The Flagstaff sun-democrat., 1897-02-11

minded it at all; 1t was a spinal weak 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 rough, merry set, but Mir. 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 Il and was called the Bloomsboro' Budget, because she carried all the news, came home with the dreadful intelligence that Mir. Pigeon was going to move away, no one would believe it.
 ''In 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. Mir. 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 iu 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 possess sion there so long; but she was Hitty, and he should give it up to her. That was what Mir. Pigeon said in answer to the indignant remonstrances of the Bells. She was Hitty; 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 Pcquanket 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 theil yellow kitten drowned because he scampered after the flying leaves in hel | ,,la, ha h,, hn; gobbler killed because it ran after hel red morning gown, as a gobbler will 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 q 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 wheE they got better acquainted and she gave Tommy and little Rufus five cents each not to use their bean singers over the fence or make faces 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 remonstrate 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!'
 It was November when Christlne's seat was thrown out of the tree, so she could not have used it any more thnt sea son any way; and when anyone asked her how she was going to do without it in the spring, she always answered.: Per. haps Miss Hitty will be good by that