The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-14
CHAPTER XVI.


and five women, each owning two hands,
normally furnished with five fingers
apiece, all engaged ON it. How many
fingers all laboring for you, Dren!
There is sum in addition.
Liza Martin held up one hand. On
its index finger small unfinished hat
of plated palmetto gyrated swiftly.
The boy to whom that intricate mathe-
NAUTICAL problem had just been submit
ted brought an ancient hobbyhorse to
an abrupt halt and precipitately dis
mounted, the better to criticise the un-
finished hat.
A moment of reflective silence. With
his pink palmed hands folded behind
his back and his yellow curled head
poised judicially he delivered himself
adversely, MY hat that did float away
ON the duck pond was nicer hat than
that"
II know it was, you small migrate.
That was the work of professional.
She pulled him nearer to her by one
rosy ear "And, Dren, now that hats
are worth their weight in gold, you
must become more circumspect. You
should never have let it float away.
But, Dren, gave you sum in arith-
metic to do, and you have not done it.
How many fingers have worked on this
hat of yours? Come, now, / will help
you little.
mamie Colyer brought the palmetto
from the woods, Mother Martin cured
it, Grandmother Strong split it into
nice little narrow strips, your mother
plated it, and here / am sewing it into
shape You ought to feel tremendously
important, Dren."
~ do" said the boy, promptly APP
propriating her homage.
81 don't doubt it, ~ Liza laughed and
stopped for fresh coil of the plated
palmetto. "You see, we expect great
things of you, Dren. You are all the
man we have about to protect rs when
Seth is out in the fields But how about
that sum? How many hands all work
ing for you!'
TWELVE" said Adrien laboriously.
"Twelvel You must be counting in
your own, Dren, and they don't count
for much at anything yet awhile. You
are wrong Dren. You generally are
wrong.
The boy received this cutting sum-
mary of his own inadequacy with COM
posture. He was more deeply interested
in the work Liza had resumed than in
his own possible shortcomings.
"Is that going to be hat or cap?'
"A hat"
with brim and blue ribbon
band?"
"a brim certainly. A blue ribbon
band! Dren, You are exacting.
II think my grandmother can give
me a blue ribbon band. My grandmoth
| er can give me everything want. Sh'
gets everything out of the big chest il
the hall up stairs. My grandmother ha
everything. Don't you think so too?"
Evidently you approve of your grand
mother, Dren."
'.She is better than my other grand
ma was. She says look like my papa
and sometimes she cries into the bi,
chest My papa is a soldier. He don
come to see mamma any more. M.
grandfather is soldier too. l am
gentleman. l am not soldier.
Everybody is that who is worth call
ing man nowadays, my boy"
"Then Seth is coward?"
Seth is hero. Seth is a martyr
Seth has to stay at home to feed SINAI
boys, who let their hats get away fror
them on duck ponds, and good for moth
ing women, who can neither fight nc
hoe corn.
"Then are you good for nothing
Liza?''
Eyes, emphatically. Then, with
ripping laugh: "Dren, you are del
ciously entertaining. What would "
do without our one small gentleman
There was dash Of triumph in b'
= voice. She had kept the faith. She ha
promised Strong to "see that affair
D Adrien's wife and boy properly attcn'
: ed to-" She was also keeping that 9TH
promise about Mamie Colyer Her viii
/ pered farewell to Strong, "Shc shall IN
| leave me until hor father or her low,