The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-04-10

tertained each OtheT-Once AT uillhei' ~
at tea. Outsiders hidden to these 1eaSte
said Miss Warf1eld gave you good, ordih-
arv yictuaIs on the finest sort of CHINA;
N1icc Ewing things that were simply
rayishing in good, plain, everyday ware.
ehe had china. or course, but she never
made q parada of it, and, least OF all, De
fore Miss Lucindy-Tom.
Miss Lucindy-Tom had been forDlddlng
from her youth upward-so much SO lhat
in spite Of being also handsome, ana Well
lowered. no man had ever summoned
I'D the courage requisite to court ner. l
was lust the other way with Miss Martlcla.
che was single solely because she had
NOT heen able to make up her mind and
| heart among 90 beauX, the best the coun-
| try afforded. Somehow none OF theHa hau
quite measured up to her father' the
! standard in her mind of all things mascu-
line. But she had dealt with them SO
kindly thew were all still her friends-her
lovers even in a friendly open fashlon-
although they had wives and children OF
their own.
50 far she regretted sending none OF
them about his business. She had the
farm. she had her sweet supremacy, most
Of all she had Marcia, Marcia had come
to her a child in arms, orphaned by the
fever plague, which had desolated the city
in which Robert Ewing had made a nome,
and had hoped to make a name. He had
always hated far1ning-so his father hao
given him money in hand, leaving TO Mar
ticia the land. The money was somehow
pretty well swallowed up, but Marcia hao
never known the feeling of dependence.
She was so entirely first in Miss Mart
icia's heart, it was perfectly natural she
should be first in everything else.
4I,a+ ,1o-ha1c which tirSf m
clined her heart to John Warfield. Miss
Iucindv-Tom reminded him about once
a day, that needs must he save 10
thrive. since he had nothing OF his own.
and could look for nothing beyond what
she could give him-and that was prec-
ious little. In the face of that she gave
him everything heart could wish, save
and except liberty to enjoy the gll's.
lie had. for example, the finest Watcn IN
the county, but it stayed safely locked IN
q bureau drawer, and he carried about a
wheeZy, open-faced silver affair, he was
!, shalned to look at in company.
It was the same with his gun ms
clothes. his saddle and bridle-even his
hooks. Miss Lucindy-Tom had provided
y fine case for them. If by chance he
laid one down for n minute outside It,
she darted at the offending volume, ana
Whiskod it IN place, signing that ne
could be so careless. It was eNn worse
If he thrust the books in hastily, upside
down, or the least bit askcw- What
Miss Lucindy-Tom hated the very worst
of all was to sec things which had cost
money abused. Patching ard darnirS
were rites with her. joyous if a%usterc.
There was a color OF truth in Miss Mar
ticia's saving: .'Lucindy-Tom Warficld
thinks it is a sin to wear out anything
until it is at least six years behind the
fashion,"
notwithstanding she loved her nephew
with a force ard concentered passion pos
sibly only to natures such as hers, she had
not loved her brother over much; it had
been a distinct relief to her when he
chose to live away from the old home,
His wife had been pretty and eXtraVa-
giant. an oftense outright to Miss Llclndy-
Toms economic instincts. Then wher
her baby came she needs must call II
John, when, every Wartield for 100 years
had had Thomas somewhere in his name
Miss Lucindy-Tom said things when the
boy, aged two, was sent into her keeping
Business was taking his father abroad
and his mother would not let slip so fnF
an opportunity fer travel.
IS John was a pretty fellow, bold will
the boldness bred CT knowing only love
. In the teeth OF her rebellion against him
ne Cr6pt ClCSe INTO the nodIl OIL 1dill.
Id Tom" She gave him up with a might.
wrenching of her tenderest affections, an
when he came back to her five years la
w. ter. orphaned, felt that even an errati
u Providence is sometimes just. She love
" him indeed better than herself. He cam
De next to her accumulations. They wer
re to her the central fact OF life.
- She bore him one grudge, but was jus
- enough to feel that it was based o
something wholly apart from his control
He could not have been born a girl, eve
y If he had chosen. But if only he ha
been s. horn. then Miss Lucindy-ToI
10 ~cr-'a A"vc lad the supreme satisfactio
e. ri a~'on-r~ "a; foolish Marticia Ewin
a ccN Z sir, crgft TO be raised. John wa
ed eve Gears 2:der ;han Narnia-hencc the
became fixtures in their respective home
steads at nearly the same time. Th
Ut difference III age made them companion
SIS able. John was big enough TO be shy {
er girls as big, but this tiny thing in til
white frocks, with hair like spun sunshin
er who chung ~confidingiy to his finger, an
en- coGld barely lisp his name. was nearl
p as good fun as the puppy he sighed 70
ITS but was forbidden to keep and even bot
u ter than the big dolls he saw in tn
on shop windows and coveted. in spite of be
Is ing a boy.
- .idttid lidu Ielld iileI Il SOIj Oh SiOiHiG
doll to him, until she became suddenl
ad and mysterious1y a woman-the one VIC
IS, man in all the world. 1t took him 81
les months to muster courage to tel her 81
lly Throughout them, he had been outward
te, quite the same. Even at the last theI
les was no approach to sentiment. He ha
said: Marcia ! shall have to marry 70
rs. to keep you out Of mischief" Marcia ha
es, laughed back at him: Well, say notf
of ing about it yet-if you do. "Tanty Ton
a will lock you up for a lunatic. She know
on i have not a penny to my name"
ue, They had come to an agreement. no
&c withstanding. They meant to wait a yes
M before speaking out until Marcia shou
Ike be - and quite old enough to marry. B,
m. when man proposes to the wrong wona
nd wrong in the eyes of his pastors al
old masters-fate commonly disposes to brir
W. on an early crisis. Fate's instrument
ich this case was Miss Sarah Ashbel. ST
al came visiting Tanty-Tom, and saw a,