The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-06-05

He had come back for another goOdby
kiss and doomed above her impressiyely
She put up her fragile finger and caught
his coat 1apels.
lyon won't make a mess of it, dear
how? You'll keep your whole mind on
cousin Agatha? Keep saying Cousin
Apatha-cousfn agatha Agatha,
over and over, so you won't forget you re
going to- meet her.
cousin Agatha-cousin Agatha
30. no. YOU needn't begin now! %,
Tom if makes me- have the cold shivers
If / could only go instead of you.
The face of Heartsease against the
n;lIow was wistful and distinctly anx-
ions Prof. Pemeroy Pettingill Lee re-
garded it with whimsical tenderness.
Don't worry little woman, he cried
cheerfully. I'm on my good behavior
this time. You shall see how III dls-
tinguish myself. er-may-die If l
DON'T" ~ -
..Well' I'll trust you, Tom. Now, let
me review you once more. ohe NIUE
like me-
man meekly.
evervhodv does. YOU know-and has light
hair and smiles When we went 10
school together she always smiled. |
should know her just by that. Now, say
your lesson after me.
He repeated it gravely.
..There, now you may go, dear boy.
If he only doesn't get things mixed, she
Thought. following the big, square figure
across the room with loving eyes. IF
he only does it right! Pom, POM
AT your service, m"
sNo. don't come back. Are you GER
tain sure you read the letter all
through?''
"Hoper-may if I didn't, little wo-
mani''
30. dear" still worried Heartsease
softly, IF I'd only read it. Why did |
have that nervous headache just when
it came? And then why did Pom lose
it? O, dearp
Meanwhile Prof Pomeroy Pettingill
Lee was swinging down street with pain
full alertness in every motion of his big
figure. He was keeping his mind on
cousin Agatha. Wild horses themselves
should not drag it away.
The city clock changed loudly insist
emily in his ears and reminded him of
the fight of time He hailed passing
car and settled himself comfortably on
one of it's cushioned seats. Might as
well ride and reserve all his strength for
cousin Agatha.
There was a trifing hitch in his COM
placent self-resignation when the con-
ductor came around for fares Where
in the world was that change? Con-
found it, a man had as many pockets as
centipede had feet. All, there it was.
and something else too-cousin Agatha's
lost letter.
''Fll review it bit, now it's turned
ND again so handy" thought the pro-
fessor, smoothing out the crushed, sweet
scented sheet on his knee.
.'My dear cousin--m-n m m-m -m-and
reach you at about three forty-five in
the afternoon Chats all right side upl-
m-m-m-what."
The professor Strengthened himself
aghast with horror. He had never seen
that part before heavens, no! He didn't
read that to Heartsease. Now, why
by all that was mighty must woman
tack on n postscript to everything she
wrotei And this postscript
The poor man groaned aloud in his ex-
tremity, and the meek little man beside
him was moved with pity.
'.Are you in pain, sir? he inquired
softly in his ear.
rain? pain? I'm in the last extremi-
ties. I'm nearly gomez
And he was obliged, out of sheer graft
tude for the little mans compassion, to
accept one of the tiny white lozenges he
proffered with nervous agility.
"'P. ST. shall bring baby with me.
- course / could not leave him and,
besides. know he viii amuse you. He
Is so cunning"
She was going to bring the baby with
heri Cousin Agatha was going to bring
the baby! And Heartsease hadn't known
it. to tell him what to do!
He half rose to his feet with a wild
idea of going back to little Heartease for
directions. Then he sank back on his
seat again, for the city clock was clang-
ing half past three. Too late!
you have had bad news, siry' crooned
the little meek mans kind voice again
Yes. o, yes, certainly, COMPOUNDED bad
newsi Cousin Agatha's going to bring
that is-er--I will bid you good day, sir
Twill get out here"
No need of imposing cousin Agatha's
baby on everybody else, but, confound
it, the little meek man didn't look as il
a baby would throw him into a panic.
He probably had plenty of 'em at home.
And they hadn't Observation-Disclosures and
he hadn't-that there was a baby in
cousin Agatha's quarter of the world.
But Of course they might have imagined
it-well, there was nothing for it now
but to accept the inevitable-and the
baby. One TO make ready, two to start,
three to-goi
The 3:45 express was just steaming in
to the great station with grunts of dsap-
proyal at being pulled up. Crowds Of
out-goers We're eddying toward the long
chain of cars, to be presently met and
jostled by the incoming throng. Cabmen
were shouting with hoarse persistence
and baggage was being methodically mall
treated. Confusion was rampant
Prof. Pomeroy Pettingil Lee, with
great presence of mind, waited near the
entrance of the ladies' room for cousin
Agatha and the baby. They would have
to go in through that door and out
through the opposite one--they could not
escape him! He felt wild impulse to
accost all the women as they approached
with: "Are you cousin Agatha? -or you?
-or you?