Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-09-05
CHAPTER VII.

c1ineO 10 accept tnlS broad hint, walking
beside his cousin, till Jacky suddenly
came to violent halt at the back gate Of
large farm yard. surrounded by high,
red tiled. deep-roOfed barns, and noise
of lowing and barking and clucking ano
growing.
"Oh, Miss Esme. dear!' cried a ruddy-
checked. elderly woman, in large check
ed apron, who was in the act of feeding
. mob of ducks. ''She's been asking for
you the whole afternoon. Go in and see
her like dear young lady. You've
brought the wool?"
"Yes, but I've no time to stop, Mary.
Jacky has kept me hours on the road He
went halfway into the horrid green pool
near the Belle rising, and was going to
lie down. only a boy rushed in and drag
ged him out; and he got loose in the hay
field. and thought he never would have
been caught. I'll give you the lingering,
and I'll come in again." evidently anxious
to be gone.
''Oh, but here is Tom to hold the pony.
and you must just run in for a minute.
dear. She's been awful irritable all day,
and maybe you'd put her in a good humor
for US; you know how she takes to you.
Do nOw," coaxingly. TON, go to the
pony's head!'-tO a youth with a shock
Of red hair.
Thus adjured. Esme jumped off Jacky,
and hastily went into the farm house, fol-
lowed by Miles, who found himself in a
long. low. tiled kitchen, with small lat
ticed-paned windows and wellstored raft
ers. and In the presence of a little old
woman, who was sitting near the fire in
q kind of beehive chair, with glittering
daSk eyes, lighting up a face as wrinkled
as roasted apple and as sharp a
needle.
''Well, SO you were not for coming in,
missy" she cried, in a high. reedy voice.
Il saw you. My sight is spared to me,
though it would be as well sometimes il
1t wasn't, to see the waste going on all
around" glaring at her daughter-in-law
and lifting, as she spoke, large ear
trumpet to the ear nearest Esme.
Il would have come in, only I'm late,
granny" returned that young lady down
the trumpet, in her most apolosetic tone
of voice, "and here is the WOOL" placing
q packet in the old lady's lap.
Its gray" she exclaimed. II don't
wanjt gray wool. l said brown" she re-
turned, ungratefully, as she held it up
and felt it critically between her claw
like fingers. her eyes all the time fixed on
Miles.
II can change it." said Esme, making
ohiAdtco bikuS.
"No, no, no; then l would not get 1t for
another long spell. 1t will have to do,"
very GROSSLY. And now, suddenly sitting
up quite erect, and still staring hard at
Miles, she nodded her head confidentiaIly.
"And SO this is the young man that has
come all the way from the other end of
the world, hasn't he" Esme made a
quick sign Of assent, unprepared for the
sequel, Ito marry you"
NO, he HASN'T! she shouted down the
trumpet.
ITS no use you screaming to me,
missy" she returned shrilly. Il never
'can hear what you say, and it just goes
through my poor head" now planting the
trumpet In her lap. and thus cutting off
any possible reply, land it's no good
shaking your head like that. What's he
come for elseY' demanded this very ter
rible old person. ''She's a good girl
in a patronizing staccato-"and you'll
get a pretty wife," she cried, raising a
high, chirruping voice, and addressing
herself specially to Miles. who, now that
he had seen Esme, was by no means 80
averse to congratulations as he had been
two hours previously.
As for his unhappy cousin, who knew
from years Of experience the extraordi-
nary loquacity of Granny Hogben, and
the liberties she allowed her tongue, she
got herself-hOw she never exactly knew
once more out into the yard, and was
soon in the saddle. Jacky was stepping
homeward at a rapid, consequential walk,
when Miles overlook them running, say
ing, as he got up to them:
Surely you are never going to be so
inhuman as to desert me and leave me
to my fate in these Outlandish lanes? 1t
would be ungrateful, to say the least of
IT,"
"Oh," answering him very reluctantly,
81 will point you out the road, and you
can easily make your way home. You
go up this lane" pointing with her whip,
land take the first turning on the right,
then the second on the left, then"
"Then," he interrupted emphatically,
81 shall have lost my way, and shall be
rambling about the fields all night. Pray
spare me this fate"
Miles was amazed at his own persist
ence and his own flow Of language, but
the rude avoidance of an exceedingly
pretty girl is occasionally a sufficient in
centive to put a young man on his met
tie.
.Come, then, IL you like" was the
Rrudging answer; "but you must walk
FAST, or we shall be late for dinner"
''I'll run the whole way. III be your
ewes as IL YOU were in India" he return
ed eagerly. "Only don't leave me-!
ITO hear you. one would imagine you
were one Of the babes in the wood, re-
turned his cousin, cOntemptuously, gianc-
ing down on her companion as she spoke
"What an amiable person Mrs. Hog
hens aged parent seems to be-" he re-
marked, irrelevantly. 81 quite love her.
"Do you? You must be susceptible in
deed" Yes, he certainly had look OF
Teddy when he laughed.
II wanted to say something to you,
continued Miles, nervously fourishing MS
cane about in a manner that excited the
ire of Jacky; "and all the way up from
the fields l was cudgeling my brains, but
could not say it. I wanted to speak TO
von about-about-this will, and yonder
vorthy old woman broke the ice Tor me
~ one plunge. You know
"I know" interrupted his companion
s.st;lv. with averted face. that II ever
-on break it any further. shall never
,resk 70 you again. Also, that l snalI
ie.ve vou here to find your own way
home as best you can.
.May / not say one word on the suo-
jectT ,o,. affair
"Not one. Please put the wnoie anah
our of your mind. II you even nin'
II-shall hate you.
Here was a threat! He had 10 recourse
hnt to obey this imperious young Iaus
INIT he made a solemn mental resoNe
hrine forth the subject on some iu'"'e
~~o3nn