The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-22
THE GENTLEMAN
FROM INDIANA
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON.
Copyrighted by Mcclure Phillips & Co.
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON.

competentS sat watching the little fg-
ure with the expression of hopeful
and trusting terriers. She knit her
brow for a second-but she did not be-
tray an instants indecision.
Il think we should have regular
market reports" she announced.
thoughtfully. Il am sure Mr.. Hark-
less would approve. Don't you think
he would?" She turned to Parker.
Market reports" Mr.. Fisbee ex-
claimed. Il should never have thought
of market reports, nor do ] imagine,
would either Of my-my associates. A
woman to conceive the idea of mar
ket reports"
The editor blushed why. who
would. dear, If not a woman, or a
Spectator, and I'm not a Spectator;
and neither are you, and that's the
reason you didn't think of them. So.
Mr.. Parker, as there is so much pres
sure, and if you don't mind continu-
ing to act as reporter as we'll as COM
positor until after tomorrow, and IL
it isn't too wet-you must take en-
umbrella-would it be too much both
er if you went around to all the shops
stores. l mean-to all the grocers',
and the butchers, and that leather
place we posed, the tannery If
there's one of those places where they
bring COWS. would it be too much to
ask you to stop there ?-and at the
flour MILL if it isn't too far?-and at
the dry goods store? And you must
take blank book and sharpened pen
ell. And will you price everything,
please, and jot down how much things
are?"
Orders received, the impetuous Par
ker was departing on the instant, when
she stopped him with little cry: But
you haven't any umbrella" And she
forced her own, a slender wand, upon
him; it bore a cunningly wrought ham
die and its fabric was of glstening
silk. The foreman. unable to decline
il, thanked her awkwardly, and, as
she turned to speak to Fisbee, bolted
out of the door and ran down the
steps without unfolding the umbrella:
and, as he made for Mr.. Martins en-
porium, he buttoned IL securely under
his long Prince Albert" determined
that not a drop of water should touch
and ruin so delicate thing. Thus he
carried 1t, triumphantly dry, through
the course of his reportings of that
day.
When he had gone the editor laid
her hand on Fisbee's arm. Dear"
she said, do you think you would
take cold If you went over to the ho-
tel and made a note of all the ar
rivals for the last week-and the de-
partures, too? / noticed that Mr..
Harkless always filed two or three
sticks, isn't it?-with them and things
about them, and somehow it read
very nicely. You must ask the land
lord all about them; and, If there
aren't any, we can take up the same
amount of space lamenting the dull
times, just as he used to. You see,
I've read the Herald faithfully; isn't
1t good thing l always subscribed
for it?" She patted Fisbee's cheek,
and laughed gaily into his mild, vague
old eyes.
ut won't be this scramble to fill
up much longer. 1 have plans, gen.
tlemen," she cried, land before long
we will print news. And we must buy
plate matter instead of patent in
Sides and l had a talk with the AS
ISOLATED Press people in Rouen-but
that's for afterwhile. And. l went to
the hospital this morning before l left.
They wouldn't let me see him again,
but they told me all about him, and
he's better; and l got Tom to go to
the jail-he was so mystified, he doesn't
know what / wanted 1t for-and he
saw some of those beasts and / can
do a column of description besides an
editorial about them, and 1 will be
fierce enough to suit Carlow. you may
believe that. And I've been talking
to Senator Burns-that is. listening to
Senator Burns. which is much stupider
and l think / can do an article on
national politics. I'm not very we'll
up on local issues yet. but /" She
broke off suddenly. "Therel ! think
we can get out to-morrow's number
without any trouble. By the time you
get back from the hotel, father, I'll
have half my stuff written-'written
up 1 mean. Take your big umbrella
and go, dear, and please ask at the
express office If my typewriter has
come"
She laughed again with sheer delight,
like a child, and ran to a corner and
got the cotton umbrella and placed it
in the old mans hand. AS he reached
the door, she called after him: Watt"
and went to him and knelt before him.
and, with the humblest, proudest grace
in the world, turned up his trousers to
keep them from the mud. Ross Scho-
field had never considered Mr.. Fisbee
a particularly sacred sort of person,
but he did from that moment. The
old man made some timid protest, at
his daughters action, but she answer
ed: The great ladies used to buckle
the Chevalier Bayards spurs for him,
and you're great deal nicer than
the Chev-. You haven't any rub
bers l don't believe any of You have
any rubbers!" And not until both
Fisbee and Mr.. Sch6field had prom
ised to purchase overshoes at once,
and in the meantime not to step in
any puddles, would she let her father
depart upon his errand. He crossed
the square with the Strangest, jaunti-
est step ever seen in Plattville. Solo
mon Tibbs had d warm argument with
Miss Selma as to his identity. Miss
Selma maintaining that the figure I'M