Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-08-08

'"rhen what she do 'um for?' per-
sisted Mr.. Baker.
'sShe says they're good 'nough to
swOp for groceries in the spring.
Mr.. Baker made q deep cash in an
apple and held his tongue.
Ann continued her work, but she
took a good deal of Seek-no- further
with the skin in a way that would
have shocked Aunt Mandany.
Suddenly she raised her eyes to the
sturdy face opposite her and said:
II guess your wife had real good
time, didn't she, Mr.. Baker, when she
was livin'?'
+ Mr.. Baker dropped his knife. He
glanced up and met the wistful gaze
upon him.
Something he had thought long dead
stirred in his conscience.
II hope so," he said gently. II do
declare l tried to make her have a
good time"
"How longs she ben dead?"
Most 10 years. We was livin' down
to Norris Corners them
The man picked up his knife and
absently tried the edge of it on the
ball of his thumb.
II s'pose," said Ann, chat folks are
sorry when their wives die?"
Mr.. Baker gave short laugh.
"Wall, that depends"
ooh, does it? thought folks had to
love their wives n be sorry when
they died"
Mr.. Baker laughed again. He made
no other answer for several minutes.
At last he said:
II was sorry enough when my wife
died"
A great pile of quartered apples was
heaped up in the wooden bowl before
either spoke again.
Z Then Ann exclaimed with a piteous
intensity:
ooh, I'm awful tired of bein' Aunt
Mandany's fool' -,
Mr.. Baker stamped his foot invol-
unfairly.
. GLOW jew know they call you that? ?"
he cried in great voice.
II heard Jane Littlefeld tell Miss
Monk she hoped nobody'd ask Man
dany's fool to the sociable. And Mr..
Fletcher's boy told me that's what
folks called me-"
"Confound Jane Littlefeld! Confound
that imp Of boy!"
These dreadful words burst out furi-
ously.
Perhaps Ann did not look so shocked
as she ought.
'Tain't no use denyin' it, she said;
Il amt just like other folks, m that's
q fact. Things all run together, some
now. NJ the back er my heads odds
1t can be-"
Pooh, what of it? There can't be
any Of us think stiddy; N if we could
what would it amount to, should like
to know? 1t wouldn't amount to a row
of pins"
Ann dropped her work and clasped
her hands. Mr.. Baker saw that her
hands were hard, and stained almost
black on fingers and thumbs by much
cutting Of apples.
eye see," she said in a tremulous
voice, sometimes think if mother
had lived she'd treated me so't could
think stiddier. s'pose mother'd loved
me. They say mothers do. But Aunt
Mandany told me mother died the year
II got my fail lfrom the cherry tree,
I was 8 then. don't remember moth
in bout it, nor bout anything much.
Mr.. Baker do you remember your
mother?''
Mr.. Baker said eyes," abruptly.
Something made it impossible for him
to say more.
'I'd know how tits; went on the
thin minor voice: "but it always did
seem to mes though if could remem-
Der my mother I could think stiddier.
Do you think 1 could?"
Mr.. Baker started to his feet.
'.I'll be blamed # l en- STAN it," he
shouted. "No, nor won't STAN it,
nuther!''
He walked noisily across the room.
He came back and stood in front Of
Ann, who had patiently resumed work.
"Come," he said, l think lot Of
We. Les git married"
Ann looked up. She Strengthened
herself.
"Then should live with you?" she
asked.
"Of course"
She laughed.
There was so much of confident hap
piness in that laugh that the mans
heart glowed youthfully.
II shall be real glad to marry you,
Mr.. Baker," she said.
Then with pride. "'N' can cook,
m l know firstrate how to do house
work."
She rose to her feet and flung up her
head
Mr.. Baker put his arm about her.
'Let's go right along now," he said,
more quickly than he had yet spoken.
'We'll call to the minister's N engage
him. You en- stop there. Well be
married to-day"
Cant you wait till en- put on my
bunnit m shawl?" Ann asked.
She left the room. In few mo-
ments she returned for going. She
had a sheet Of note-paper, a bottle Of
ink and 4 pen in her hands.
II en- write" she said confidently,
m call it fairer to leave word for
Aunt Mandany.'
GAIL right" was the response; 'go
ahead"
Mr.. Baker said afterward that he
never got much more nervous in his
life than while Ann was writing that
note. What If Mandany should ap-
pear? He wasn't going to back out,
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