The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-24

/ didn't want to tell mother, h q feei
50 bad If there was anything the
matter with auntie's house. thihk
uncle Silas felt bad too. for he KEEP
wbistlin' while she was maxim me
promise. an he said. L shd thinR
YOU'D feel like singin' pretty smal,
about that speech. Iavy. i asktu
aunt Octayia about II once q iitti.
while ago. an she said the upper
story vas all right now. So | spose
lis. but | can't see a single bit o dit
ference when | go there. Auntle am L
never been very well, mother aSs
an she takes notions. l pose that
why she's always tellin me not TO
talk the boarders stone blind. an L
never talked ANYBODY blind in my
life. 'cept p'raps 1ropickercancer's
kittensLan they got right over it.
The intervals of fruit-scented ST.
lence began to grow more frequent
Had Eve been like Electra. Adahi
| would have found it easy to Withstand
| her half-hearted solicitations. Her oc-
| ~asional Don't YOU want a maple,
| too" sounded o. mechanical II per
fu%nctory to elicit even h refusal. Al
forward. when she saw that the long
suffering canvass bag went nome
| empty. Miss Wagner found it neces-
sary to assure herself in a dazed sort
| of way that she had positively not
eaten a single apple that morning.
| 1t was with Il sensation AKIN 10 ter
ror that she detected lndlcatlonS OF
hunger in Electra on the way nome.
Mother told me we was Soln 10
| have stewed chicken ford dinner: an
toast, with lots O. gravy on 1t" began
+Ln@ ~, npvCn hnHninlIN
She was climbing the great stone
| post unler the Osborne naples now,
and her next words fiUttered down
| ward with soft. neven emphasis.
Were goin' to have green apple
! pie, too; an new cheese. on coffee.
| Now. look out for leaves when l scrab
ble.' posing herself securely on the
| post, and beginning a vigorous attack
| upon the lower branches OF the ma
| pies.
"Electra,' said Miss Wagner, sud
| denly a monument later.
Yes, Miss Dorthy.' Her rosy lit
| tie face. with tangled curls blown
across it. became gradually visible
through the shower of leaves that
had followed the scrabble.
"HOu've shaken one trees enough
for one day. haven't you child? Come
down now and listen to me for a
minute"
Electra sprang from the post in
prompt obedience.
"I've been thinking of h your
Aunt Octavia said, Electra,-Miss
Wagner was making futile efforts to
reduce the tangled hair to something
like order-'and really don't believe
there is any need of her worrying
about the boarders. | have listened
to you all the morning, to say moth
ing Of other mornings hat could be
mentioned, and | am not stone blind
by any means. On the contrary. |
am beginning to suspect that | see bet
ter frorn week to week; and if that is
so you must have been my atmos-
pheric illuminant."
The smile with which she spoke was
quizzical and merry. a sudden blithe
animation seemed 20 possess her.
The neXt few sentences Electra lost
entirely. With her eyes bent upon
the ground she was struggling with
the two mysterious words that had
caught and absorbed her attentions:
words that a sure instinct told her
she was not likely to near again:
'At-mos-pheric ill-illu-;atmospher
&c
And then Miss Wagner's voice de
stroyed forever the possibility of fit
ting those facinating but elusive syl-
tables into the mosaic OF her vOcabu-
larry.
$50 the new piano will come next
week, Electra the voice was saying.
with the same unfamiliar ~buOyancy
in it's tones and its going to be your
Observation-Disclosures
The ardent io%yousness of Electra's
smile rivaled the sunlight which hood
ed the dining room that noon. 1t
had lost none of its radience. when.
disposed of two heaping platefuls Of
chicken and baked potatoes, followed
in due course by green apple pie,
new cheese and coffee" she laid down
her knife and fork with a sigh of per-
feet satisfaction.
I'm SO happy | cant eat another
mouthful.' she said, alphabetically.
81 guess III go out and tell Tropick-
ercancer.'
Standing by the window Miss Wag-
ner saw her cross the yard with rap
id steps in the direction of the barn.
Before its open door she paused in mo-
mentary indicision; then turned and
ran with a hop, skip and Jump,
straight toward the furthest corner
Of h orchard, where the New York
pippins grew.
Idaho Democrats.