St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-23
daughter of his employer, and how
she had treated him with striking

her very prudishness seemed but tc
lend glamour of romance to her
which had caught him in a veritable
web! How often she had entered
her fathers store, accompanied By
some of the youthful professionals
Of the place, and seemed to delight
in airing her superiority to this
common Office man! True, her pet
tishness and affectations sat wei
upon her dainty figure, and certain
indefnable odor of perfume seemed
to pervade the dinginess of the office
when she entered. At times he
seemed to see beyond her outward
nature, and at these rare intervals
he caught momentary glance of a
character which, if allowed to as.
sert itself, might have endeared her
to the coaTsest mortal. He often
noted how old Josiah watched her
every move, and how the staid, old
| fashioned home of the Jamiesons be-
came the center of the fashionable
| house parties and afternoon teas.
Then as a browning tribute to the
witcheries, young DR.. Ames, voted
by all the mothers of manageable
daughters as the SWEETEST match in
the district, had quite lost his heart
to this coquettish little heiress.
Since the day of their first meeting
Tom had fought down his feelings
by applying himself to his desk with
redoubled vigor, endeavoring to con-
vince himself that his opinion of her
was much the reverse of favorable.
On this night in question he had
ceased to wrestle, and upon the eve
of resignation to the hand of fate
he had summed the whole matter up
and voted himself one of the great
est fools that ever lived. A square
pink envelope lay unopened upon his
dresser, and after arriving at this
fairly satisfactory conclusion he tore
off the head and scanned the con-
tents, although he could have guessed
what it contained. It was an invita-
ton which the youthful mistress of
the, Jameson household had sent
him, to spend the evening, no doubt
prompted by the advice of her father.
The weather had developed into one
of those January billiards. which. pc
riodically sweep across the North
west prairie, almost overwhelming
the town which lay within its circle,
and Tom was loath to brave its fury
for such a cause, and yet uncon-
ho To ~
time he had reached the home of his
employer. To his surprise he found
that but one guest besides himself
had been hidden, none other than DR..
Ames, who of late had been almost
a constant visitor.
Supper had been served. While Jean
and the doctor conversed in low tones
at one end of the long drawing room,
Tom sat at the other with Mr.. ia
mieson and exchanged mutual conf
dences on the business aspect of the
coming season. Yet he was not Who'll
~ Indifferent to the scene before
him. The little lady looked peculiar
" bewitching and altogether dis
dainful, and to his eye she was play
ing her cards with the young medical
with tact and grace which appar-
emily absorbed his entire attention.
The hour was wearing slowly along,
to Tom especially, and then a hur-
ried summons at the door brought
Mrs. Jameson from the regions of
the dining-room in answer. A sudden
noise, as of people scurrying past,
followed, and Tom realized that the
call of fire had been raised. Mrs.
Jameson cried out in frightened
voice that it was the mill, and then
Tom had passed her in the hallway,
and was out on the street.
Already the flames, caught by the
storm that howled without, were
lighting up the town like new sun.
The scene of indescribable con-
fusion which ensued could never be |
forgotten by those more intimately
The crude fre-fghting
apparatus frozen solid, refused to
work, and as the red streamers wrapt |
about the mill and swept across the
roofs of the warehouse and stores
the people knew that Jo-
siah Jamieson's worldly possessions
we're doomed.
Tom, looming out in the released
nettle of a college athlete, made her
,ulean efforts to stay the ruin. Fol-
owed by number of men he thawed
he hose, directed the streams of wa
;er, helped to throw out the goods
rom the store, cleared the office of
is precious books and papers. In
act, storm or heat mattered little
% him then, for a covering female,
in a mighty fur-lined cloak,
lad looked up into his grimy face
through mist of tears and had said
omething. He never tarried to hear
What it was, but leapt again into the
'a:tle royal:
In the early morning a shoulder
ng heap of ashes and half-burnt
woodwork alone marked the spot
where Jamieson's store and mill had
TODD, and around it in jumbled-up
aass was the merchandise which had
cen saved! Only one small building
Which had been used as an office
ad missed the fury Of the flames,
nd that was only through the gil
ante efforts of the men and a for
unate veering of the wind.
Josiah Jameson had been seized
18th a paralytic stroke during the
Of his property and lay
his home with two doctors in con-
tant attendance, and to Tom fell the
ask of managing this almost mex
:icable condition of affairs. Sud
emily from a quiet office-man he had
ssumed an air of general manager s
nd gave his orders and went about s
is work as if it was his own. And