The Newtown bee., 1901-11-22

have to do that. Ever since John
Hartley S wife at the Creek died he's
been wanting Zillah to go and keep
house for him, and if David got mar
ried Zillah'd go quick. Catch her
staying there if you were mistress,
And David has such beautiful house.
It's 10 times finer than yours, though
l don't deny yours is comfortable.
And his farm is the best in Meadowby.
and joins yours. Think what a beau
tiful property they'd make together
You're all right now, Josephine, but
what will you do when you get old and
have nobody to take care of you? 1
declare the thought worries me at
nights till can't sleep"
Il should have thought YOU had
enough worries of your own to keep
YOU awake at nights without taking
=. er any of mine,'' said Josephine
D. "As for old age, it's good
IS off for me yet. When your Jack
gets old enough to have some sense
he can come here and live with me.
But Pm not going to marry David
Hartley, you can depend on that, Ida,
my dear. l wish you could have heard
him rhyming off that poetry last
night. It doesn't seem to matter
much what piece he recites-frst
thing that comes into his head, !
reckon. remember one time he went
clean through that hymn beginning,
'Hark, from the tombs a dolefu]
sound and two years ago it was TIC
Mary IN heaven as lackadaisical as
you please. l never had such a time
to keep from laughing, but 1 managed
it, for l wouldn't hurt his feelings fol
the world. No, l haven't any inten
ton of marrying anybody, but if l had
it wouldn't be dear old sentimental
easy-going David"
Mrs Tom thumped a plucked goose
down on the bench with an expression
that said she, for one, wasn't going tC
waste any more words on an idiot
Easy-going, indeed. Did Josephine
consider that drawback. Mrs Tom
sighed. If Josephine, she thought
had put up with Tom Sentners tenn
pers for Is years she would know how
to appreciate good-natu red man al
his true value.
The cold snap which had set in or
the day of David's call lasted anC
deepened for week. On Saturday
evening, when Mrs Tom came dowr
for Jug of cream, the mercury of the
little thermometer humping agains,
Josephine's porch was below zero
The gulf was no longer blue, but white
with ice. Everything out doors wa.
cracking and swapping. Inside
Josephine had kept roaring fires al
through the house, but the only place
really warm was the kitchen.
Wrap your head up well, Ida," she
said, anxiously, when Mrs Tom rose tt
go. "You've got bad cold.''
4 "There's cold going,'' said Mrs
Tom. every one. has it. DavidIHart
ley was up to our place to-day barking
terrble-a real churchyard cough, as
told him. He never takes any care
of himself. He said Zlllah had ba6
cold, too. Won't she be cranky while
it lasts!'
i Josephine sat up ate that night tt
keep the fires on. She finally went tt
bed in the little downstairs room op
posite the big hall stove, and she slept
at once and dreamed that the thumps
AOf the thermometer tapping in the
wind against the wall outside grew
louder and more insistent until they
woke her up. Some one was pounding
on the porch door.
Josephine sprang out of bed anC
hurried on her wrapper and felt shoes
She had no doubt that some Of the
SentnerS were sick. They had q
habit of getting sick about that time
of night. She fastened out and open
ed the door, expecting to see hulkine
Tom Sentner or perhaps Ida herself
bigeyed and hysterical.
But David Hartley stood there,
painting for breath. The clear moon.
light showed that he had no Overcoat
on and he was coughing hard. Joseph.
inc, before she spoke word, clutched
him by the arm, pulled him in out OF
the wind and shut the door.
"For PHYS sake, David Hartley,
what's the matter?'
"Zillah's awful sick"' he gasped. 81
came here cause twas nearest. Oh,