The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-05-24

nim IN his neat little cutter. The
sielghing was fine and the air keen
ana ex~hlliarating. It gave the widows
plump cheeks q beautiful crimson
glow and made her black eyes sparkle.
She was in high spirits and her laugh
rang out frequently as merry and rip.
ping as the laugh of q child.
But then the widow Darby was pro-
verbally CHEEKY. She had suffered
keenlY the loss of her husband and
both of her children, but time had
softened her grief. and she was too
wise to spend her life in gloom and
grief ove the loss of those who were
beyond all Care and sorrow.
She had q comfortable little home
and q few acres of land adjoining
Jared Kent's. She had known Jared
all her life, but not once had she
thought of him az a possible successor
to Joel Darby.
Jared will never marry any one"
she had said. HE isn't Of a marrying
disposition. Some men are that way.
It's all they lack to make 'em what
God intended they should be. My hus.
band and I used to talk Jared over a
good deal, and we did our full share to
get him settled for life with q good
wife. We used to invite lots of nice
girls, young and elderly both, to our
house and then have Jared come over
to tea and to play cFoquet with him.
He'd be nice and pleasant and all that,
but he never came any ways near
falling into anyot the traps we set for
him. We thought once that he did
take a kind Of q shine to q nice, sweet,
real good looking girl of about 80
uamed janet Dean from over Shelby
way, who was visiting us. She'd of
made him an awful good wife, and I
sung her praises all the time, but
nothing came of it."
"1t's al elegant morning, isn't itl
said Jared as he and the widow flaw
along over the hills and through long
lanes in which the snow was drifted
almost to the top rails of the fences.
'Ol, it's lovelyI" replied the widow;
81 like snow"
$50 do I. You got much to do in
towns"
'No; I'll be through with all my
errands in an hour. I can let some
thing 60 il you don't want to stay in
town that long"
"Oh, that1l be none too long for me.
Where shall I meet your"
'Il be at Smith & Hanscom's dry
"WeM call it IL O'Clock, then"
It was three minutes after IL when
Jared drove up to the appointed place
Of meeting. The widow had stepped
into the sleigh and he was tucking the
robes in around her when she said:
"There, Jared, I'm just like other
women; I've forgotten something"
"What is it,"
81 forgot to go around TO the post
Office. know that there ia nothing
there for me, because one Of the Stone
boys brought my mail out last night,
and there's no mail trains until noon;
but poor old Jane Carr came over just
before ! left and wanted me to be sure
and see il there was q letter for her.
Her daughter is very sick out west,
and she hasn't had q letter for O week,
and she's half wild. I couldn't bear to
tell her I'd forgotten to go to the
office"
"ITl drive round that way" said
Jared. ut won't be three blocks out
of the way"
Two or three boys stood idiing in
front of the postoh Se and Jared said
to one OF them he CHANGED to know:
Say, jimmie, run into the Office and
see If there's any letter for Mrs. Jane
Carr. You needn't ask for me. for I've
been around and got my mail"
"YOu might look in box 1874" said
Mrs. Darby, "Mebbe there's q drop
letter for me-"
The boy came out q moment later
with q very large, square, white en-
velope in one hand and q small, blue
envelope in the other. He grinned az
he handed them to Mrs. Darby. She
glanced at the blue envelope and said
joyfully:
"Ohl here's a letter for Jane, and it's
from her daughter; I know by the post
mark. How glad Jane will bel And
here-Well, I declared"
She burst into a merry laugh as she
looked at the big, white, embossed en-.
velope. The boy had told the truth
uhoD ho had Oone hack Tn hia comrades