The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1901-10-19

Byrd's. She was in the kitchen to re-
ceivs him, and he noticed certain un-
usual graciousness in her manner.
II amt just on the minute this
morning." he said, with his pleasant
laugh. BED felt SO good, ! lay little
too long"
"Just a little" said Mrs. Byrd,
smoothly. "Now that you mention 1t,
T think you have been little late ev-
cry morning; half hour or so"
Tom gave her an apprehensive look.
swell, you see, them warm mornings
/ thought it wouldn't make any diner-
ence. You see"
"But isn't bargain bargain?" she
asked, calmly. "You know you agreed
to be here every morning at half-past
six, and don't you think had right
to expect you at that time? l may be
wrong, but it seems to me it was none
of your business what the weather
was"
"Oh, well, if you look at it that
way"
"And another thing" she interrupt
ed him, IN the same even tone. yes
terday morning you left the furnace
with only a very little coal in it, saying
you would come back after breakfast
I am afraid your mother was worse,
or you certainly would have come, es-
pecially as it was such cold day"
"N-no, man, mother wasn't any
worse, but-I'll tell you. One OF our
ne;0bbors came in and wanted me to
put up her stove-just thank-you JOB
and 1 thought just for once maybe
it wouldn't be any hardship for you TO
put on shovelful or two, till"
mo hardship at all, l assure you, Tor
| I didn't do it. / was out most OF the
day and all the evening. Didn't you
| find the fire rather low when you came
in the EVENING""
Eyes, ma'am, but coaxed it up as
well as could, and thought it would
be-"
| 1T imagined SO, for the house seemed
cold to me when came in. Don't you
think it is little below normal this
morning, even?"
She led him into the dining-room; 1T
was as cold as sawmill. Perhaps II
would be as well to go down now and
see what can be done to improve mat
ters." she said, and with the same dam
eerous sweetness of manner she
opened the cellar door and followed
close behind him down the stairs.
| "Oh! Oh! OH"
At the foot of the stairway Tom
stopped, pale, speechless, overwhelmed.
The cellar was flooded with water, and
small cataract was still pouring into
it. The water pipe had burst.
Mrs. Byrd, close beside him, uttered
4 cry of fresh dismay. Bad as the stu
alton had been Is minutes earlier, II
was worse now. Her voice reused Tom
from his stupor, and he splashed away
. through the water to the cut-on
turned it, and so stopped >the rush
Then he waded to the furnace; 1t was
fireless, and had been SO since thu
| night before. There, staring him ou
. of countenance, was the vacant space
into which he had promised to put
| pane two weeks ago.
I'll thought few more day
!, wouldn't matter-and wasn't expect
; | ing the freeze yet, and anyhow l put
. | board against it last night. 1t mus
have blown in" he muttered, trying t
! excuse himself.
"And you are the one that neve
| went back on bargafn!"
"Never went back on bargain!
she repeated. "You never did any
thing else! l knew your record, bu
| 1 thought you might have learned
Y lesson at last, so gave you one NOR
| chance; and this is the use you hav
Il made of it! You have cheated ever
i friend l recommended you to. Even pa
\ tient Judge Grey could not put up wit
H your iilly-dallying! Yoa are an ou'
i and-out swindler from first to last!"
"No, ma'am, amt! Excuse m
but / ANTI" He came and locke
] straight into her angry eyes. Ther
4 was a new sort of dignity in his r.
Il spectful tone and in his pale face.
II was, but my luck's changed, and
q amt now"
- "Go! have no patience for an
more experiments. Col"
He went meekly up the stairs. 81
followed him slowly, with the uncor
! Portable feeling every sensible perse
&c has after fit of anger; she had sa
!. more than she had meant to say,
- though no more than the occasie
- called for.
" When she reached the kitchen To
/. was at the door ready 20 go out. I
faced her, and in a businesslike tol
/. said the most unexpected thing pc
sible: swhat plumber shall go TO
:. That pipe must be fixed right away
- "What have you to do with tina
- :. Don't you understand? You are d
charged"