The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-07-04

denly uncomfortable to him.
Mae" he cried, what have done?
Are you offended with me?'
NO" cried Mae, startled and miser-
able. mo, of course not"
"Then why do you treat me like
this?"
"This?" faltered Mae; then looking
at him she suddenly flushed and with
tears springing hurried away.
Passing on, puzzled and distressed,
around a clump of hazel, he came
upon the pretty widow; she had
heard.
81 am sorry" she said; ooh, wish
| could help" Then, hesitatingly,
| perhaps it would be best to tell
you"
ITO tell me what?" sternly.
"Joe is Jealous of you; see?"
"Joe? joel"
"You never guessed? Why, it is an
pld affair, since school days and pima
| fores.'
"Joe!"
"He has been scolding the poor
child, | suppose, and she is afraid to
be seen with you; or, perhaps" gem
| tly, "she doesn't want to hurt you"
joel"
81 am so sorry" holding out
plump. soft little hand, 80 sorry"
But poor Barnes could only say
Joel" The idea, at first incredible
| under the bits of evidence that be-
gan to come in, grew past doubt.
! BY the time he had reached home a
mountain of proof was throbbing in
his brain. He called himself bat
and hourly accumulated misery.
Treachery, deliberate falsehood, never
occurred to him.
A perfect day dawned for the golf
play Old Shucks sat out on his door
stone and gave smiles and blessings
and smoked his pipe, while the gay
groups came with their bundles and
greetings. The old man listened keen
ly with head bent, identifying step or
voice and giving a jolly comment or
grunt all to himself as they passed
on to their game.
"Dat ar stumble b'long ter Marse
Joe; never could lift his feet, dat
boy"
"Marse Barnes? ain like hisself.
Mighty down in de mouf fer Marse
Barnes"
Oars de lii widder. Um; step like
cat. Um."
"Miss Louise, bossin' de earth. La,
dom know Miss Louise!"
"En Miss Sue. trottin' long b'hlnd,
totin' de left-overs."
"Whar's Miss Mae?" suddenly loud
er. as l gwine miss dat chile?
Whar's iii Miss Mae?"
Here, Unc' Shucks."
"Somebody throwing bricks at yo',
honey? You walk like yo' steppin' on
yo' heart"
"She is quite happy, Shucks," said
Barnes voice beside them, "but she is
afraid of hurting some one if she
shows it,"
Shucks turned his sightless eyes
anxiously from one to the other.
"De truf bes', chile; better hurt
'em den fash 'em. What yo' happy
bout, honey?"
T-I don't Know" faltered Mae.
"Um What she happy bout, Marse
Barnes?"
"It is her secret-and Joe's."
The old man leaned eagerly to catch
her reply, but Macs pretty head was
tilted in indignant silence.
"Marse Barnes" turning broad
smile on him, "if yo' an Miss Mae
10 NJ inh
me a drink I'd be mighty thankful;
dat | would"
81 must speak to you" Barnes said
as the girl would have turned away
from him. Let me at least have
your forgiveness" So they went to-
gether down the pretty hill path, un-
der the elm and hawthorn and wind
ing through witch hazel to the old
spring.
'Um," grunted Shucks, and filed
his pipe, the smile still broad on his
face.
Presently the pretty widow came to
him.
Have you seem" she began, anx-
iously. Il mean heard, anything of
Mr. Barnes?"
"Marse Barnes gone on ter de
links" shamelessly, "wid Miss Sue,
marin. Yes, marm."
But he shook his grizzled head as
she hurried away. Dat how de cat
Jump" he mumbled. "Um. Old
Shucks gwine feel pain in his con-
science bout dat falsifyin' an dat
barrel o fine -four, um-uh-who dar?
Marse Joe? Yo' late at de links,
sar."
81 am not going to the links, Unc'
Shucks. | am hanging about with my
gun. Miss Mae is anxious about your
chickens; she says screech owl gets
one every night"
"Dat he does, dat he does" indig-
nantly; IAN l makes no doubt he's
nappin' up one oh dem trees dis min
ute, dreamin' bout supper time, but"
sotto voce, "yo wastin' shot firm fer
Miss Mae, chile, yo' shorely is"
Joe, all unconscious of this, went