The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-26

saw those golden whiske-s floating an
the air about him.
During the hour she was in the store
Minnie remarked that il was a back
ward summer. that the huckleber y
crop was very poor; that rain was bad
~ needed: that she couldn't under
stand why shovels were down and ia
blecloths were up, and the uncomfort-
able young man could recollect
fourteen different occasions when she
lugged in the name of Mr.. Thatcher"
He was so put out over events that he
sold s0-cent hoe to old Mr.. Johnson
for rs cents, and astonished Aunt Mary
Phillips by asking her so cents yard
for 1-cent calico. As a matter of fact,
Minnie intended to do her share to-
wards making up" when the proper
time came, but she wanted to punish
the young man first.
Four weeks after the buying of the
table-cloths, and without the young
couple having spoken together since,
farmer Davis and wife set out one day
for ten-mile drive to CassviIle, in
tending to be back home before dark.
While they were returning they, met
with an accident, and 1t came about
that Minnie found herself alone in the
house when night fell. She didn't begin
to get nervous until about 8 o'clock,
but then call from a tramp frighten-
ed her into locking all the doors and
imagining all sorts of things. The
tramp had taken a cold bite and left,
but knowing that she was alone he
would doubtless hang about and break
into the house. Farmer Davis had a
shot gun, and that shot gun was kept
loaded with bird-shot to kill owls and
chicken-hawks.
When Minnie was worked up to such
nervous pitch that she imagined
every gust of wind to be the mufiled
footsteps of the tramp she got down
the gun and resolved to perish like a
true heroine. Five minutes after this
resolve was taken some one knocked on
the front door. 1t was the tramp. of
course. Two minutes later he was at
the kitchen door. Then he was heard
muttering and grumbling and getting
( drink of water at the we'll.
With her heart in her mouth and
the shot gun ready to fall from her
trembling hands. the girl waited. The
tramp whistled and then sat down on
the doorstep. But only for moment.
Then he arose and seemed to move
along to a kitchen window. His game
was to raise the sash or smash the
glass, and shutting heraeyes and trust
ing that her grave would be kept green,
Minnie pointed the gun somewhere or
other and pulled the trigger There
was naSh. roar and yell. Scared
as she was she detected something ia
miliar in the tones of the YELL and
when her name was shouted she open
ed the door to admit Burt Thatcher He
had not only heard of the accident that
detained her parents, but had made
use of 1t to drive out to the farmhouse
and tell the girl how sorry he was for
making chump of himself. He was
not at the window when the shot was
fired. but walking away from it. Most
of the charge went wild, but about a
dozen of the little pellets peppered his
shoulders and quickened his longing
to kiss and make up. Minnie opened
the door to speak his name and fall
into his arms, and most of the shot
had worked out and the marriage day
been set when the old folks reached
home, and the mother elevated her
hands and rolled up her eyes as she
exclaimed:
| For the lands sake, but how things
do come about in this ere world of
ours!"