Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1898-03-10
COPYRIGHT, 1897 eY THE AUTHOR.

BOOK lCarnn up at INC SoN noI >, "Iiu
our girl was uncommon bright and
purity. 1t was a sortcr freak of nature
our havin such child given to US,
with her yellow curls and her great big
eyes and little hands and feet"
"Strong is just as good lookin in his
way"
"And don't think it's for US to COM
plain when the governors KEEP Strong
at Shingleton college these years at his
own cost.
"That is because Strong is named for
him, and he wants the respectability of
the name KEEP up. But Strong and Eliza
is two different people, Eben, and I'm
not sayin college is goin to harm our
boy. He's got his way to make in the
world, and all three of the boys can't
oversee for Adrien when the governors
gone. Strong don't expect to come home
and spend the rest Of his days starin out
at them niggers' cabins, listenin to that
everlastin slambang in the blacksmith
shop, and at II lot of mules switchin the
flies off close to our very bedroom win
uONo. IL SilttI SAdtSo SN SA VII
me, old man, specially if I've just como
back from the big house, where it's all
so different, but I've got used to it, ard
she's been out of it now for eight blessed
years. And there, Eben, done wrong
in lettin Mrs. Strong send her all poor
Gabriella's IS fine clothes and things" "
"Gabriclla was dead. She didn t want
the frippcry no longer"
eyes, reckon I knowcd that as we'll
rs you do. But it has helped to spoil
our Liza. She's got on silk dress right
there i'll that picture now, Lben. She
used to say when she was little girl
that she loved to hear Mrs. Strong's silk
dresses go swish swish along the hall at
the big house. / remember that very
dress It's little blue and white check
silk with lacc-real lace, old man-in
the throat and sleeves l don't think
she'll care to hear it 60 swish swish
over these rough plank floors, Martin,
do you:'
She caught her breath and went on
more anXiously: Gard then, Ebcn, the
worst wrong Of all I've done her was
lettin Mrs. Strong do all the letter writ
in, and when she comes home her moth
Cr-her own mothcr'n be the worse
shock of all to her, old man The
words eliminated in hard, dry sob
"But somehow when her first letter
came home, lookin so sweet and clean
and prim, just couldn't bear to send
her back one of my awful scrawls. and
when Mrs. Strong said it sortcr comfort
ed her by maxim her feel as if she WAS
writin to her own Gabrielle, l just let
things 20 OH. never lookin far enough
ahead to sec the time when the child
would get through school and halter
come home. And now, Eben, shell find
out what cheat J. am. / almost wish
she did not halter come back at all. y
Don't say that, Becky. She oughtcr
be real comfort to you when me and
the boys has to leave you by yourself so
much. She'll get used to things littlo by
little"
Dukes filter company for me than
that slim, dainty thing, Ebcn. I'm Goin
to be afraid of her. She wGsiss,,tt> fl in
here, Eben. Never, never, never! And
if she don't rcproach us in words she
will i'll her heart. she'll pine away here,
Martin"
From its turrctcd perch on top Of the
wooden clock. the cause of all this ;nNi-
ETY. looked down with placid, lovely
eyes that We're shaded by Il broad straw
hat whose brim cast Rcmbrandtish shad-
ows over the smooth oval of her chcGks
and the rounded perfection of 81, nGcr
white throat. 1t was the picture Of a
very beautiful girl. From where he rat
facing it the ovCrsecr scanned 1t critic
ally.
ut must be the books and the plan
ners and the nice clothes and the soft
things all about her. 1t makes IL good
deal of difference, reckon, to grow up
to fine ways aud smooth COINS. Liza
didn' used to be too fine for her mani
my and her daddy"
He dragged his chair, clumsy, splint
bottomed affair, back to its place against
the wall with his left hand. He was
conspicuously picking his teeth with
long, cleaning quill pick. He offered
his wife some clumsy comfort while he
was filling his bricrwood pipe from the
bag of "tobacco' that stood on the din
ing room mantelpiece for his and tho
boys convenience.
Don't you go to borrowin trouble i'll
wholesale packages, Becky. After all,
we are not such bad lot at heart.
"It's by our outsidcs Liza's goin TO
judge us, Martin.
"Jedge us! BY jingo! don't sec as
she's got any right to jedge us at all. "
ut amt question of her rights It's
question of what she's likely to do. "
The oversecr rumpled his thick, gray
locks with an impatient hand. His frank
eyes were filled with perplexity. 1t was
not often he was called on to decide
ethical points, and as comforter he
was consciously inefficient
II don't know what to say for your
comfort, old woman. She's our own
girl. ! reckon we can't disown her.
How would it do to take the picture up
to the big house and talk your trouble
over with the madam"
Mrs Martin caressed Dukes silky
ears abstractedly. Eben waited for his
good advice to be absorbed.
"Well, s'pose I might as well.
Sooner or later I'm sure to come to it.
There's three things there's no mo- use
tryin to get out of reach of than there
is of fyin. Ono is Mrs. Strong's advice
and the other two is her dose of castor
oil and ealonan if you're ailin, Eut I