Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-02-13

older ones seemed, In their hearts, to
share the feeling of Tom and little Ru.
fus, that the only form of approach to
Miss Pigeon was bean-slinger in hand.
The valentine wasn't returned; but
nothing seemed to come of it. The Bells
jane heard from Miss Pigeons Jane
that her mistress hud neuralgia. One
day after March had come, and blue
bird had been seen to alight upon the
high-top sweeting tree, as Christine
came along the garden path there come
shrll. imperative voice through thc
lnothole in the fence.
"If you have any more of those
leaves, stuff them through the knot
hole; il you have the whole diary throw
it over the fence"
OF course Christine wasn't going TO
do that with the diary that seemed SO
precious; but she did send II around to
Miss Pigeons door by old Jeremy, the
gardener, for none of the boys would
60.
1t was about q week after that a man
made, under Miss Pigeons direction,
new seat in the crotch of the apple tree
"a scat that was delightfully."- comfort
able for a back that wasn't straight.
Miss Pigeon seemed to know just how.
When it was finished she went up and
examined it and tried it. Then she
called to Christine, who was sitting on
the porch.
I'm a cantankerous old woman. I
was born cantankerous," she said. But
there's your seat!"
No one at the Belfry knew what to
think of Miss Pigeon; it was little Ru-
fus' opinion that a good fairy had
| tapped her with her wand and turned
her into something else, and he was
much disappointed to find, on peeping
through the knothole, that che looked
| just the same.
"It's delightful" Christine said, slow
| ly. But it isn't exactly what meant
| by the valentine" she added, to her
self.
But few days after, what Christine
had meant by the valentine really did
| happenl Sometimes things that seem
too good to be true do come to pass in
this world. Miss Pigeon mounted tho
high buggy in which she drove herself
and went down to Pequanket; when she
| CuluC phCh Nlts IlSCOh WAS Will uGlI
Tommy discovered it first as they drove
into the yard and raised shout. All
the young Bells rushed peil-mell into
the apple tree and dropped from it's
branches into Miss Pigeons orchard
,eyen Peggy who was 16--shouting and
laughing and crying all together. They
quite forgot Miss Pigeon until her harsh
voice broke into the whirlwind of greet
ings; with all its harshness there was
queer little quaver in it,!
"He's come back and he's going to
stey," she said. "It is he that belongs
here and not l. If you're born with IL
cross-grained disposition you've got to
get oyer it when you're young or you'll
have to have more'n ten-foot fence be-
tween you and other people! I'm going
back to nursing people in a hospital
yes, 1 can, though you wouldn't think it;
and they like me! There's doctor l
know who has invented a new con-
trivance for-for making backs straight"
her voice really broke now, but she re-
covered herself instantly; they're
easier to straighten than crooked dis
positions! I'm going to send one here,
1 ulhd Ndho " ~ AohC houhSNA
toward Christine, and then she turned
away suddenly. Little Rufus ran after
her-prudently keeping his hand on the
bean-slinger in his pocket. (They had
discovered at an early stage of the ac-
quaintance that if Miss Pigeon had q
weakness it was terror of the beam
slingers.) "Are you really just the
same? Didn't good fairy turn yoll
into something else?" he demanded,
breathlessly.
Miss Pigeon turned and looked down
upon him, her strong features working.
Eyes, she didl" she answered, gruffiy.
"Did she tap you with her wand?''
pursued little Rufus, eagerly, delighted
with this confirmation of beliefs that
we're scorned in his home circle.
"She didn't tap me with a wand
said Miss Pigeon; "she sent me valen.
tine!"-Sophie SWEET, in N. Y. hde
pendent.