Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1898-03-03

Five more precious, unreclaimable
minutes lapsed, and Duke ventured up
on second protest. Laying his long
pointed nose delicately ON the plump
arm from which Mrs. Martin had roll
ed back her blue calico sleeve, he sniff
ed suggestively.
The touch Of his cold nozzle secured
him brief attention, but only increased
his perplexity. He was not unused to
being made confidant Of when his
master and the boys were afleld, and
when his mistress turned her troubled
blue eyes in his direction he assured her
in advance of his full sympathy by dig
nified oscillations of his handsome tail.
"Your master and me have made q
mistake, Duke, terrible bad mistake,
and don t see any way out of the mess.
That's what's pesterin me- We'd better
Nv lef' we'll 'nough alone, Duke, but
we didn' have the sense to see it at the
right time"
Wiping her fingers free from the
stains of pea pods, she reverently lifted
nh imperial photograph from where it
had been propped against the back OF
the chair in front Of her.
"This is her picture, Duke your lit
tie Miss ELIAS, that used to pull your
ears mos out by the roots, and You new
OF even snapped bout it. She signs her
name Liza now, like it was spelled
with a double ee. How Martin laughed
when she wrote us word how to pro-
nounce our own child's name! But
reckon she's outgrowed you, Duke,
watch over her mighty good, old boy,
whenever laid her down on the risin
sun quilt she used to think the world
and all on. When the pink Grape myr-
ties was shading the sun from her purity
eyes and the risin sun was just under
her fat little fingers and you a-curled
up nigh her, l could go up t big house,
If need be, and stay hours with an easy
mind.
Mrs. Martin sighed ponderously and
fecked grain of dust from the smooth
surface of the picture. 81 was sorry
when the wind bowed the pink myrtle
tree down, Duke, cause we always call
packed away in the press right now. Its
colors is as bright as when put it on
the gallery floor for you and baby to
romp on, but you're sight older than
you was then, Duke, and reckon she's
outgrowed you along with lots OF other
things. It's eight years, Duke, goin on
nine, since l give my Liza up because
they all said I had oughter." With a
certain fierce regret she tapped the
smooth oval check of the photograph
with her work rougheneI tinger.
"We've done you a wrong, Liza, we
can't never undo. We've sent you of
and made a lady of you, and we hadn't
oughter done no such thing. It's her do
ms, all hers. "
Mrs. Martin shook her fist vin6ictive
ly in direction Of the governors man
sion, whose cleaning white walls, sur
rounded by clustering gardens and or
chards, were just visible from where
she sat.
The odor Of scorching meat smote up
on her nostrils. Duke lifted up his
voice in howl of reproach. The din
ner was burning up and no summons
had yet been sounded ON the big bell.
She came back to the sordid require
ments Of the hour with violent start
that sent the remainder Of the beans,
pods and all, into the pan like rattle
of musketry.
"Good God! IT. higher than H.
That pictures got me all upset-plum
outdone''
By way of remedying the irremedi-
able, Mrs. Martin gave the bell pull
two or three startling, vigorous jerks
before proceeding to examine the incin-
Grated dinner.
Soon from out cloud of dust, amid
mighty CHATTER of hoofs and trace
chains, to the discordant accompani-
ment of yelping ours and Kissing geese,
Manager Martin broad shoulders and
ford face appeared. He was carrying
his coarse straw hat in his hand and
hopping his moist forehead with du-
bious bandana handkerchief.
For the first time in her married life
Mrs. Martin regarded her husband crit
ically.
'How would he strike Liza?'
Everything in her microcosm was be-
ginning to revolve about that test ques-
ton. AS he galloped past her point OF
view, conscientiously minded to see that
the brutes had their feed before he en-
loved his own, she challenged his atten.
ton by waving her blue cotton apron
vigorously at him.
Don't stay long at the lot, Eben.
I'm in hurry for you
Across the clatter Of hoofs, the yelp'
ing of ours and kissing of geese a clear,
wholesome laugh floated to her.
"You rung that bell like You was in
q hurry. Consult the shadders.
She consulted the shadows. Eben had
always told her when she had any
doubts about the harsh voiced clock that
had been her mentor for 10 years tc
consult the shadows about the roots 81
two sentinel China trees that thanked
the front steps. If the shadows were
plumb round" she was to ring. The
shadows were slanting toward the cart.
cts the picture. 1t got me all flus-
tered up"
With this apology for herself to her
self she went inside and made ready for
"the old man" and the boys with a
great ado over her bone handled cutlery
and her heavy queensware plates, all Of
which suddenly inspired her with an
intense scorn of their clumsy coarseness
TO BE Continued