Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-12-21

E<A (IIUEmU v IL u " u 4'i De
IA J62%lNM Moon was plumb
M k6A AhMIIyZ set" against Tom
'"'A''ss.s1ezzW White. They also
knew that Tom was determined to
marry Clarissy Moon. The views Of
Clarissy herself were locked in the
breast of that maiden and no one, not
even her grandmother, could draw
them forth. She listened to the old
lady's diatribes against Tom, just as
she listened to Toms ardent wooing
and said nothing.
Mrs. Moon, her unmarried daughter
and Clarissy lived in a tiny cabin at
the foot of the Little Backbone, very
pleasant place in summer, though
that season was brief enough in a
region which is described by it's
denizens as having mine months win
ter and three months cool weather"
each year. In winter the cabin was
not pleasant place of abode. Not
only did the snow drift high about it,
but the playful winds entered through
the crevices which Mrs. Moon was al
ways intending to have filled up and
never did. 1t was lonely in winter,
too; not even the most persistent
sutton could find his way to it fire.
quently when the trail was obliter-
ated by snow drifts and when night
came early and suddenly, too, in the
shade of the mountains.
Clarissy was thinking Of these
things, as she stood at the cabin door
one afternoon in the middle of De-
cember. 1t was rather a cool place
for meditations, but her Aunt Phoebe
was on what her mother was wont
to call "high," and any place was
preferable to her immediate vicinity
at such time. Aunt Phoebe's tenn
per, never very sweet, had i'll with
stood the strain of prolonged spinster-
hood, and she vented her maidenly
disappointment on the nearest OBJ
jects, her mother and Clarissy, who
were quite innocent in the matter.
Seems if / CANT please her, no.
how" Clarissy was saying to herself,
II CANT bear that air bothersome
Tom White, but he's bettern' what
she is, anyhow. Sposn' | was t. give
him er sign t come n talk T. me err
while!" AS she hesitated she heard
Aunt Phoebe's shrill tones still raised
to danger pitch in the cabin. Draw.
ing off the red handkerchief which
was knotted coquettishly about hel
dark hair, she ran down the path ant
drawing down branch of the young
oak which stood alone, she deity tied
the streamer to it. The handkerchief
was Toms gift and he had begged
her to use it as signal whenever she
desired his company. 1t was the frs
time she had made use of it, and a.
she tied it she was assuring hersel
that she didn't care er mite fer that
great, awkward fellow" but, in spite
of that fact, her cheeks rivaled tn,
handkerchief in color. Yielding Z,
n sudden impulse she scurried int
the cabin regardless of Aunt Phoebe
tongue.
"I'll peek out'n the window an
watch fer him." she thought, "an' II
let him cool his heels bit waitin', be
fore I go out. Anyhow, I amt prom
ised nothing by tying that handler
cher up there"
Clarissy had the sharp ears Of thu
mountaineer and soon she heard step.
coming along the trail and finally into
the clearing, but she never moved
save to see that her grandmother wa!
doing in the chimney corner ano
Aunt Phoebe absorbed with her quill
pieces. The latter had passed from
the active to the passive stage of hel
ebulitions and was now sulking.
The steps approached nearer ant
nearer.
"Ef that old stupid amt comm il
we're, after ALL" Clarissy thought
"Well, granny'll send him off with
flea in his ear if he does, that's all!
and she assumed an air of elaborat,
indifference.
Hello, thar!" called masculin,
voice scarcely audible to Clarissy TO
the beating of her heart. She mad
no move and the call was repeated.
"Ain't We got no manners, T. lie
company wait out there that a way,
her aunt said, sharply, and poor Clar
issy went flying to the door.
There stood, not Tom, but Amo
Purdy, near neighbor, as neighbor
go in thinly settled country, and
whoever of two months standing VIII
had dropped in once or twice of late
He entered now with sheepish al
which TO anyone less preoccupied thai
Clarissy would have proved that h
was on counting bent. He took
chair near the door and where h
shut out Clarissy's view of the win
dow.
Right cold day." he ventured, ad
dressing Aunt Phoebe