The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-08-20

ooAIetu1uR
II think he does, Bertha, but I
cannot understand what"
After one glance at the girls face
Jack "sized himself up as an ass"
as ne would have expressed it, and
ne knew she had overheard the
Whole interview he really had not
she courage to,tell her. outright that
Ness aathert wes accused Of flirting
Mat4 shis.A AUNT Sophia Or else he was
sgS SluuadGs ana that. neither he nor
his aunt approved. of.his conduct.
Ihe girl let him founder and get
red in the face for about ten min
utes, enjoying the situation az only
q m!sehievous girl can, but he man
aged TO conEey his meaning.
sEhen shesysaid: 'T understand
you perfectly and acan perhaps ex-
plain it satisfactorily to- both you
and your aunt. Father keeps a
weather record, and he has as long
as l can remember. He takes OBJ
seryations three times day-at 2
in the afternoon, at in the even
ing and early in the morning, prob
ably before your aunt gets up"
Here two irrepressible dimples
broke out and hinted that laughter
was not far behind. Jack, who had
recovered his equanimity, admired
them immensely, but he was not to
be diverted from his purpose, so he
said iudiciaIlv.
"But why does he use d hand
kerchief?"
"For the very simple reason that
if there is a light wind stirring he
cannot tell its direction any other
way"
"Well, why does he stare SO at
my aunt as she sits at her window? P"
ct think it is not at her, butt
here she paused long enough to
make impressive what should fol-
low-"at the smokestack from the
furnace. The smoke that comes
from it makes a first rate weather
vane."
This explanation vas made SO de-
murelY and with suah evident en-
joymeht at the righteousness of the
situation that Jack was slightly pro-
voked at her and said rather
sharply:
.sWell, you must admit that it
looks queer to a fellow not accus-
toned to it."
Give no doubt it does," she re-
piled with smile, ''but we have al
ways lived here, and father has al
ways taken observations just in this
way, and everybody knows his pc
culiarities, so, Of course, it awakens
no comment"
As Jack had no reply ready, she
said:
TsPlease make my apologies to
your aunt for any annoyance she
may have felt, " and as theacomical
side came uppermost again she.
broke into laugh and said: "Poor
old father! The idea Of him being
accused of firtingg Jack joined
In the laugh, and the innocent
cause Of all the trouble and fun sat
staring out Of the window as mild
and placid as though no such
charge lay at his door. AS yet he
did not even know the reason of
the visit of the erstwhile angry
but now smiling young man.
Jack apologized humbly, but he
had no idea of<letting. g.the story get
out on him, SO he tried: in an ele-
CANT manner, which turned ont a
fat failure, to intimatesto the girl
5het 1t should be D. secret between
themselves, as he said: =
81 hope you will not mean,
ah, er-but you won -
"Won't tell it on you?" she said
with nnfeeling bluntness. Father
T~onld be avenged rather more than
the case calls for if the students
should get hold of the story"
Jack asked her to call on. his
aunt, which she promised to do,
and he took his departure to ex-
plain to Miss Sophia that she had
only made the same blunder that
many another woman had done
jumped at conclusion too readily.
Jack. visited his aunt with great
regularity, but spent the major por.
tion Of his time at the weather
prophets across the way, so that
the neighbors concluded he was
taking a postgraduate course in
meteorology-or. something.
tiouse Of che Skull.
Wardley Hall, six miles from