The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-01
Our Daily Short Story

I the place'll go to rack an ruin soon
as turn my back. But you look after
that fence, now, Sim"
| In like manner, the old man In the
other house beyond the orchard was
| giving directions with a tongue that
stammered a little still from the effects
Of the stroke"
Look after that fence. now, Bessie"
| said Abner. as we'll as he could. Hes
got It onto my land right now-cuttin'
off four feet, the whole way-an' you
see that Jim an Nels get 1t back be-
fore midnight. 1 Amt goin' to be run
over. no longer"
I'll take care of the fence Uncle
| Abner-don't you worry" said the
pretty girl, smiling into the dim eyes,
and she pated the cover and went out
| to survey her charge, the dividing
fence. From afar she saw Joshua climb
| into the wagon, and drive away on his
| journey to the city. She had heard that
morning that he was going, and that
1t was not probable he would be able
to return for several weeks. AS the
brown eyes went refectively up and
down the line of zigzag rail fence,
light came into them and she laughed.
II believe / Will" she said, half
aloud; and there was such a merry
mischief dancing in and out of her
| dimples that II would have been worth
| while to know what II was she would.
| The rheumatism was of longer dura-
ton than Joshua had expected. and the
weeks heightened into months. while
| he fingered in the city. part OF the
| time unable to rise from his bed When
| he did begin to improve at last. 1t was
| long time before he could travel;
| and so spring was abroad in the land
when he alighted again at the little
| village station. He had started from
| al nd
had not written Sim to meet him, SO
he hired a conveyance at the village
| and was driven homeward; hanging
| half out of the window in his eager
ness to see how everything looked. The
| spring had laid such a rich and YER
dant touch on everything that the d.
viding fence was hidden from his sight
until he was in his own dooryard; and
there was no Sim anywhere about the
place to tell him how things Jared. To
all appearances. the fence was pre-
cisely where he had left 1t. except
| that there was a curious look of green
| ness about it. But even while he look
| ed no saw that some one was moving
along just on the other side. and stoop-
| ing as though with the intention or
! concealng something.
Joshua's rheuma tism was cured
| that was evident from the alert way
| in which he speed down through the
| new pasture, taking a roundabout
course so to come up unexpectedly
| on the depredator. So he did not rise
up until he was almost opposite, and
| then he suddenly stood upright.
Joshuas face Redeemed, and his jaw
dropped The fence was there-yes-
he could get a glimpse of the rails
| here and there-but 1t was fence
made of sweet peas. They had been
planted on both sides-following the
homely zigZag of the fence, and curling
| their fairy tendrils around every splin-
ter and knot, and reaching through
cracks to embrace one another and
climb higher, arm in arm. Every inch
of space, II seemed to him, was gay
with bloom-pink and lavender and
white and purple and cream-he had
never seen--at least-not In long
years, he remembered now-such
mass of bloom as that which yelled
the fence over which he and Abner
had quarreled. Somehow. the redness
in his face deepened-and he looked
with embarrassed eyes at the girl in
the white sunbonnet who was going
along the line on Abner's side of the
fence, shipping away at the flowers
and filing a big basket which hung
on her arm.
She did not see him until she had
come opposite. and his shadow fell on
her; and then she looked up, startled.
You must be Mr. Long she said.
recovering herself at once She did not
Ilaugh-indeed. she spoke very demure-
ly, but he caught trace of diRple
in her cheek. as though she had al
most smiled.
so it's you that's fixed the fence?"
he said, uneasily. 1t had not been in the
least what he had meant to say, but
somehow, the sight of that dlmple had
forced it out of him. You must be
| Bessie" he added as an AFTER
thought.
"Yes-Im Bessie" she replied. look
ing at him from beneath the shade of
| the white sunbonnet
| 50 see Abners had the good sense
TO leave my fence where l put it," he
suggested. remembering that he must
make a showing for himself. 1T was
good thing for him. / wouldn't a
stood any more foolishness."
Uncle Abner hasn't been out of the
house yet" said Bessie. He turned the
management of the-the war-over to