Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-12
DAMS couRTsHIP.

at Orchard Farm. This was the more
because OF the recent
purchase Of cid silas Morrowbrooks
west pasture. which adjoined Abners
WOOD lot, and which he had long COW
eted' Most of the price he had been
aoie to pay cash down. The rest re-
manned on mortgage until the apples |
should be sold. The sudden and severe |
frost interfered with this arrangement, |
ruined the fruit and left social
anomaly In Windley annals. a Keene in
DEBT. OF course. as old Silas said.
they were good" for the money, many
times over. Orchard farm was one
OF the prettiest bits OF property in the
county. But the obligation weighed
on their sensitive honor and finally
stung Mrs. Miranda Keene into heroic
action.
There were only three OF them, father,
mother and son. The iast. Danforth,
was a bright. sturdy lad with hand
some head. topped with yellow curls.
ana eyes as blue as his grandmother's
best tea set. He could lift his gentle
little mother to the ceiling without
taxing his mighty muscles. He had
even attempted to lift the old gray
morse, much to that good animafs dis
may. Life had been Joyous, bolster
GUS AFFAIR for Dan. Books bothered
him little. He looked them over,
grasped what ideas were IN them
without effort, and then turned
double somersnult.
The farmhouse stood near the gate
oehind group OF pine trees. Miranda
kept II as fresh and neat as one of her
geranium blossoms. There was big
bow window full Of plants In the sit
MA eFs. llsaVr ma
Upstairs the beds We're massive and
| snowy, and the carved posts shone
with the polish OF generations. Next
10 Danforth, her house was Mlrandns
idol. She was slight. delicate little
woman. with a face that, like n faded
roseleaf, never lost its suggestion OF
girlish bloom. Intellectually she was
far ahead OF her husband, whom she
usually regarded as an older boy than
Dan, but even more in need of care
and guidance.
She announced her plan to raise the
mortgage one spring morning ct the
! breakfast table. I'VE could advertise
for some city people for the summer.
| We have boarded the teachers before.
| an there's plenty Of room In the house.
can get Marietta Hodges to help with
the cooking. ] dare say we could make
$500 out of It,"
Abner objected. He didn't want his
/ VIZ winning 10 support MN, ana II
was nuisance TO have strangers
botherlng around. Dan. ON the con.
trary, thought the plan promised ainuse-
ment, and he and his mother carried
the day as usual.
They advertised in a metropolitan
paper and received several answers
One was from a young lady who de.
sired rest and quiet. She was not wen
and had been over-worked. Miranda
liked the note. school teacher. OF
course" she thought, and prepared hcl
favorlte room for the weary one. Mi
randa had special weakness forschoo
teachers. She would have been one her
self IL she hadn't married She though
II the only lady-llke employment for
woman. 'Mirabel Heathcote" was tn,
signature of the note, and II seemed
very musical to Miranda. There wal
also clergyman's family coming, anC
two widows. Mirandas venture prom
ised well financially.
Miss Heathcote was very much n
Miranda had fancled her, slight ant
graceful, with large dark eyes, and hal
= that shone in satiny bands above he
broad, fair brow. She kept n great den
to herself at first Miranda was To-
busy to talk with her, and she did no
, fraternlze with the minister's famil,
or the widows. Dan saw her swinginI
In her hammock as he drove past o.
, his errands into town. one day h
! called out to her to come with him
: She accepted listlessly but looked Il
|, dismay at the high wagon into whicl
, she must climb. In a trice. Dan llrtel
her over the wheel as II she wer
/. thistledown.
"oh, myr' she exclaimed. turnin
about to look at him, That's about a
. good as Sandow can do"
"Oh, that's uothingr declared Oar
whose weak point was-paradoxically-
his strength, why. can lift our oil
e Did you ever see sandow?" aske
: Mirabel.
e mo: who is he?"
i why, he's the strongest man in IN
e world you know. He travels aroun
t and shows what he can do in the the
aires"
I 81 amt never been in a theaytre.
!, answered Dan. soberly. "Mother neve
liked the idea Of EN-. I'd like to &c
the man, though, that can lift NOR
S than / can. There want a boy 9
r school that could begin with me-
}, Mlrabel interrupted him. Why don
your mother like theatres?"
o Dan tossed back his curly head an
+. blushed. why, she thinks they're
s bad. and the actin folks are u har
d lot" he explained, awkwardly.
!. well, 1t wouldn't hurt you Just
L look at them" remarked Mlrabe
a frownlng somewhat Dan thought no
> very pretty she was.
81 don't know much about II myself
n he answered, but 1t does seem kind
bold, the things they say they do. /
Il rather have the fresh air and a goc
g horse on a hard road than the who
pack Of 'em. Say, don't you want son
OF that pink ivy to carry home wit
you? Don't say anything about Il
y theaytre to mother. cause she's del
n set against II. don't know of anythir
ID she hates worse. less II 8 moth miiiers
10 Mirabel received the flowers SILENT
lie The color had deepened in her cheel
lie in the cool morning breeze. Dan notic,
ic 1t. You're chirplng up already" |
he said Il s'pose school teachln's wenrl
RS work ! know I'd hammer all the XII
9. into mush IL they bothered me the WI
At we used TO work 1t on Miss PerlSir
IS You never knew Miss Perkins. did yol
Id / s'pose you might. bein in the san
Or business"
le NO" answered Mirabel. II new
Of saw her."
e, "Well. she didn't look much like yo
to She came from Four Corners. an 81
re wore spectacles an when she got mi
n her frizzes would slip around ov
W her ear. Do you whale your BIO
ne much2'
q. she nnswered. but / don't see I
d. v,hy YOU feel so toward the theafl
In I'rn sure II would be a great deal easl
IN 10 gel your living By dancing al
Il. singing a little every night than
r would by grubbing all day in a mas
IL 81 dunnor' Dan shook his head d
q .-.a,.t,. flv "a woman n1lpbt "a