Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-06-26

timidly: Let us 60"
NO" said Aunt Jane; 'the time
has come
"Has it?" asked Tom, cracking a
nut.
"Your conscience said Aunt Jane,
must tell you that you owe an ex-
PLANTATION to your wife"
Must it?' asked Tam, checking a
smile.
Don't lose your temper. sir" said
Aunt Jane. She always began an ar
gument like that-it seldom failed.
"Lucy, tell him what you want to
know"
sI-I-hadnt we better go into the
drawing room?" stammered Lucy.
mo! l will protect YOU" She
turned fiercely upon Tom. you have
letters in a drawer in your study
which is locked. Don't deny it,"
Il won't" said Tom. ITS probably
quite true"
by your brutal conduct you thought
you had cowed this poor child's spirit
( SO that she would make no inquiries"
How did you guess?" said Tom.
But | have come, sir!"
81 can't deny it." he said.
And / shall remain and protect my
helpless niece forever, If necessary"
'She warned me that something of
the kind might happen" he said, help
ing himself to banana
Are you going to show me those
letters?"
Certainly not; they are private"
Aunt Jane tried to wither him with
contempt, but was so unsuccessful that
she felt that. unless she retreated in
haste, she would lose her temper .her-
self.
"Comel" she said. Leave him to
his conscience"
AS they went out Tom said to his
wife: Are you a party to this silly
nonsense?" but she did not deign to
answer. 1t was all beyond doubt,
now, on his own confession.
Tom smoked a cigarette He hadn't
a notion what the row was about, but
there would obviously be no peace till
Aunt Jane went. So he changed his
plan of attack and strolled into the
drawing room. The two were on the
EIGHT-BLACK hrdlupu
sofa. Aunt James arm was round
Lucys waist. They looked ferociously
at him, turned away, shuddered, and
were silent He sat down on an easy
chair and took up a book For five
minutes nothing was heard but indig-
nant breathing. Suddenly he re-
marked, Il saw the doctor again to-
day." There was no reply Aunt
Jane clasped Lucy tightly. He went
on. Il asked him what he thought"
Still silence You could hear their
shoulders shrugged.
"He said it was a little hard to ex-
plain the green spots, but the pink
and yellow ones were either scarlet
fever or something in-itis and were
quite well known in the profession.
Aunt Jane had released her hold on
Lucy and was looking at him with
open mouth. He want on casually,
81 asked, was it infectious? He said
you can't tell until somebody has
caught it from YOU"
Aunt Jane was standing up.
But, he says, in case there should
be any danger, had better avoid the
company Of all the near relatives of
myself or my wife"
Lucy hurried up to him with alarm
ards the door, "a
Dear Aunt" he said advancing with
outstretched hand, you're not going
yet, surely?"
She gave a little scream and jumped
away. In a moment she was out of
the room.
Lucy turned to him with concern.
"Is it serious, dear?' she asked
Just you see that Aunt Jane gets
comfortably out of the house."
Lucy understood, and the spell van
ished. Aunt Jane was up stairs, hur-
muttering aloud.
'T'll take room at the hotel till
tomorrow Send on my box. No,
am afraid | can't watt shall be late
as it is. Write and tell me how he
is getting on, and don't forget to dis
infect the letter-why didn't you tell
me this before you invited me? The
Incompetence of some doctors!-and
sprinkle it all over the carpets. Good
by" She scurried down the stairs.
Tom was in the hall to say good-by.
She lodged round him and cut at the
door as If 20 microbes were swapping
at her heels.
The deserted couple sighed with re-
lief. Lucy nut her head on Toms
shoulder
81 am SO glad she's gone, dear
think she's a witch; she seemed to get
hold of my mind, somehow"
Lets go and look at the guilty let
ters,' he said.
mo, l don't want to see"
well, they are only what you
wrote to me before we were married"
SO she brought what he wrote to
her, and he brought what she wrote
to him, and they exchanged bundles
and sat at opposite sides of the table,
and he knocked on the table and shot
across to her the first in date and she
shot across to him her reply to it;
and he read it and shot across the
next and SO On all through the list
and when they came to the things
which meant kisses . :
There is good parlor game for two.
Philadelphia Telegraph.