Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-01-26
er cottage and shut the door.

saying over numbers and mutterinG
about Lizzie. Lizzie was her daughter
Forty years ago she ran Off with man
from Boston, and for 38 years she's been
lying in Massachusetts, grave. But her
mother still thinks she is alive and is
coming back. Nothing will ever make
her think different. But she'e harmless,
perfectly harmless. You needn't be
afeard of her. I"
This because ! cast look behind me
of more than ordinary curiosity, l sup
pose Why were they all so sure she was
harmless? / had thought her expression
little alarming at times, especially
when she TOOK the money from
hand If / had refused it or even
it back little, think she would liz
fallen upon me tooth and nail ms
ed could have had peep into her {
tage. Mr.. Gryce had described it as Il
walls and nothing more, and indtet
was not only of the humblest prol
tions, but had the look of being L.
shanty raised to protect her from
weather. There was even no yard IL,
tached to it, only little open place j.!
front in which few of the commonc
vegetables grew, such as turnips, car.
rots and onions. Elsewhere grew tL2
forest-the great pine forest through
which this portion of the road ran.
Mr.. Simsbury had been so talkative II
to now that was in hope he would en-.
ter into some details about the persons
and things we encountered which might
assist me in the acquaintanceship Yves
anxious to make. But his loquacious,
ness ended with this small adventure ]
have just described. Not till we were
we'll quit of the pines and had entered
into the main thoroughfare did he deiSIl
to respond to any of my suggestions,
and then it was in a manner totally tn
satisfactory and quite noncommurica.
tive. The only thing he deigned to offer
remark upon was the little crippled
child we saw looking from it's window
as we emerged from the forest.
why, how's this?" said he. "That's
Sue you see there, and her time ism I
| till arter noon. Bob alters sits there Ct
mornin. wonder if the little chaps
sick. S'pose ask. -
AS this was just what l would have
, suggested if he had given me time,
nodded complacently, and we drove up
! and stopped .-...
The piping voice of the child at once
spoke up:
"How dye do, Mr.. Simsbury? Mas
in the kitchen. Bob ism t feelin good to-
day"
l thought her tone had q touch of
mysteriousness in it. l greeted the pale
little thing and asked if Bob was often
sick.
Never" she answered, Except, like
me, he cannot walk But I'm not to
talk about it, ma says. I'd like to, but"
Mas face appearing at this moment
over her shoulder put an end to this in
nocent garrulity.
How dye do, Mr. Simsbury?" came
a second time from the window, but
this time in very different tones
Whats the child been saying? She's
so sot up at being allowed to take her
brothers. place in the winder that she
don't know how to keep her tongue
still. Bob's little languid, that's all
You'll see him in his old place tomor
row. And she drew back as if in polite
intimation that we might drive on.
Mr.. Simsbury responded to the sug-
gestion, and in another moment we were
trotting down the road. Had we staid a
minute longer, think the child would
have said something more or less inter
esting to hear. She looked bursting with
desire for gossip, but then, goodness
me, who wouldn't if obliged, like her.
to sit in one window the half of the lire
you did not spend in little dark bed
room under the caves of cottage whose
whole dimensions could be embraced by
the walls of my parlor?
The horse which had brought us thus
far at pretty sharp trot now began to
lag as we drew into town, taking up SO
much Of Mr.. Simsbury's attention that
he forgot to answer even by grunt
more than half of my questions. He
spent most of his time looking at the
nag's hind feet, and finally, just as we
came in light of the stores, he found
his tongue sufficiently to announce that
the horse was casting shoe and that
he would be obliged to go to the black
smiths with her.
"Humph, and how long will that
take?" asked.
He hesitated so long, rubbing his
nose with his finger, that grew sus-
picious and cast glance at the horses
foot myself The shoe was loose. | be-
gan to hear it clang.
"Waal, it may be matter of cou
pie of hours, he finally drawled. "We
have no blacksmith in town, and the
ride up there is two miles. Sorry it hap
pened, ma am, but there's shops here,
you see, and I've alters heard that a
woman can easily spend two hours hag-
Cling away in shops. .
1 glanced at the two i'll furnished
windows he pointed out, thought of Ar
mold & Constable's, Tiffany's and the
other New York establishments l had
been in the habit of visiting and sup
pressed my disdain. Either the man
was a fool or he was acting part in
the interests of Lucetta and her family.
| rather inclined to the latter suppose
ton If the plan was to keep me out
most of the morning, why could that
shoe not have been loosened before he
left the stable?