The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1904-03-25

yourself il the Mr.. Withrill that
stint me the tillygram. I'm Mrs.
Crowley, at your sar.vice, and I
hope you'll be shuited with u.s."
"Oh, Pm not hard to suit" said
Ferdinand, carclessly. lie felt so
thoroughly disgusted that moth.
ing seemed TO matter greatly.
Perhaps the Crowley hotel was not
as prosperous ut II had been. The
woman's hands were as large and
as rough rs n workingman's, and
her clothes were unspcakably III.
fashioned. She lifted Ferdinand's
piece of baggage and set II in the
back of the buggy.
They drove along the dusty
road, the horse stopping now and
then of its own inclination To rest.
The scattered houses to be- seen to
right and left we're mostly Of the
poorer sort. Mrs. Crowley, who
held the rcins, chatted volubly
about her affairs, and Ferdinand
listened languidly, while his
thoughts reverted to Grace Staun.
ton.
"What ivir will I do? thinks l.,
the night Crowley was brought
home with the broken lag. He
worked in the sawmill, you see,
and the docthor said he'd be on the
broad Of his back with the lag
all summer! And Patsy, me- old.
est. Is but ~"
That's rather bad" said Fer.
dinand, absently.
and to make bad worse. Crow.
lcy's got till kaIr up the payments
on the house, or by the tor.r.ms of
the bargain well lose all the mon.
cy we've put intill IL. Oh. it's n
sorry strait we're in! but to
spakc the truth. sor, when | tould
Mike McCarty was after takin' n
boardcr TO help keep the roof over
our heads. il wasn't the loikcs of
yourself that expected"
The horse stopped once more.
Ferdinand noticed n little un
painted wooden house set back
from the road to the right. Sure.
~ by no stretch of meaning could
such n little shanty bc called n no.
tel. Yet evidently the horse and
the woman belonged there.
"Did you say your name was
Mrs. Crowley" Ferdinand asked.
To assur himself us he stepped
out Of the conveyance. The WON
nm had already alightcd. lie was
beginning To suspect that n hidcous
blunder hal been made.
"iis, sor, IL We plase-Mrs.
Crowley" she answered. "Jist
walk intill the parlor. sir. Patsy"
to n gaping boy, "bring in the gin.
tleman's tronk."
The "parlor" was very bare.
There was II bed covered by n fad
ed patchwork quilt, n little wash.
stand and n wooden chair. Fer.
dinand would have given n good
deal TO be back in his own luxuri
Gus rooms In the city.
The woman perceived that h.
was III NJ ease. "Surc, they tell me,
sor, that karpits is out Of STOLE"
she said, fearing that he did not
like the poverty of his quarters.
"Thc flurc do look Il bit bare, Ia be-
sure, but We can see it's scrubbed
clanc. And lackin' pactures ON
the walls, We can look ont AT the
scancry outside the wundies!"
"Oh, it's all right" said Ferdi.
nand, scarcely knowing what he
was saying. Apologies cXasperat.
ed him. The place suits me cx.
actly," he continued, heading OF
further excuses. IL don't care n
rap about pictures and furniture"
The supper which was served
before long proved to be much
better than Ferdinand Lad reason
to expect. The fish was nicely
cooked, and the coffee was 30 fine
that the young man asked for u
second cup.
He waited until the next day to
ask about the Crowley hotel.