The times., 1898-02-13

! phine,n she said, sharply a.
And poor Josephine stepped meekly t
the other side of the table. her face a
expressionless as wax dolrs.: Just theI
the door bell rang vigorously. and jose
phine disappeared to answer it. -
Its that Durfey man. she said
shortly, taking her place behind my c1ai
where she could escape my reproyini
glance.
| Deacon Durfey?" said John. "Yoi
go in and entertain him, Aunt Tilda
while Annie and finish our dessert. w,
will be in pretty soon.'
So Aunt Tilda left us, and John
brought his coffee around near the
! fire by me. and we talked Of things
! which were somehow never mention.
ed When Aunt Tilda was there. Jose
phine was busy in the kitchen. and
from the parlor came a continuous
| murmur of voices. John listened with
twinkle in his eye.
They seem to be very well enter
tained,' he remarked dryly
John, l do believe you invited Dea-
con Durfey up here on purpose
We'll, he admitted, Il met him
wandering along the street like stray
goat. and he looked so sort of mourn
full with that weed on his hat. /
| thought 1 would ask him up
GU are an angel" was my feeling
comment | was thankful that John's
reverence for his aunt did not extend
TO her admirers. The idea of Deacon
Durfey as stray goat gave me much
lively satisfaction. / saw him vivid
~, short little man; his gray beard
thin and pointed; his ears pointed: and
ms clean-shaven upper lip drawn in
tiny wrinkles over full upper teeth An
intermittent nibbling motion of the up-
per lip completed the goat likeness.
Annie. said john. after time. do
you Know that we ought to go into the
parior? Aunt Tilda will feel hurt if we
don't"
Surely, we needn't both waste the
evening, l replied You go up stairs
ana smoke, and 1 will go in and talk to
the Deacon. and then by and by you can
come down and | will excuse myself
SO John went up stairs to his after-din-
ner cigar and l Joined Aunt Tilda and
Deacon Durfey in the parlor. found
the Deacon occupying a large armchair
sitting well to the front and very
straight. that his short legs might reach
the floor.
Miss Ashland" said he, I'VE were just
talking about the Sudburys and how they
went berrying over in Jones pasture
last summer. when they had plenty of
berries in their own lot
What was the matter. Deacon Dur
fey?" L asked, inuocently. II thought
that hucllleberries were common prop
erty"
But that isn't the idee.'' he rejoned
hastily. The idee is, picking buckle
berries in other folks lot when you've
got plenty in your own. 1t amt right.
L have just been talking with her about
ii. and she agrees with me-" ne added.
jerking his thumb with an upward mo-
ton toward Aunt Tilda.
Probably you are right. Deacon Dur
fey" said l, seeking to guide the CON
versatiOn into safer channels. And soon
he was occupied in giving Us an account
of a meeting which he had been -'privi-
legged to attend as a delegate" the pre-
vious week.
AT intervals came curious rumbling
sounds from the kitchen-rumble. rum
ble, ROLL. What could Josephine be do
ing? Apparently, she was moving all
the kitchen furniture out of doors. At
last. in the midst of the Deacon's re-
cital, came a longer. louder rumble than
usual. followed by a crash, bang!
Involuntarily, | glanced at Aunt Tilda
Her eyes We're fixed meaningly on me
Excuse me-" said l, hastily: II am
afraid there has been some accident in
the kitchen"
| stopped at the foot of the stairs to
en-. Strange as had been the noises, |
was not prepared for the facts. In the
middle of the floor stood Josephine,
on pair of roller-skates, a !
Iong-handled mop grasped firmly in both |
hands. She was wiping up a flood of |
water that covered the floor.
"Josephine," / gasped
Now, this is how it happened, Miss |
Annie" she exclaimed, eagerly. Il was |
just Approaching with my roller-skates, |
and that ar tippIy waterpaii knocked off. |
I'm a-mopping ii all up nice, she con- |
tinued. hopefully; and L recken mop |
would be good thing to learn to skate |
with 1t pears TO sort o steady you.
But, Miss Annie" she said. appeaiingiy,
seeing me about to speak, Il can't ever
earn with these skates. Just look at |
hem wheels She seated herself and
1eld up both feet for my inspection.
What [ need is pair of link-tum-vity |
kates,' she explained.
Il .Iinkt,Im-vity?" said | biankly.
"Yes'm: don't you know? Hardwood
wheels My, but they are awful NICE"
Josephine, You would better take off
he skates now and put on your over
hoes, while you mop up the floor l
eplied with apparent irrelevance.
And now Josephine, / continued,
more encouragingly, as her deft fingers
lndid the straps, IF you will try as
ard as you can to be a good girl for a
month"; will ask Mr. Ashland to give
ou a pair of lignumvitae rollers; only
ou must practice in the barn"
"Cracky, won't l tryi" she exclaimed
er eyes dancing. But Miss Tlida air
owerfuI aggravating," she added re-
ectively.
Yes, she air." was my inward re-
binder as I left the kitchen and went
p stairs to see if John was doing his
uty as host. / expected TO find the i
den" empty, and planned to rest there
little while myself in fact. But there
as John stretched out in his steamer |
hair smoking sereneIy. Ii
why, John Ashland, what shirk | 6
Du are! Why don't you go down and !
ltertain your company you invAed?" $
Now, Annie, just go gently" he re-
bonded leisurely. II did go down But =
had on my slippers, and the door was T
lar, and l saw that / should be a | T
lperfluity, so 1 retreated" q
Nonsense" said /, sceptically The I
ews was too good to be incautiouslv
elieved.
Nonsense yourself. You can go
own and peek if you don't believe me-" r
John, l am ashamed of youi" said | t
beginning to put things to rights in
e room. II
Now, Annie, don't muss things up" i
''Muss them up.aindeed," said |, MAX g
& my escape with a handful of loose | i,
lpers, as he started up to prevent Ii
rther desecration. "
When | went down to the kitchen to | r.
e whether Josephine had finished her Y
opping the floor, was comparatively I |,
Y. Josephine stood at the sink wiring
e out the mop 4
Air that Durfey man gone YETI" she
manded. sitting down and beginning
take off her clumsy overshoes
Anna" the heavy voice was close |