The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-08-26

OCnor mousse UcyO Luc OlShol "oAo 81
ing directions with tongue that STAN
mered a little still from the effects Of the
stroke"
Look after that fence, now, Bessie"
! said Abner, as we'll as he could. He's
got it onto my land right now-cuttin'
| off four feet, the whole way-an' you see
that Jim an Nels get it back before mid
! night l amt goin' to be run over, no
| longer"
iii take care of the fence. Uncle
| Abner-don' IT you worry" said the pretty
| girl. smiling into the dim eyes. Then
| she 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.
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 un-
able to rise from his bed. When he did
begin to improve at last, it was long
| time before he'could travel: and so
| spring was abroad in the land when he
| alighted again at the little village sta
| ton. He I'D started from the city un-
|
| ten Sim to meet him, SO he hired con-
| veyance at the village and was driven
| homeward; hanging half out of the Win
| dow in his eagerness to see how every
| thing looked. The spring had laid such
| a rich and verGant touch on everything
| that the dividing fence was hidden from
| his sight until he was in his own door
| yard; and there was no Sim anywhere
| about the place to tell him how things
| Jared To all appearance, the fence was
| precisely where, he, had left it,. except
. that there was a curious look of green
| ness about it. But even while he looked
he saw that some one was moving along
just on the other side, and STOPPING as
though with the intention of concealing
| something.
| Joshua'S rheum atism was cured-that
was evident from the alert way in which
! he speed down through the new pasture,
| taking a roundabout course, SO as to
come up Unexpectedly on the depredator
So he did not rise up until he was almos:
| opposite, and then he suddenly stood up
right.
| Joshuas face Redeemed, and his jaw
dropped. The fence was there-yes-
he could get glimpse of the rails here
and there-but it was fence made OF
sweet peas. They had been planted on
both sides-following the homely zig
| gag Of the fence, and curling their fairy
tendrils around every splinter and knot,
| and reaching through cracks to embrace
one another and climb higher, arm in
| arm. Every inch of space, it seemed to
him, was gay with b,oom-pink and law
ender 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 deep
| ened-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 filling 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, re-
covering herself at once. She did not
laugh-indeed, she spoke very demurely,
but he caught trace of a dimple in her
cheek, as though she had almost smiled.
$50 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 dimple had
forced it out of him. you must be Bes-
sie," he added as an afterthought.
"Yes-I'm Bessie" she replied, look
ing at him from beneath the shade of the
white sunbOnnet.
$50 see Abner's had the good sense to
leave my fence where put it," be sug-
gested, remembering that he must make
showing for himself 1T was good
thing for him. l 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
me-and don't you think l have inn
proved the fence?"
The dimple was unmistakable this
time Joshua's voice shook as he re-
piled:
81 dunno but what you have. But how
the come to be-things-pla planted on my
side-but give me them shears, an III
cut We few posies from over here. MY
mothers garden use' to have blossoms
like these in it. She USE to have 'em
trained up alongside of the porch
"Oh, will you cut some over there?'
cried the girl 'I've been wishing could
get to them Sim generally cuts them
for me, but he had to go after wood this