma fowls in the neigh borhood.
lit stands to reason said he, that
they'll come first to me. And I don't
mean to be taken unawares."
Mrs Martin poured the fragrant tea
and served the hot, buttered biscuit and
honey in the comb. Phebe chol<ed back
the tears that would come and tried to
eat something.
''Will you go to your room now?'' said
Mrs. Martin.
Eyes, please!'' faltered Phebe.
It was a spacious, low-ceiled room,
full of the sweet scent of dried lavcn-
der, and furnished with shining cherry
wood presses and hiRh-baclxed chairs.
Martin.