Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-09-28

III come in when 1 get home and
re-lecture it-you wait" she laughed,
cheerfully. You've never heard your
Aunt Faith Margaret lecture. Now,
good night-give me one more kiss.
Be good girl"
Good night, auntie. I'm glad you're
going, anyway. It's next best-why,
it's going myselfr Faith cried, more
brightly. Were both Faith Mar
garets, you know! Is father going to
take you?'
"Your father? N-no,but l shall have
good company. l will tell you all
about it when / get home"
Il hope it will be good company"
she amended, out in the hall. She
went on down the stairs, trembling
a little-Aunt Faith was a shy wom-
an-but strong in her determination
to find out things"
Barry was waiting in the big, dim
parlor. He came forward eagerly at
the sound of steps. The vision of old
fashioned Aunt Faith in the door
way occasioned hasty retreat to his
chair again.
'I-thought it was Miss Faith" he
stumbled, apologetically.
well, it isr' smiled Aunt Faith.
"I'm Miss Faith. Have l kept sou
waiting long? 1 didn't mean to, but
it takes old people a good while to
move, you know-or you don't know.
but you will when it's your turn"
She had followed up his retreat and
was holding out her hand to him.
| There was no possible chance for him
to ignore it.
"How kind it was in you to come
for me!' she cried. "If you hadn't 1
should have missed the lecture. for
my brother Richard is no good at all
as an escort. Dear me; l should say
not! When he gets buried in his three
dailies, that's the end of him! Ought
we to be starting? Then I'll have to
ask you to button my glove. Faith
III. buttoned the other. If she wasn't
sick, l should ask you if you would
be willing for her to go with US"
Naughty Aunt Faith! If her con-
science pricked, it did not keep her
gray eyes from twinkling. She
watched the boy coyertly as he fun
bled with her glove.
Poor boy.' she thought. I'm sorry
for you"
Barry Lincoln was sorry for him
self. Little by little, as Aunt Faiths
bright voice ran on, the puzzle of
things had untangled itself. Now he
understood. He remembered Faiths
speaking of her namesake aunt. There
were two Miss Faith Margaret Pyles.
and this was the wrong one, standing
here having her black glove buttoned.
shes got the letter and thought it
was for her. She expects to 90 to the
lecture with me-she'll be disappoint-
ed'' his thoughts went along swiftly.
shes little sort of Old-Faith said
she lived in the country. There aren't
any lectures to go in the country. And
besides, 1t would embarrass her dread
fully to find out her mistake. Well,
Barry Lincoln, you're in it up to your
chin, my boy! What are you going
to do about it?"
He answered his own question
promptly. To his mind there was only
the one thing to do. He took out his
watch.
Yes, we ought to be starting" he
said. It's quite a long way to the
hall"
Ihey were going out of the house
and through the vestbule. The steps
outside were little slippery, and Bar
ry offered his arm, politely. That was
Aunt Faiths first entry in the book
of her remembrances, and she entered
it on the credit side.
Offered his arm instead of taking
mine-good!' she thought.
| Ihere's red car coming. Shall
we take it, Miss Faith?"
"Oh, no. Why not walk, if there's
time? Did you think aunts were rather
decrepit? Well, that's another thing
you'll find out when"
when it's my turn to be an aunt"
laughed Barry, in spite of himself.
Aunt Faith laughed, too.
Aunt Faith was little. and Barry
Lincoln wasn't. He was short-ston
on the high school nine, and measured
in his stockings-fve feet eleven. He
tried to diminish his long strides TO
the measure of Aunt Faiths steps. hut
1T was only occasionally he could bring
it about Aunt Faiths black silk bon.
net bobbed up and down beside him
cheerfully. Barry remembered his
own inches all the way down the
lighted street without intermission.
Its little up-hilly isn't it?" gasped
Aunt Faith, gently. Tiny spots of
color blossomed out in her thin brown
cheeks. Do you know-but you don't
know-its great treat for country
people to be going out like this. with
the night lighted up as if it was day?
There's just one lamp-post at home
ana the last time that was lighted
was when Grant was elected the first
time. l know, for l got up on Abner
Ioothacher's step-ladder and lighted
1t myself-and fell off,
Aunt Faith smiled IN into tha boy,s