The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-16


lated to open my eyes to what she so
passionately desired to have kept
secret. 1 saw it all as plainly as 1 saw
his heavy Indifference to her anxiety,
and knowing from experience that it
Is in just such stolid louis as these
that the worst passions are often hid
den I took the advantage of my years
and forced a conversation in which
hoped some flash of his real self would
appear despite her wary watch upon
him.
Not liking to renew the topic of the
lane itself, l asked with a very natural
show of interest how near was their
| nearest neighbor. 1t was he who look
ed up and he who answered.
Old Mother Jane is the closest said
he but she's no good. We never think
of her. Mr.. Trohm's the only neighbOr
] care for. He's some good. Such
peaches as the old fellow raises, Such
grapes Such melons! He gave me two
of the incest you ever saw this morn
ing. BY Jupiter l taste them yeti
Lucetta' S face, which should have
climsoned with rortificat ton, turned
most unaccountabiy pale. Yet not so
rale as when he began few minutes
before to say. Loren wants some of
this soup saved for"-and stopped awk-
wardly, conscious perhaps that Lo-
reen's wants should not be mentioned
before me.
Il thought you promised me that you
would never again ask Mr.. Trohm for
any of his fruit
"Oh. | didn't ask. l just stood at the
fence and looked over. Mr.. Trohm and
i are good friends. Why shouldn't
eat his fruit?'
The look she gave him might have
moved q stone. but he seemed perfectly
III rerVi0uS to it. Seeing him so stolid,
nor head dropped and she did not an
syer a word. Yet omehow / felt that
even viii sh was : o me- n testify . prey
to very natural mIrt:fic 4ticn her atten-
ton was rot wholly given over to this
ore emotion. There was something over
and beyond all this that she feared.
Hoping to relieve her ard Tighten the
situation | forced myself 20 smile on
the young man as | said:
'.Why don't YOU raise melons your
self? | think ] should be anxious to
raise everything possible if L had SO
much ground as you possess.
"Qh, you're a woman he answered
almost roughly. TITS a good business
for women and fer men, too perhaps
who love to see fruit hang, but [ only
care to eat it,
Don't" Lucetta- put in, but not
With the vigor | had expected.
Il like to hunt, train dogs and enjoy
other peoples fruit" he laughed, with
a nod at the blushing Lucetta. i don
see any use in a mans putting himself
out tor things he can get for the asking.
Lies too hort for such folly. | mean
to have a good time While I'm on this
blessed sphere.
''Williamn; The cry was Irresistible,
yet it was not he cry | had been look
inc for. Painful as this exhibition was
of his stupidity and utter want OF feel
ing it was not the thing she dreaded,
allow
than her appearance had given token
of?
oh, he shouted, while she shrunk
With a horrified Took 'Lucetta don't
Ike that She thinks a man ought to
work, plow, harrow, dig, make slave
of himself to keep up place that S no
good anyway But | tell her that work
] was born a gentleman. and gentle
man | will live if the place tumbles
down over our heads. Perhaps it would
be the best way to get rid of it. Then
| could go live with Mr.. Trohm and
have melons from early morn till late
at night" And again his coarse laugh
rang out.
This, or was it his words, seemed to
rouse her as nothing had done before.
Thrusting out her hand she laid it on
his mouth with a look Of almost fren-
Zied appeal at the woman who was
standing at his back.
M William, how can your' that
woman cried, and when he would have
turned upon her angrily she leaned
over and Whispered in his ear a few
words that seemed to COW him, for he
gave short grunt through his sisters
trembling fingers and with a shrug of
his heavy shoulders subsidized into ST.
lence.
To all this 1 was a simple spectator,
hut | did not soon forget a single fea-
tUre of the scene.
The remainder of the dinner passed
quietly, William and myself eating
with more or less heartiness, Lucetta
tasting nothing at all. In mercy to her
I declined coffee, and as soon as Will
liam gave token of being satisfied we
hUrriedly rose. 1t was the most I'M
comfortable meal / ever ate in my live.
CHAPTER VI.
A Somber Evening
The evening like the afternoon, was
spent in the sitting room with one of
the sisters. One event alone is worth
tired of a conVeIsati ton that always lam
gu:Shsd no matter on what tonic it
was started and, observing an old
piano in one corner-I once played very
WE'LL sat down before it and impul-
sively struck a few chord from the vel