The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-06-24
"a sEGGY. knew, when, she saw her
father furrying up the path, that

40
ia .EGGY. knew, when, she saw her
fdthef hurrying up the path, that
i he was coming to get her to bug
potatoes.
This knowledge caused her heart to
swell In fierce rebellion. If there was
any one filing Peggy dislikcd more than
another 1t was bugging potatoes ohe
sighed and began to read, with intense
Interest,", where she had left off q mo-
ment before.
'T.ady Alfreda's beautiful golden halI
was crowned with tiara of sparkling
diamonds. Her slender white wrists
Peggy, Peggy" called Mr.. Hibbard
peremptOrily.
"Her slender white wrists resumed
Peggy, ''wcre clasped with many brace
lets, each of which was set with pre-
cious stones amounting in value to
many thousands Of dollars. Her taper
fingers were--s
Peggy do you hear" called hel
father again.
Peggy gave one more regretful glance
rration, then arose and stalked out into
the yard with sullen slowness. Mr.
Hibbard went around behind the
smokehouse, whence he presently re-
turned with two old tin pals and two
narrow wooden paddles, which he SET
down at her feet.
II guess you'll have to help me a lit
tie while again to-day, Peggy" he said
'but 1t won't be very hard on you. The
suns gone under a clold an don't b.
leeve the bugs Is very thick"
Peggy looked disconsolately at the
pail and the paddle. Her father took
up his own implements of potato bug
torture and began to retrace his steps
toward the potato patch. But Peggy
did not follow.
81 don't Think" she called out bitter
ly, "that you've got right to ask me
to do such work as this"
He turned and looked at her IN un-
bounded surprise. "She don't think,
he repeated, blankly, that I've got a
right to ask her. Now, who," he con-
tinued, addressing his remarks to some
Invisible third person, do you think
has got q right to ask her If ain't?'
For aD instant Peggy hung her head,
guiltily. Then, being highly incensed
by the painful contrast between her
own hard lot and that of Lady Alfredo,
she looked up and said, with consider
able spirit:
MY own father, sir"
There was a moments silence. "Her
own father" echoed Mr.. Hibbard, OF
length. still directing his conversation
to the Invisible third person. "Now,
will you kindly tell me who is her own
father, If ain't?"
The invisible third person evidently
did not feel equal to IN explanation of
the matter and Peggy took it upon her.
self to answer.
10 do not know, sir" she returned,
firmly, "but l shall soon find out. You
are not he, / am sure Where you
found me, or how You obtained posses
sion of me ehnnot tell, but Of this
kitive: you are doing me a
great injustice by grinding me down
In this manner, and it will not be long
until l will be restored to my-my-
my"
Peggy paused then in some confusion
She was not quite sure whether these
were the exact words Lady Alfredo had
used when declaring to her captors her
intuitive knowledge of her noble birth.
Peggy had long thought that when she
proclaimed her identity to the people
with whom she lived and who claimed
to be her relatives, she would repeat
Lady Alfreda's declaration of indie
pendence verbatim, and it flustered
her to think that she might have failed
to do so. Still, even though she might
have made mistake, she felt that she
had put it pretty strong. And she GER
tainly had. AT least, so it seemed to
Mr.. Hibbard.
He hurried forward and laid his hand
tremblingly on her shoulder.
Peggy" he said, anXiously, 'I'u,
afeard you're a losin' your wits, aIn't
you? Don't yo' feel little queer In
your head? Think q minute. Now,
don't yo'f'
Had not Pcggy's heart been steeled
to an extraordinary degree, it would
have beer melted by the tender solicit
tude In his voice and manner. AS ii
was, she drew back unresponsive and
regarded him coldly.
NO" she said, "I'm not at all sick
father, and I'm ready to help you.
Come on"
She gathered up the paddle and pail
allotted to her, and led the way to the
nearby corner lot, where the hard-shell-
ed black and yellow potato destroyers
were making morning meal off the
tender, juicy leaves. Mr.. Hibbard fol
lowed, as one In a trance Neither Peg.
gy nor her father referred to the mo.
mentoUs subject again that day. Mr.
IIibbard's heart and head were filled
with uneasy speculations on the newly.
revealed side of his little daughters ma.
ture. He was laboriously revolving
her words In his somewhat dull mind,
and striving to comprehend their mean-
ing. Until he arrived at a solution OF
the problem he would have nothing to
say.
AS for Peggy, she was too busy with
day dreams to talk. She felt confident
she was in reality the child of wealthy
parents and that the time was near at
hand when she should come into pos,
session of her rightfuI property. That
was what happened to Lady Alfredo
and other lovely Eeroines of whom she
had read In the weekly illustrated pa
pers, and 1t was but natural conciu
sion that she was destined to enjoy the
nv1