The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-03-13
81 neart mlsgaye ner strongly. 1


did laugh consumedly when, as she
reached the rough stone steps before the
porch. she saw little Peter Smith get
ting down from tall, sleek mule. He
was black and impish looking, with
bpshy hair wrapped in hundred little
tails that stood out about his head and
cave his face the look of being framed
in caterpillars. His ragged straw hat
made halo back of the tails, and his
thin black neck was lost in the collar
of a fnan S shirt, very stiff and dazzling
ly white. Trousers that almost matched
the shirt in size were .gallowsed quite
under the armpits and had been patched
ITO the degree of high art In spite Of
I'Fawing up thcrewas a Zig roll of them
Hbove each ankle. The left foot was
bare, except for broken spur tied on
With Irvine. The right had been thrust
Into q woman's ragged shoe.
He came toward her as though he
were hundred years old, dropped his
bat upon the ground, pushed back his
enormous surplus of sleeve and held out
to her note in a cream laid envelope
with red and gold B upon the flap of
it.
~ How you Goes, Miss Rob, an how's
de ole marsters" he asked mournfully.
S'"Please, marn,. tell Marse Ben 1 amt
fergot ter AK you dat, case he say eff
does fergit he ywine whup me, an of
don't he gwine gimme er feeshin hook. F."
''I'll see to it you get that fishing
hook, Peter" Rob said, twirling the
missive between thumb and finger. She
had no thought that it related to aught
savedhe result of the Inquiries Mr.. Top
mark had volunteered to make. Far
from taking his visit to herself, she had
set it to conjunction for past neglect
awakened by present sorrow. Now her
mind said: "Mr. Topmark is recover
ing from his grief. dare say this fine
stationery will very shortly be in use
for other things than friendly business. I"
So she was trife startled when little
Peter broke in, "Miss Rob, please,
marin, write er answer ter dat dar
note, case he-Marse Ben-say eff l
don't fetch one back he gwine tan lie
erlive."
.f\ "Oh, reckon he was only joking
\ \put that, Rob said, unfolding the
4 Nsive. Next minute her hand fell.
WAS laughing aloud in real aid un-
\lled merriment.
she wants the pleasure of ny COM
pany for the whole big meeting" she
said; eying the sheet with ,Isdainful
amusement. "What a MOI polist he
must think am! And, oh, What joke
on Mrs. Winfield it is that lie has asked
) 3iel / have a great mind to go with
Jim, once, just to see how green she
will turn"
A'quick thought shot through her and
brought the red to her face. Something
Whispered that thus she could show
Jack how little she cared for his treach-
cry. 1t was treachery of the blacklist
sort. Alice Winfield was truthful. She
would never have come to Rob with her
tale had there not been fact behind it,
No doubt Jack had hoped she would
come. Perhaps even now he was But
she would think no worse of him than
she could possibly help. He had been
her friend, perhaps was still her friend.
He was impulsive. 1t might be his
compassion had carried him too far
Wet she had not willfully appealed to
his sympathies. No. she could not ac-
suit him of deliberate trifiing. How
\ 3lad she was to remember that she had
SPOKEN as she did Yet how her cheeks
burned, remembering his warm clasp
ard the quick, delicious tremor it had
i eLt through her.
too, can amuse myself, p" Rob said
very low. Then she sd ii to Peter: $50 on
to the kitchen while write my note. 1t
will not take long, just long enough for
Iou to eat watermelon. Nam Liza
will give you one. Do you think you
care about it?'
Peter vanished like shadow. Some
how the note took lung Sine, though
when finished it was but a line. Rob
scrawled it upon scrap of paper, fold
ed it narrowly and tied it in cooked
hat
"Teddy Barton will likely say that
is q true love knot she said, with
low laugh. Then she sat holding it fast,
thinking, thinking over all the week
had brought. Jack-Jack did love her
after q cowardly fashion. He had fallen
not like her. She did like Alice Win
fold best of all the world. Anyway
nothing concerning him could touch her
any more. She was grieve1, half heart
broken indeed but it was at finding
him SO much less noble and manly than
}xhe had thought, not through any feel
Shg personal to herself
She had lost her friend, the friend
DO had made so large a part of life.
ct was harder thanlosing hundred
Myers But she did not sigh over it,
Nc seemed indeed to herself to stand
.ah i've and outside herself, looking curl.
outIytat the turmoil within an alien
sou(i. With senses tepsely alert, she
notNd the 1ssia wliee.:,,gs of the
nui kas:ng birds about the hbneysuclIles
sld'how delicately the red Of the wood
b7no trumpets melted into the gold of
their tips. The vines had but sparse
flowers. Rob broke aeiw cluster ard
khrtfct If in her hair fhpn volkod LIGHT