The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-12-23

Jasper Peyton was a stranger IN a
strange land. The fact was most un-
pleasantly brought home to him at
every opportunity by the good people
Of Oreville.
He was a sweet tempered fellow,
and it disturbed him mighty when his
efforts at sociability were ignored.
How can l help it that there was
trouble at the works and that my pre-
decessor was fred" he exclaimed rue
fully to Maria Il didn't know it when
accepted the position Of superintend-
ent."
Maria shifted. She had her opinion
Of people who failed in appreciation Of
her young master. Had she not come
all these weary hundred miles for the
sake of his sunny smile?
But Maria did not know that most
of Jaspers irritation was caused by
| the house next door. No, not the
| house. 1t was a pretty little frame
dwelling, embowered in vines and
! UdllhCu liz seal CN sage. IL was lhC
girl. She had a scornful mouth. an
aggravatingly tilted nose and a pair Of
dark eyes.
He found out that her mouth was
scornful when he met her outside the
gate on the second day after his ar
rival. She was so undoubtedly pretty
that his neighborly good morning"
f, had unusual fervor.
And the girl-there was a contemp-
uous curl on her lip, and her eyes
flashed before she lowered her long
Ilashes. She passed on without a word.
| Jasper stared after her. in aston
ishment and then cursed the custom
that same small towns have of aping
city conventionalities. Later he found
out his mistake. The girls name was
| whose dismissal had made room for
Jasper. There was a flush on the young
mans cheek as he realized that the
young mans cheek as he realized that
the girl held him accountable for the
change of family fortunes.
BY dint of carefully yelled inquiry
he found out much more. Mr.. Carl
ton, it seemed, had obtained an infe-
rior position in town fifty miles far
Their south. But as he hoped for a
better opening in the near future he
had delayed moving the family goods
and chattels. There was much not
often included in the latter terms
rosebushes cOaxed to splendid size and
bloom through untOward frosts and
protracted drought, turtledoves that
selves on the fiat roof of the leantO,
and the fine flock of turkeys. Marion
Carlton refused to part with one of
these. Had she not triumphanuy
reared the entire Matching when the
Ispring Winds pup, rats and other enc
mics of turkeykind had dashed the
hopes of neighboring raisers? If any
| one was to feast on fat turkeys lying
peacefully on snowy pillows Of mashed
| potatoes with garlaHds of parsley round
| their necks it should be the Carlton
family. And as the Carlton family
had but two members, Marion's will
was generally law.
The frost had turned the scarlet sage
| to black. and the vines no longer
screened the house next door. But
every falling leaf seemed only to add
| to the rampant that the girls pride had
raised. She was evidently a favorte
! in the town, for in the evening the
evening the young folks trooped to her
door, and through the partition walls
came bursts Of laughter and snatches
of music. That they all followed Ma
rion's example in leaving him strictly
alone was partly Jasper's fault. After
the first few rebuffs his free and easy
manner changed to one of aloofness.
Maria sighed as she noted the
chaenge. And it's the hard hearts
you're all after havin," she SAID as she