The Newtown bee., 1901-11-22

David, with the air and tone of a man |
dallying with temptation. "Zillah'll
be waiting tea for me-and there's the
stock to tend to-"
said Josephine. She did not intend it
at all, but there was certain scornful
ring in her voice. "You must stay.
I've a fancy for some company for tea"
David sat down again. He looked so
pleased that Josephine went down on
her knees behind the stove, Ostensibly
to get stick of tirewood, but really to
hide her smiles.
81 suppose he's ticklcd to death to
think of getting a good, square meal,
after the starvation rations Zillah puts
him on" she thought.
But Josephine misjudged David just
as much as he misjudged her. She had
really asked him to stay to tea out Of
pity, but David thought it was because
she was lonesome, and he hailed that
as an encouraging sign. And he was
not thinking about getting good
meal, either, although his dinner had
been such a one as only Zillah Hartley
could get up. As he leaned back in
his cushioned chair and watched jose
phine bustling about the kitchen. he
was glorying in the fact that he could
spend another hour with her, and sit
opposite to her at the table while she
poured his tea for him and passed him
the biscuits, just as if-just as if
Here Josephine looked straight at
him with such intent and stern brown
eyes that Davi! thought she must have
read his thoughts, and he colored
guiltily. But Josephine did not even
notice that David was blushing. She
had only paused to wonder whether
she would bring out the blue plum OF
| the green gage preserve, and having
decided on the gage, she took he1
piercing gaze from David without hav.
ing seen him at all. But he allowed
his thoughts no more vagareS.
Josephine set the small square table
for two with her mothers wedding set
OF pale blue china, thin as eggShell
She used it because it was the anniver'
sary of her mothers wedding day; but
ment to him. And, as he knew quite
well that Josephine priced that blue
china beyond all her other earthly
possessions, he stroked his smooth
shaver, dimpled chin with the air 0
a man who is offered very subtly
sweet homage.
Josephine whisked in and out of the
pantry and up and down cellar, ant
with every whisk a new dainty wa!
added to the table. Josephine, a.
everybody in Meadowby admitted, wa
past mistress in the noble art Of cook
cry. Once upon time rash matron
and ambitious young wives had aSpiret
to rival her, but they had long ago re
allied the vanity Of such efforts. ant
} had dropped back comfortably t,
second place.
Josephine felt an artists pride il
her table when she set the teapot Oh
it's stand and invited David to sit in
There were pink slices OF cold tOngu
and crisp green pickles and spice'
gOoseberry, the recipe of which Jose
phine had invented herself, and which
had taken first prize at the Provincial
exhibition for six successive years: ant
there was lemon pie, which was
symphony in gold and silver biscuit a
light and white as snow, great moist
J plummy cubes Of fruit cake, and long
toothsOmc bars of pound cake. AM
there was the translucent gage pre-
serve, floating in it's golden-grcel
syrup as if in CONCEALED summer sun
shine, and mound of ruby-tintet
apple jelly, and to crown all steamns
cups of tea in flavor and fragrance un
equaled.
And Josephine, too, sitting at tn
head Of the table, with her smootl
glossy crimps of black hair and cheek
as rosy clear as they had been 20 year
ago, when she had been IL slender sill
, Of girlhood and bashful young Dav
Hartley had looked at her over hi
| hymn book at prayer meeting ant
! trampcd all the way home a few fee
| behind her, because he was too SHY t.
go boldly up and ask if he might Sc
her home.
All taken together, what wonder
, David lost his head over that tea table
, and determined to ask Josephine tn
same old question once more! 1t wa