Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-12-16

L w ~ ~ N0"
for lis. as IL is--to Mr.. Punch's regret,
at least-he and she are strangers yet"
He had enclosed a sketch, which sent
Judith into fits of laughter when n
understood it, later; but in the train she
put it away, seeing only u group or.
well-drawn sheep on d rugged hill
with the sea in the distance, ut h foot
of which he had written, sunday on
Seaview Hill-A Happy Family. On
a second and closer examination Sle
understood what the Happy Family
meant. for there was something so RI
diculcusly suggestive in the attitudes
| and the expressions he had put into the
faces Of his sheep that she Mentiied
each one rs a member Of the Hatfield
famiiy-Mr. Hatfield lying down. with
his head on one side. looking pe,lsivtly
out to sch. Mrs. Hatfield beside him.
with her mouth open, in the act OF ffet-
fully bleating. Lucy and Frank as
| lambs. gambolipg 1T a little distance
Willie John himself. representa- rs Il
! m.sshapen, crooked legged sheep. stood
apart regarding them all; later. she
| learned that he had not accompanied
them.
Judith was warm. dusty and tired
when she reached town: but, having
swallowed Z cup of tea ut the terminus,
She proceeded 10 the Metropolitan rail
way. where she took train for Rich-
mond. She did not 1T all care b
her task, for. if there WAS II person
i'm the world whom she thoroughly dis
trusted and disliked, that person was
Edith Barclay. nee C~hatworthy.
Two years previously, Miss Chatwor-
thy had arrived N Il visit To Mrs.
Gardiner, and. being consequently.
thrown very much into the society or
the Hatfields, she had speedily selected
then as her especial friends. Mrs,
Gardiner knew very little o the
girl. having only met her in town az
the house Of an aunt, where she al
ways behaved so like Il lady that the
wears wife, won over by an artfuily-
wonied story of her friendieSsness,
kindly asked her TO visit her.
Arrived at Claxton Njcarage, MISS
Chatworthy proved TO be little better
than a Thoroughbred tlirt and adven-
turesS. She went out boating, fishing
and walking mt all hours with any OF
the ClaXtCn young men who her.
hired horses and flies for drives. myit-
ed her acquaintance to the vicarage.
ent:ced Elsie into all sorts of disreputa-
BILE seripes. ana mt length so dismayed
kindly -intentiGptd Mrs. Gardiner ny
her conduct that that lady was forced
TO ask her to terminate her visit.
That Miss Chatworthy profeSsed her
self Obliged to do, she having promised
10 spend a fortnight with the iiatflelis;
and To LOrne Road she went. foolish
Mrs. Hatfield having regarded her mis-
conduct from Elsie'S point OF view IN
preferences 20 needing the remonstfS,n-
ces Of Mrs. .iardE scr, Il piece OF folly
She had To regret when M,Ss Chatwor-
thy had taken her departure at the end
of a month, ard the bills she had in
Cured for confectionery, haberdashery,
boating and riding were SEN 10 the
Hatficlds for payment.
Elsie persisted in keeping up 4 cor
re~spondence with Miss Chatworthy,
who appeared TO have no home aud 10
relations. For eighteen months Elsie
reported her rs being at different
places, until ut last, after a short ST.
lence, she received Il letter announcing
that Miss CEatworthy had met a cap
tain in the merchant service at Ports
mouth, who had fallen in love with her
and married her. Since then Judy had
only heard that Captain and Mrs. Bar
clay lived at Myrtle Cottage, Rich
mopd. and thither, with anything but
pleasant a~nticipations. h was bound.
She had little difficulty in finding the
cottage-an uLtidy looking little place,
with an uncared-for garden, dingy lace
curtains to its four windows. venetian
blinds all awry and n very dirty O
step. However, a ~tidy-looking maid
servant answered her knock and stared
hard at Judith's dark, pale face, under
the simple black hat and at her neatly
gloved hands and ~fawn-colored dress.
Having decided within herself that the
servant was not very intellectual, Jul
dith altered her original programme by
asking. imperatively
rs Mrs. T%ownshend within '-hop-
ing to disconcert the girl and cause her
to tell the truth; but she was very
much disappointed to receive for a re-
ply:
Mrs. Townshend don't live here,
miss; | don't know the name ut all"
But Mrs. Barclay lives herc-I wish
to see her. Is she Within"
"Ye-es, miss"--and the girls stolid
face grew very red-''but she won't see
any one, especially il it's charity"
1T isn't anything of that sort, my
good girl. Mrs. Barclay is-an ac-
quaintance of mine, and I arr sure she
will see, me ut once. Kindly show me
the way to hers And with an air that
completely subdued the girl, Judith
stepped over the threshold, and smil-
ing, half-gloomily, half-amusedly, fol-
owed the girl to the nearest door, which
she flung open, saying. "A lady to see
you, num-" and shut the visitor in.
For a moment judy was only con
sciouS that she was in the ultidiest
room that she had ever seen in her life.
The dingy curtains were looped up
anyhow, the communicating, chintz-
covered furniture was dusty and dlsar-
ranged, the gaudy CARPET was Uttered.
and in the window, huddled up on his
perch, was n misunderstanding canary.
The cheap-looking. open piano was
strewn with music, and some books and
k~nick-kancks on the small comfortable
had been pushed aside to make room
fer a japan ned taa-tray set for two per-
sons. just as Judith's heart gave a
heavy throb rs the thought struck her
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