Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-06-20
THE CHECK -DRAF 7.
BY Emily Fox Grinnell.


ished all the motherly tenderness of
childless woman, her husband began
to look grave; and he finally consulted
the family doctor.
81 think father kind of wears on
Amandy,' said 'Lishe, in a tentative
confidence.
The doctor pricked up his ears. He
had served on the building committee
with Jacob Catlin when the town hall
was built, and Catlin had worn on
him, too.
II think it's very likely" he assent
ed. YOU'D better have her go away
and make visit. When she comes
back get the old man to go off some
where.
tipping back his chair and looking at
'Lishe with twinkle of fun in his
gray eyes, II don't suppose Amanda
has the least idea that your father is
so fond of her. But he is. He was
down here yesterday, inquiring of me
what allied Amanda, and if I didn't
think boneset and smartweed STEPPED
together made as good tonic as you
could take. He said he always had his
family take them in the spring.
'Lishe threw back his head with a
loud laugh.
"Yes," he said, "father fetched home
a bundle Of each of those herbs and
put 'em on the pantry shelf; and
Amandy, she's got so kind of used up,
| chn IN fho
"You have her go right off," said the
| doctor.
So dispirited was Amanda that when
! she received an urgent invitation from
her sister-inspired by the crafty
'Lishe-to make her long visit, she
| never even protested that she had
| nothing to wear. She let 'Lishe take
her to the station, without reminding
| him Of any one Of the innumerable
things that would need his attention
| during her absence.
| True, as the train was about to start
she did open her lips to admonish him
that he must see that father didn't let
the plants freeze. But looking into his
kind, anxious face, she realized the fu-
I 10y VI tioAiA6 AASAC " COpC Will LIS
father. So she only put her head down
on his shoulder and cried a little, at
the same time pushing him from her
and urging him not to let the cars run
over him when he jumped off.
Father reveled in his brief authority.
He poked down the ashes with a ju-
diciOus hand and shut the check draft
to the sole end that he might pull it
out again all unassailed. He took such
complete delight in keeping the sitting
room at the lowest temperature com
patible with having any fire at all that
he never noticed that 'Lishe kept the
kitchen stove almost red hot, night anl
day.
Then the weather turned fercel3
cold of a sudden, without any regard
to the theories of an arch-economist
'Lishe had been up late one night doc
toring a sick horse, and on the mex
night he slept more soundly than usu
al. When he wakened in the mornins
the fires had been out for hours, an(
all Amanda's precious plants were
frozen stiff.
Even Mr.. Catlin had felt the bite,
chill OF the night, and looked more sub
dued tnan usual when he entered tn,
kitchen, where 'Lishe was frying buck
, wheat cakes.
Il guess we let the fires get littl,
, too low last night" said 'Lishe, whe1
father had duly performed his ablu
tions at the kitchen sink.
"Why so?" asked father. truculent
, ly.
"Well, they went out. Must hav
: been early in the night, and Amandy'
!; plants are all gone"
Cant be. I put papers behind ZEN
} same as usual" said father, will
dogged excitement. He stepped hast
: ly across the kitchen and threw opel
5 the sitting-rOom door,
= They're froze stiff, every one O
/ EN-" said 'Lishe, ruefully. IT CUES
S Amandy'u take the roof off when sh
l. sees 'em. That Japan lily was JUS
: getting ready to blow. There has ne1
t er been a Japan lily in this townshi
= till Amandy gave fifty cents for tha
: bulb" 'Lishe looked with commisers
ton at the dropping, blackened ste1
S of that regal lily of Japan.
d "Amandy thought about as much {
n those plants as if they'd been chi
d dren," 'Lishe continued, at breakfas
v "A lot more than she thinks of me-
J. at tiInes''
But the old man sat stifHy silent H
It was not going to let anybody kno
how little prepared he felt to meet tt
r coming of his daughter-in-law's brigl
# face. To expect Amanda to refrai
e from saying, 'Now see what you'1
done" was to demand a superhuma
l. magnanimity, and for once in b
r. overbearing life old MIR Catlin kne
IL that he had no adequate reply read
3 II guess you'll have to build IL
fire in the coal-stove, pa" said 'Lish
81 noisily gathering the Dishes IT mu
n get that wood hauled now while it
d froze. Well have thaw after th
r. cold SPELL"
n "I'll tend to it, said father, brief