Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-08-26

~ only one VIII o
" thinks so. Tn so
glad she is, the girl went on, ''for 1
love to lool; at pretty things. and it
would rositivelyiweigh on my spirits to
live with anyone who was downright
hQmely Not that L have any beauty
myself" she added, with a glance at
the little mirror over the mantle.
"Who would ever think we are sisters? {?
Here's an inventory of my charms
Item one, pug nose; item two, green
gray eyes; item three, what papa calls
my 'peaches-and-c cream complexion;
it wouldn't bo bad ii it We're not for
the freckles, and l suppose that [ shall
have more than ever now that I'm out
in the county"
"Neyer mind the freckles, child:
they's real becomin' when you've only
got few-kinder like so many beauty
spots"
Patty laughed gaily.
'Pm so glad you think so, but talk
ing of beauty, what delicious place
this isl"
1t was Aunt Shebas turn to laugh.
''What, this kitchen? like it because
it's home, l guess, but / never thought
there was anything very edifyin' about
it."
"Oh, don't mean the kitchen par
ticularly, though it's nice and honey,
but inst look out, " and Patty put down
her dish-towel and stepped to the door
to feast her eyes on what lay before.
The hillside with its orchard Of bloom,
the rough stone wall, the well in the
foreground, all appealed to the girls
innate love Of the beautiful.
Its a perfect picture" she ex-
claimed; "AIilly must come here on
her wedding trip, but it won't look
the same in the fall, will it, Auntie?"
''Not exactly; 1 always thought my
self them peach blows was a sight
worth seein," admitted Aunt Sheba,
not without certain satisfaction that
her surroundings should find favor in
the eyes OF her city-bred niece on this
her first visit to the farm.
Patty had come to the country for a
stay of several months preparatory to
settling down as homemaler in Mil
dred's place when the latter should be
married.
''Be just rs much of little girl
rs you can" her father had said in
parting, and Patty was glad to lay
aside her dignity, and forget the weight
of her eighteen years. There was
freshness and freedom about the coun-
try life that charmed the girl-a lack
of conventionaiity in those whom she
met most refreshing to the town bred
maiden.
Patty had been at the homestead but
short time when a change seemed to
come over the house. The sun looked
into the best room every day instead Of
once a week; the chairs had a more in
ylting look drawn away from the wall
/ and arranged with less military pre-
cision, while apple blossoms bloomed
indoors rs well as out. Nor was the
girls influence confined to one room.
In the kitchen, Aunt Sheba found dish
washing pleasure with Patty's nim-
bic fingers to help, and Patty's tongue
making lively accompaniment to the
rattle of plates and cups, while Uncle
Eph took a new pride in his posses
sions since certain little figure,
crowned with large straw hat, often
accompanied him on his rounds about
the farm, and never failed to be inter
ested in what she saw.
Uncle Eph was Jolly, good natured
man, with Il genial warmth Of manner
that won him many friends; some one
had once said that "when Eph Hawley
want maxim jokes himself, you could
depend ont he was laughing at some
body else's." No one knew better than
his wife, however, that underneath this
fun-loying exterior lay,a substratum of
deep and tender feeling, and when he
called her mother she knew that he
felt particularly tender toward her.
/ She knew he was thinking of the time.
years before, when their homo had
been frightened for q few short
months by the presence of baby girl.
who had never learned to speak the
word so dear to a mothers heart II
was Uncle Eph's delicate way of show
ing his sympathy for his wife after
they had ceased to openly mourn their
loss; it was his loss as well, but he felt
! that rer sorrow was the greater.