Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-04-23

F1sbee's cheek with her soft hand and
laughed gayly into his mild. vague old
eyes. 1T won't be this scramble to I'LL
up much longer. l have plans. gent s.
men, and before long we will p,;n,
news; and we must buy plate matter
instead of patent insides; and l had a
talk with the Associated Press people
In Rouen, but that's for afterwhile.
And | went to the hospital this morn
Ing before l left. They wouldn't LET me
see him again, but they told me al
about him, and he's better, and / got
rom to go to the Jail. and he saw some
or those beasts, and 1 can do a column
OF description besides an editorial about
them, and l will be fierce enough IN
suit Carlow, you may believe that. And
I've been talking TO Senator Burns
tnat is, listening to Senator Burns.
which is much stupider-and | think I
can do an article on national notifies
I'm not very well up on local issues
yet. and p She broke Off suddenly
There, l think we can get out tomor.
agyC e-Fr rttAv-e ~-w srSvessp IN
sSss T%5S Svz SGt DacK from me noreI.
rarner. I'll have half my-my stuff
written-'written up | mean. Take
your big umbrella and go. dear. and
please ask at the express office IL a
typewriter has come for me-"
She laughed again with sheer delight
like child, and ran to a corner and
got the cotton umbrella and placed n
In the old mans hand. AS he reached
the door she called after him. "waitr
ana 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
particularly sacred sort of person. but
he did from that moment. The old
man made some timid protest at the
girls action. but she answered: THE
great ladies used to buckle the Cheya-
lier Bayard's spurs for him, and you're
a great deal nicer than the Chev-
You haven't any rubbers. l don't be-
heve any of you have any rubbersv'
And not until both Fisbee and Mr..
Schofeld had promised to purchase
overshoes at once and in the meantime
not to step in any puddles would she
let the former depart upon his GRAND.
He crossed the square with the strang-
est, Jauntfest step ever seen in Platt-
Vile. Solomon Tibbs had n warm ar
gument with Miss Selma as to his
identity, Miss Selma maintaining that
the figure under the big umbrella-onIy
the legs and coat tails were visible TO
them-was that of stranger. probably
an EnSlishman.
In the Herald office the editor turn
ed, smiling, to the papers remaining
vassaL MIR. Schofield. l heard some
talk in Rouen Of an oil company that
had been formjsl to prospect for kero-
sene in Carlow county. Do you know
anything about it?'
Ross. surfeited with honor. terror, and
possessed by a sweet distress at find
ing himself tete-a-tete with the lady.
looked at the wall and replied, "Oh,
it's that Eph Watts foolishness."
do you know if they have begun to
dig for it yet?"
"Ma'a ?" said Ross.
"Have they begun the diggings yetT'
..No. ma'am think not. They've
got contrapshun fixed up about three
mile south. l don't reckon they've be-
gun yet. hardly. They're gittin' the
machinery in place. | heard Eph say
they'd begin to bore-dig, l mean.
ma'am; | meant to say dig He
stopped, utterly confused and unhap-
by. and she understood his manly pur-
pose and knew him for gentleman
whom she liked.
"You mustn't be too much surprised"
she said, but in spite of my ignorance
about such things | mean to devote a
good deal of space TO the oil company.
1t may come 10 be of great Importance
to Carlow. We won't go into it in to.
morrow's paper beyond an item or so,
but do you think you could possibly
find Mr.. Watts and ask him for some
information as TO their progress and il
1t would be too much trouble for him TO
call here tomorrow afternoon or the
day after? | want him TO give me an
interview if he will. Tell him, please,
he will very greatly oblige u.s.
'Oh, he'll come all right" answered
her companion quickly. IN take Tibbs
buggy and go down there right off.
Eph won't lose no time gittin' here"
And with this encouraging assurance
he was flying forth when he, like the
Others, was detained by her solicitous
care. She was a born mother. He pro-
tested that in the buggy he would be
perfectly sheltered. Besides, there
wasn't another umbrella about the
place. He liked TO get wet anyway;
had always loved rain. The end of 1t
was that he went away in a sort Of
tremor wearing her rain cloak over his
shoulders, which garment, as it COW
cred its owner completely when she
wore 1t, hung almost TO his knees. He
darted around a corner, and there
breathing deeply. tenderly removed it.
then borrowing paper and cord at a
neighboring store wrapped 1t neatly
and stole back to the printing office, on
the ground floor of the Herald building,
and left the package in the hands of
Bud Tipworthy, charging him to care
for 1t as for his own life and not to
open it, but If the lady so much as set
one foot out of doors before his return
to hand it to her with the message,