The National tribune., 1899-04-13


derision which seemed to ring in every note
of her voice and laughter
Girls" she called. "come up and be
introduced. This is Mr.. Corpril Elliott, Sis
best friend and partner. call him Mr. Fly.
night, becluse he got his dander up
about something or nothin', and skipped out
one night without so much's sayin' -
40, Maria, come off Cheese it, Dry
np," said 81 impatiently. "Take US some
where where we kin git somethin' to eat.
| You're tongues hung in the middle, and
when you start to talkin' you forgit every
thing else. Pm hungrier'n bear, and SOS
Shorty"
An impulse of anger famed up in Shorty'a
heart. How dared ST speak that way to
such peerless creature? How could he
talk to her as if she were some ordinary
girl?
90, of course, you're hungry" Maria
answered. Never knowed you when you
wasn't. You're worse'n Shanghai chicken
eat all day and be hungry at night But
| expect you are really hungry this time.
Come on. Well go right up to Cousin
Marthy's. l sent word that you was in
town, and they're gittin' ready for you.
seen dray-load o. provisions start up that
way. Come on, girls. Cousin Marthy, bein's
you're engaged and Sis engaged, you kin
walk with him. The rest o. you fall in be-
! hind, and Ill bring up the rear as Sid say.
with Mr.. Fly-by-night. and hold on to him
SO that he shan't skip again"
" Me run away" thought Shorty, as they
walked along. " Hoses couldn't drag me
away. l only hope that house is 10 miles
Off"
| Unfortunately for his cause, he could not
hint oh, thfnrr- bf,t ynj
along in dogged silence The sky was over
cast and cheerless, and chill wind blew,
but Shorty never knew such radiant hour.
Well, why don't you say something =?
| What's become o. your tongue?" began
Maria banteringly. Have you bit it off,
or did some girl, that you boIted Off in such a
hurry to see, drain you SO dry o. talk that
you haint got word left? Who is she I?
What does she look like? What made you
in sich a dreadful hurry to see her? You
didn't go clear up to Bad AK, did You, and
kill that old widower?"
Maria, " called out 81, 'if you don't stop
plaguin' Shorty I'll come back there and
wiring your neck. You kin make the worst
nuisance o. yourself o. any girl that ever
lived Here, you go up there and walk with
Cousin Marthy. I'll walk with Shorty.
I've got something want to say to him."
With that he crowded in between Maria
and Shorty, and gave his sister shove 10
send her forward. Shorty fiared up at the
interference. Acute as his suffering was
under Maria's tongue, he would rather en-
dure it than not have her with him. Any
how, it was matter between him and her,
with which 81 had no business.
You oughtn't to jaw your sister that
way, ST." he demonstrated energetically.
81 think it's shameful l wouldn't talk
that way to any woman, especially sich q one
as your sister,"
Whose sister is she, any way?" snapped
81, who was as irritable as hungry and tired
man gets. "You tend to your sisters, and
I'll tend to mine. Pm helpin' you. You
don't know Maria. She's one o. the best
girls in the world, but she's got double
geared, self-actin' tongue that's sharpern a
briar. She winds it up Sundays and let's it
run all week. Pve got to comb her down
every little while. She's filly you can't
manage with snaffle. Let her git the start,
and you'd better be dead. The boys in our
neighborhood's afeard to say their souls their
own when she gifts a-goin'. You tend to the
other girls, and leave me to tend to her.
She's my sister-nobody elses."
Shorty fell back a little, and walked sui
lenly along. The people at the house were
expecting them, and had bountitul supper
prepared. good, sousing wash in the
family lavatory in the entry, plentifully sup
piled with clear water, soap, tin basins and
clean roller towels helped much to restore
the boys self-respect and good humor.
When they were seated at the table Maria,
as the particular friend of the family, as
sisted as hostess, and paid especial attention
to supplying Shorty's extensive wants, and
by her assiduons thoughtfulness strengthened
her chains upon him and soothed the hurts
her tongue had made. Yet ne could not see
her whisper to one of the other girls, and
hear the responsive giggle, but he thought
with flushed face that it concerned the Bad
AK incident. But Maria was not doing any
such covert work. She was, above every
thing, bold and outspoken.
You girls that want soldier-beau," :" she
took opportunity to remark at little pause
in the feast, kin jest set your caps for Mr..
Corpril Elliott there. He's in the market.
He had girl up in Bad AK, Wis, but she
went back on him, and married stay-at-