Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-02-11

ness which had bowed her shoulders and
twisted her head to one side. The
others didn't mind much when Chris
tine was left out of things; they were
a rough, merry set, but Mr.. Pigeon
had always remembered her. His
twist was in one of his legs; he had to
wear an uncomfortable iron boot, and
walked with a queer, sideways mo-
ton.
When Becky, who was II and was
called the Bloomsboro' Budget, because
she carried all the news, came home
with the dreadful intelligence that Mr..
Pigeon was going to move away, no
one would believe it.
Gin the first place, it's too dreadful
to be true, and in the next place he
would have told us" said Peggy.
But it really proved to be true. Mr..
Pigeons sister-his own sister!-had
gone to law to obtain a share of her
grandfather's estate, which he had
failed to bequeath to her because she
had gone contrary to his wishes in
some way, and the only share that she
would have was that old estate on
Pippin Hill. Perhaps the law might
force her TO take something else as
her share, since he had held posses
sion there so long; but she was Kitty,
and he should give it up to her. That
was what Mr.. Pigeon said in answer
to the indignant remonstrances Of the
Bells. She was Kitty; that was all
| he would say; perhaps it wasn't much
| of a reason, but the Bells understood.
| We all know what it is to give up things
| to people just because they are ky
| or Polly or John.
So it happened that the Bells dear
Mr.. Pigeon went away to little house
| that he owned down at Pequanket Mills
| and Miss Mehitable Pigeon came to live
at the old place on Pippin Hill and
| owned half of the high-top sweeting
| tree.
| And the very first thing she did
it was September when she came-was
to threaten to have Tommy Bell ar
rested, because when he shook their
| side of the tree her side shook too, and
she said the top of the tree leaned to-
ward their side and more apples fell
| there, so when the apples were picked
| and divided she must have an extra
bushel. She threatened to have their
yellow kitten drowned because he
scampered after the flying leaves in her
garden, and, she did have their cross
| gobbler killed because it ran after her
red morning gown, as a gobbler VIII,
you know, and gobbled at her. He
| wasn't much loss, and she sent him home
plucked and dressed, with the message
| that she should have eaten him if she
had not feared he would be tough.
She complained that Becky's peacock
squawked and Dicky's guinea pigs
squeaked, and the vane on their stable
had "a rusty squeak that kept her
| awake nights; and if one of the little
Bells mounted the fence she came out
and 'shooed' him off as if he were a
chicken.
Christine, who was inclined to look on
the bright side and to think well of every
one, said that she would probably grow
better when they got better acquainted,
and she gave Tommy and little Rufus
five cents each not to use their bean
| through the knothole.
| But instead of growing better their
new neighbor grew worse. She had the
mutual fence built up ten feet high, she
! had the branches of the sweeting tree
Topped off where they interfered with
the fence, and Christine's seat thrown
down to the ground so roughly that it
was broken. She said she had let peo-
pie impose upon her all her life, and she
wasn't going to any more.
Papa Bell, who was an easy man and
absorbed in his business, said he sup
posed that SO many children and squeak
| ing things did make them troublesome
neighbors; but he thought they should
have to demonstrate with Miss Pigeon
/! about the fence, because it took away so
| much of their sunshine. Christine begged
him to wait; she always would believe
that people were going to be better, and
| she knew there must be something good
about Miss Pigeon because she looked
like her brother-"only the twist
| seemed to be in her mind, poor thing!"
1t was November when Christmas
seat was thrown out of the tree, SO she
could not have used it any more that sea-
son anyw and when anyone asked her
how she was going to do without it in
| the spring, she always answered: Per
| haps Miss Kitty will be good by that
| time" But that transformation didn't
I seem in the least likely to anyone else
She never forgot that Mr.. Pigeon had
said she was Kitty, though how she
could ever be Kitty to nybody was more
| than the other young Bells could.under-