Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-03-10

the figure under the big imbrella-only
! the legs and coat tails acre visible to
thcm--was that of a stra MGR, probably
an Englsbman.
In the Herald office the editor turn.
| cd, smiling, to the papers remaining
vasssl. "Mr. Schoheld. I heard some
talk in ROuen OF an oil co. Epany that
had been formed TO prospect for kero-
scne in Carlow county. DO on know
anything about it;'
Ross. surfeited with honor, tcv ror, and
possessed by n sweet distress AT find.
Ing himself tete-a-tete with thc lady.
psokcd at the wall and replied, "Oh.
It's that Eph Watts foollshrmss"
"Do you know if they have begA N to
dig for it YETI
"Ma'am?" said Ross
| "f1avc they begun the diggings YEA ?"
"No, ma'am, I think not Tbey'N g
got contrapshun fixed up about thrc.
mile south. | don't reckon they've be.
gun yet hardly. They're gttn' the
machinery in place. l heard Eph say
they'd begin to bore-dig, mean,
! IIlu tul, infant w NIX tlp'
stopped. utterly confused and unhap-
py. and she understood his manly pur
pose and knew him for Il 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
good deal of space to the oil company.
It may come TO be OF great importance
to Carlow. We won't 20 into it in Ia
morrow paper beyond an item OF So.
but do you think you could possibly
find Mr. Watts and ask him for soma
information rs TO their progress and i
it would be too much trouble for him 10
call here tomorrow afternoon or the
day after? want him to give me An
interview il he viii. Tell him, please,
he will vely greatly oblge us
"Oh. he'll come all right" answered
her companion quickly. I'm take Tibbs'
buggy and 90 down there right off.
Eph won't lose no time ettin' here"
And with this encouraging assurance
he was dying forth when he, like the
others. was detained by her solicitous
care She was 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 II
was that ne went away in a sort OF
trop.or wearing her rain cloak over his
shoulders. which garment. as it GOV.
cred its owner completely when she
Enpn al 20, hts Il
darted around corner, and there.
breathing deeply, tenderly removed it.
then borrowing paper and cord at
neighboring store wrapped 1t neatly
and stole back 10 the printing Office. Oh
the ground floor of the Herald building
and left the package in the hands OF
Bud Tipworthy. charging him to care
for it IA for his own life and not tc
/ open II, but if the lady SO much as set
one foot out of doors before his return
to hand it to her with the message
He borrowed another OF ]. Hankins'
Left alone. the lady went TO the dess
and stood for time looking grsvely Al
Harkless' chair. She touched it gently
as she had touched it once before that
morning. and then she spoke to it as IL
he were sitting there and as she would
not have spoken had he been sitting
there.
You didn't want gratitude, did
YOU" she whispered. with sad lips.
Soon she smiled at the blue ribbon,
patted the chair gayly on the back and,
Selling upon pencil and pad, dashed
into her work with rare energy. She
bent low over the desk. her pencil NOV.
ing rapidly. She seemed loath to pause
for breath She had covered many
sheets when Flsbee returned. and rs
he came in softly in order not to dis.
turb her she was so deeply engrosset
that she did not hear him, nor did shs
look up when Parker entered. but pur
sued the formulation Of her fast fyin3
idens with the same single purpose
and abandon. So the two men sat and
waited while their cheftainess wrote
absorbedly. At last she glanced up
and made little startled exclamation
at seeing them there and then gave
them CHEEKY greeting Each placed
several scrubbed sheets before her, and
she, having first assured herself that
Fisbee had bought his overshoes and
having expressed fear that Mr.. Par
kCr had found her umbrella too small.
as he looked damp and indeed he was
damp. cried praises on their notes and
offered the reporters great applause.
1T is all so splendid"' she cried.
How could you do it so quickly! And
in the rain too 1t is lust what we