The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-11-28

manner bowed and blushed little.
he knew her so well. by eye intimacy.
at least. that he thought she must
know him. But he was . fair man,
fair to redness, as his hair and beard
attested, and he blushed easily.
THAT is my name What can do
for you. Miss Grierson?"
"Oh, thank you" she rejoined, i'm
pulsively. Il was afraid / might have
to introduce myself. +"
The interruption was of Raymer's
making. One of his employees APP
peared OPPORTUNITY. and he sent the
man to the horses head with ges-
ture and once more held up his hands
to the perched one.
She let him lift her to the side
walk, and the ease with which he did
it gave her a pleasant little thrill, OF
the sort that comes with the realiza-
ton of thing hoped for. Next to
social triumphs, strength, strength in
a man, was thing to be admired.
Raymer held the Office door open
for her and placed chair at the desk
end.
"Now we can be comfortable at
shorter range" he said. will you
pardon the interruption, and tell me
what l can do for your"
"Oh, it's only a little thing. l
came to see you about renting a pew
in ST. Johns; that is our church, you
know"
Raymer did not know it, but he was
polite enough not to say so.
81 am quite at your service. Shall
show you a plan of the sittings?"
She protested that it wasn't at all
necessary; that any assignment he
chose to make would do. But he got
out the plan and busted it, and in the
putting together of heads over it
many miles of the gap of unacquaint-
ance were swiftly and safely over
passed.
When the sittings were finally
chosen she found her purse.
"It's. so good of you to take the
time from your business to wait on
me-" she said. I'll asked poppa to
make out check, but / don't know
whether it's for enough"
Raymer took the order to pay and
glanced at the amount.
at is twice as much as we get for
the best locations" he demurred.
wait moment and will write you
you receipt"
But at the word she was in fut-
ter of protest.
"Oh, please don't!" she pleaded.
eff it is too much, put the difference
in the missionary box, or in the
the rector's salary, as little dona-
ton from poppa, you know"
Thus the small matter Of business
was concluded, and Miss Grierson
rose to go.
n 81 am so glad had the courage to
come and see you this morning. We
have been dreadfully remiss in church
matters, but 1 am going to try to
make up for it now that we are COM
fortably settled in our own house.
I'm sorry you couldn't come to US
last evening to help us christen Mere
side. Please tell your mother and
Miss Raymer that / hope we'll meet
some time. I should SO dearly love to
know them. Thank you, so much.
Good-by."
Raymer went out with her. put her
on the box and watched her drive
/ away His smile was meant to be
satirical, but it became openly ap-
probative.
"She is a shrewd little strateglst,
was his comment; ''but, all the same
she's mighty pretty girl. | wonder
why mother and Gerry haven't called
on her~
He carried the query home with
him in the evening, but when he had
given an account of Miss Grierson's
visit it seemed inJudicious to put 1T.
Mrs. Raymer's comment left some
thing to be desired, but her glance
across the table in Gertrude's direc-
ton was significant.
1.-THE regrets did that" she said;
and Gertrude nodded.
Having thus mined the Raymer out
works. Miss Grierson next turned her
batteries upon the Farnhams. They
were Methodists, and she soon learned
that the doctors hobby was a strug-
Cling mission in Norsk Hollow. Ac-
cordingly, the paternal check book
was again called into requisition, and
the stylish trap made an excursion to
the doctors office in Main street
"Good morning, DOCTOR" she
chirped, bursting in upon the elder
ly lobbyist as charming embodi-
ment of youthful enthusiasm. I'm
running errands for poppa this morn
ing Mr.. Rodney was telling us about
that little mission in Norsk Hollow,
and poppa is very anxious to be al
lowed to help. But we are not Meth
odists, you know, and he was afraid
that is, he didn't know how you
might"
1t was an exceedingly clever bit OF
acting, and the good doctor capitu-
lated at once, discrediting for the
first time in his life the intuition of
his womankind