Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-03-30

And on the unwritten side, instead oil
painting any of her pretty flowers G:
drawing hearts or cupids, she only
wrote ''the Tom Tinker verse" which
Hitty had lovingly quoted to her broth
er:
"Tom Tinker's my true love, and am hi:
dear,
I'll gang along wi him his budget to bear. u
It certainly wes very queer val
entine. Christine thought it would
probably be returned, even more
scornfully than the Christmas wreath
If Miss Pigeon should guess who
sent it-aud she would be likely to
guess that it came from the Belfry;
for she knew that her brother had
given them many of his belongings.
She sent it with fear and trembling,
and she told none of the others, for
the older ones seemed, in their hearts,
to share the feeling of Tom and little
Rufus, that the only proper form of
approach to Miss Pigeon was beam
singer in hand.
The valentine wasn't returned; but
nothing seemed to come of it. The
Bells Jane heard from Miss Pigeon 8
Jane that her mistress had neuralgia.
One day after March had come, and a
bluebird had been seen to alight upon
the high-top sweeting tree, as Chris
tine came along the garden path there
came shrill, imperative voice through
tie knothole in the fence.
"If you have any more OF those
leaves, stuff them through the key
hole; if you have the whole diary throw
it over the fence"
OF course Christine wasn't going to
do that with the diary that seemed SO
precious; but she did send it around
to Miss Pigeons door by old Jeremy,
the gardener, for none of the boys
would so.
1t was about week after that man
made, under Miss Pigeons direction,
a new seat in the crotch of the apple
tree-a seat that was delightfully."- COM
Portable for a back that wasn't straight.
Miss Pigeon seemed to know just how.
When it was finished she went up and
examined it and tried it. Then she
called to Christine, who was sitting on
the porch.
'I'm q cautankerous old woman. I
was born cantankerous," she said.
''But there's your seat!'
No one at the Belfry knew what to
think of Miss Pigeon; it was little
Rufus's opinion that good fairy had
tapped her with her wand and turned
her into something else, and he was
much disappointed to find, on peep
ing through the knothole, that she
looked just the same.
"It's delightful" Christine said,
slowly. "But it isn't exactly what I
meant by the valentine" she added,
to herself.
But few days after, what Chris
tine had meant by the valentine real
ly did happent sometimes things that
seem too good to be true do come to
pass in this world. Miss Pigeon
mounted the high buggy in which
she drove herself and went down to
Pequanket; when she came back Mr..
Pigeon vas with her! Tommy dis
yard and raised shout: Ht1 the
young Bells rushed pell-mell into the
apple tree anil dropped from its
branches into Miss Pigeons orchard
even Peggy who was sixteen
shouting and laughing and crying all
together. They quite forgot Miss
Pigeon until her harsh voice broke
into the whirlwind of greetings; with
all its harshness there was queer
little quaver in it!
"He's come back snd he's going to
stay," she said. "It is he that be-
longs here and not I. If you're born
with cross grained disposition you've
got to get over it when you're young or
you'll have to have more'n ten-foot
fence between you and other people!
I'm going back to nursing people IN
hospital-yes, I can, though you
wouldn't think it; and they like me!
There's a doctor I know who has in
vented a new contrivance for-for
making backs straight"-her voice
really broke now, but she recovered
herself instantly; they're easier to
straighten than crooked dispositions!
I'm going to send one here, an | want
her to try it. She nodded toward
Christine, aud then she turned away
suddenly. Little Rufus ran after her
-prudently keeping his hand on the
bean singer in his pocket. (Ihey had
discovered at all early stage of the ac-
ouaintance that if Miss Pigeon had
weakness it was terror of the beam
singers care you really just the
same? Didn't a good fairy turn you
into something else?" he demanded,
breathlessly.
Miss Pigeon turned and looked
down upon him, her strong features
working.
eyes, she did," she answered,
gruffiy. -,
"Did she tap you with her wanda"
pursued little Rufus eagerly, de-
lighted with this confirmation of be-
liefs that were scorned i'll his home
circle. :,
"She didn't tap me with wand,
said Miss Pigeon; ''she sent me avail
entine! 1.-The Independent.
p,rnr,r,c AMI MINISTERIAL