Arizona republican., 1896-03-13
MANDANY'S FOOL.
BY MARY LOUISE POOL.

mans strident, good-humored voice put the above question concerning tomatoes.
 But somebody had heard.
 A woman had been sitting in the kitchen with pan of seek no further apples in her lap. She was pairing and quartering these, and then stabbing the quarters through and stringing them on yards of white twine, pre- paratory to festooning them on the clothes horse which stood in the yard. This horse was already decorated pro- fusely in this way. A cloud of wasps had flown from the drying fruit as the man walked up the path. He swung off his hat and waved the insects away.
 q say, have ye got hungry again for termaters?" he repeated.
 Then he rattled the screen, but it was hooked on the inside.
 He turned and surveyed the three windows that were visible in the bit of a house.
 ''They wouldn't both be gone, n left them apples out" he said to himself. @'I'm bout sure Ann's to home, 'n' she's the one want to see."
 A woman in the bedroom which opened from the kitchen was hurriedly smoothing her hair and peering into the glass She was speaking aloud with the air of one who constantly talks to herself.
 ''Jest as sure as I don't comb my hair the first thing somebody comes" ," She gave last pat and went to the door. There was faint smirk on her lips and flush on her face.
 Her tall f;yure was swayed by a slight, eager tremor as she saw who was standing there. She exclaimed:
 Goodness me! 'Tain't you, MT. Baker, is it? Won't ye talk right in? But I don't want no termarters; they always go aginst me. Aunt Mandany ain't to home"
 ''Oh, ain't she?" was the brisk re- sponse. ''Then I guess I will come in" The speaker pushed open the now unfastened door and entered. He set his basket of tomatoes with thump on the rug, and wiped his broad, red face.
 "Fact is,'' he said with grin, T knew she was gone. I seen her goin' crost the pastur'. That's why come now. I ain't got no longin' to see Aunt Maudany-no, siree, not a grain of longin' to see her. But I thought t would agreeable to me to clap my eyes on to you"
 The woman simpered, made an in articulate sound and hurriedly re- sumed her seat and her apple pairing.
 Wont you se' down, Mir. Baker," she asked.
 Her fingers trembled as she took the alarming needle and jabbed it through an apple quarter. The needle went into her flesh also. She gave little cry ana thrust ner nnger into her mouth. Her large, pale eyes turned wistfully toward her companion. The faded, already elderly mouth quiv- cred.
 ''I'm jest as scar't c'n be if see blood," she whispered.
 Mir. Barker's heavy underlip twitched; his face softened. But he spoke rough ly.
 "You needn't mind that bit CT blood," he said; ''that won't hurt nothin' 1 don't care if I do se' down; ain't drove any this mornin' c'n jest as well as not take hold n help ye. s'pose Man dany left thunderin' lot for ye to do while she's gone?"
 1.-Two bushels" was the answer
 '"The old cat! That's too much. But 'twon't be for both of us, will it, Ann?" The woman said: No"
 She looked for an instant intently at the man who had drawn his chair di- rectly opposite her. He was already pairing an apple.
 ''Fd know what to make of it," she said, still in whisper.
 ''To make of what?" briskly.
 'Why, when folks are so good to mes you be-
 ''Oh, sho', nowl Everybody ain't like your Aunt Mandany.''
 "Sh! Don't speak so loud Mebby she'll be comin' back
 ''No, she won't. No matter if she is 3 The loud, confident tone rang cheeri- 1y in the room.
 During the silence that followed MT. Baker watched Ann's delft fingers.
 Everybody says you're real capa- ble," he marked.
 A joyous red covered Ann's face.
 "I jest about do all the work here,' 5 she said
 She looked at the man again.
 There was something curiously sweet in the simple face. The patient line at each side of the close, pale mouth had strange effect upon Mir. Baker.
 He had been known to say violently in conversation at the store that he ''never seen Ann Tracy 'thout wantin'