Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-09-03

sifted. 1t takes quite good deal of
time to sift it."
ga pauper? Did you say she was a
pauper?"
"Bless you, yes! She amt got a
red cent in the world, but she don't
know it."
"Do you always sift salt for your
paupers?" The strangers hands un-
clasped and his leg fell Imply. He
looked up at Mrs. lothian in un-
feigned amazement.
"Bless you, mol But humor her.
lothian sort of scolds me for it, but
his scoldin's amt only skin-deep. He
humors her, too. He STAINS dread
full lot of orderin' an geein' round to
humor her, an Jotham's a real inde-
pendent man, too. He's dreadful
proud of ownin' this PLACE an keepin'
it up 80 nice an neat. Mis- Angeline
tries him good deal. Her notions
of farmin' don't just match Jotham's,
an she makes it real kind of embarras-
sim sometimes.
Generally lothian can get along
all right without lettin' Mrs Angeline
know about everything. But I've
known lothian to swaller some dread
full big farmin' pills for Miss Angeline.
He planted the medder-patch to corn
this year, when he was all planned
to SOW it to oats an lay it down
next season, Jest to humor her.
An he fenced in the new
pasture with rails when he wanted to
make barb-wire fence. He done
that to humor Mis- Angeline. Jo-
tham's bark good deal worse'n his
bite. Mrs. lothian plunged the sitter
into the bowl and held it over the
blue-edged platter on her knee. The
stranger watched the fine snow gather
in little drift under the sitter. He
waited impatiently for the rest of the
story.
"5he was brought here to board
the town brought her-an' it pretty
near broke her heart. She's real
proud feelln'. She thought 'twould
kill her to go to the poor house, an it
almost did. She took on go an
grieved so it sent her into fever an
she most died of it. When she come
out at last she.warn't just herself"
Mrs. lothian laid down the wire
strainer to touch her own forehead
with explanatory significance. The
stranger bowed silently his recogni-
tion of the explanation.
"She come to thinkin' she owned
this place. every stick an stone on it,
~ Vot nyyt - Co
her-hired out to her, you know.
She's thought SO ever since. We amt
had the heert to undeceive her, poor
soul We'd ruther stan little or
derin' an geein'. She's real happy
an contented, an she don't mean to
be too particular with us. It's only
special particular days she has-to-
days one-when it's kind of embar-
1assin' for me an for Jotham."
The bees buzzed round the salt
bowl in evident anticipation of finding
1t sugar. The stranger watched a
growing dust cloud down the road
materialize into farm wagon, clat-
tering past. He turned back to Mrs.
lothian il undIsguised relief.
"Tell me the rest of it," he said
again.
Up across the field toward the house
lothian was walking wearily. He came
out and sat down on the lower step,
too, nodding socially to the stranger.
Mrs. lothian glanced up from heI sift.
ing.
"Tuckered out, Jotham?" she said.
eyes, be; all creation tuckered l''
"You got the dreen laid yet?"
lothian shook his head dejectedly.
He followed his wife's glances across
the fence to Mis- Angeline's, involun-
tarily. She was still doing. and a
beam of sunlight had crept through
the syrlnga leaves and played over
her cheek. 1t cast little quivering
shadows of the leaves. lothian looked
back, up at his wife, and their eyes
met.
"Well, that dreen's a good thing,
Hannah" he said refectively. "It's
a good thing. Mis- Angeline done us
good turn that time, orderip."
Another dust cloud rose at the
roads vanishing point, and the atran-
ger eyed it with increasing suspicion.
1t took on greater proportions and
shot suddenly into a reality of two
men pedaling something along on
their wheels. The stranger got up.
"I'm much obliged" he said. "I've
been good deal interested in your
boarder over there. Is there any
more to the story?"
"There amt any more to it," Mrs.
lothian said simply. With few more
polite words the stranger mounted his
machine and went to meet his friends.
He lifted his straw hat to Mis- Ange-
line as he passed by her, though she
did not look up to notice the salute.
"Now, warn't that nice in him, Jo-
tham," Mrs. lothian murmured ap.
preciatively, "takin' all that pains to
please her? Some folks has plenty OF
the juice of human kindness in 'em,
and some is all dried up. That young
mans one of the juicy kind"
They watched the bicycles glide
away out of sight, and then Mrs.
lothian went in to get Mis- Angeline'a
ten