Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-19

nest que 10 premier pas" etc. Miss
Walton, having looked at two, conclud-
ca she might as well sec the others, but
she never meant to ask questions about
thcm-as she had to when Esther wen.
j. to see what mob would like for her
tea. Cousin Bart had brought in bag
of plump and tempting 'partridges"
that evening, and was beginning to
| puzzle Esther very much, when she re-
memberel how impccunious u person
| Bart had ever been, to account Cor the
supplies which he began to fetch from
| town.
| And so things were going trifle bet
ter at the old homestead towards the
end of December. Hopeful letters came
from Walton. The Parmelee party
were having difficulty in getting reli-
able evidence against him; his friends
were making him entirely comfortable
i'll his confinement, ana his lawyer as
sured him that his release would be
effected in a very few days. Floyd wrote
that an aid-de-camp of the general COM
nanding had come with Lieut.. Warning
10 see him, and to say that his case was
Icing investigated and that, as yet, nc
charges had been preferred by the COM
mander of his troop. Little delicacies
and luSuries in the way of tea, jellies,
preserves and wine-things to which
they had been strangers since early in
the war-were finding their way in and
greatly comforting the invalid mother,
and, could their doctor but say the dear
lady was really mcnding, the girls
would have had hope and courage, hut
the doctor could not say.
Owe got to go to Quitman for two
days on business. Esther" said Cousin
Bart one keen morning. land reckon
Ill ask DIR. Talconer to come back with
me, # you don't mind, and have n day
ut the birds. They'll all be gone in q
week # this weather keeps on
"You have deeper reason than that
Barton. saw you with DIR. Coleman
when he went out last night It's con-
sultation, is it not:?"
"Why, CT co'se want Coleman to have
u chance to talk it over with Falconer,
and he'd like it, too. Falconcr's more
up to date, the old man says, and he
thinks perhaps the new school knows
something with tryin'. You see, Cousin
Lou amt pickin' up fast as she ought
to-"
II see it all too plainly, Bart. What
I don't see is where all the money is
to come from TO pay for doctors and
consultations and-and-" Big tears
began yelling in her soft, sad eyes.
Bart, where does it all como from now ?
How do we get all these dainties? You
can't spare it. 1t mustn't be Mr.. Lam
bert's-"
"Now just don't you bother bout
that, Esther. l made a raise, tell YOU
There's old Uncle Pete and that no.
count niger Frank been OWN your
mother on last years crawp o. cawt'r
all this time. l made them pony up, an
told Hicks I'd sell out his mule an
cart + he didn't pay-made him baw,vo
the money"
THAT wouldn't begin to cover the
cost. of what you've been having sent up
from New Orleans-thc expressage
even"
"Now just don't you bawwo trouble"
Zone in sentence wasn't too much
for Potts. When they doubled up on
him he confessed iudgment.) Lam
bert tends to all that. Uncle Sam, he
says. pays freight CT commissary stores.
Just dos say, and We'll fetch Cousin
Lou round all right yet, and find some
body to rent the old place and send yo'
all down to Biloxi for the winter. But
I'll tell you what l do think, Esther;
4 y'ought to have Lambert over to sleep
in my room while I'm gone. He'll
come"
But when Lambert came to tea that
night half expecting to be welcomed
to Cousin Bart's place in his absence,
n surprise awaited him. Esther, with
| Joy in her eyes, blushingly told him
that her husband would be with them
before nine o'clock. A telegram had
announced his release and speedy COM
ing.
There's no train over before morn.
ing, is there?' he asked.
"No--but-Nfr. Scroggs took the stage
at noon for Vernon, up north of here
and will get a horse there"
nANs dS ~ was CNlueuU tIhC she looked
any moment for that longed-for COM
ing. Lambert decided to slip back to
camp instead of spending an hour in
chat or reading, as he usually did. AT
this Miss Katesie's big blue-gray eyes
were opened wide with surprise, then
lowered in confusion, for he turned to
look at her.
ooh! Goodnight, Miss Walton" he
laughingly exclaimed. II had almost
hoped you would ask me to stay"
| "Ah don't know wh'a All should" was
the prompt and pouting reply. ISIS
ter Esthuh can if she likes"
| "She doesn't like, to-night--os mat
ter of course. l couldn't expect her
to. But as your good mother is sleep
70 9,