Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-04-01


HCN soon as like"
Della Freeman and Cora Gregory
stood looking at each other in the New
York elevated railroad station where
they had met with such utter delight
in their faces that the boy at the news
table stared, and the man at the ticket
box, as he lowered their tickets with
jerk of the handle, concluded that
something remarkable had happened.
1t was nothing very great, after all.
which the two girls discussed in ami
mated tones all the way up town, al
most missing their station in their alb
sOrption, and which they were still
talking over so eagerly as to forget to
take off their wraps when they stood in
the plainly furnished little third floor
back they called home-nothing very
great, only the prospect of weeks va
cation.
But to two girls, who had bent over
typewriter and stood at q glove coun-
ter for year without rest; who had
got up early every morning to prepare
their breakfast over the little gas stove,
taken sandwich or two for lunch for
economy's sake. and come home to get
their dinner YEARLY, with the help Of
the gas stove again, and who had
somehow managed to make ali their
dresses between them-to these girls a
weeks vacation was great event
A weeks rest, q weeks freedom from
the toll of the glove counter, a week s
forgetfulness of the purple ink of the
typewriter.
We'll go as far into the country as
our money will take us, DELL" said
Cora, raising her bright eyes to the
face Of the elder girl, as they sat por-
ing over column of country board
advertisements after dinner. Wont
Sam be lonesome, thought" she added,
with laughing glance at a photo
graph on a mantel-the pleasant face
of the young head of the dress goods
department-and at the ring on Della S
hand.
II presume he'll live through it,
Della laughed. "Oh, Cora! won't it
be nice? / don't know how to waitv'
There's the buggy, Burt" said Mrs.
Marsh. joining her stalwart son at the
front window they've Gomez
She spoke in an awed tone, and
gazed apprehensively at the two young
ladies who stepped down from the
dusty vehicle, looking about delighted
ly at the pretty yard before them, with
its scattered maple trees and its bloom
ing flower beds.
Something of her distrust was shad-
owed in the face of the young man
as he went out to help his father, who
had driven the newcomers from the
railroad station. to carry in the small
trunk they had brought.
Il don't know but we've done a
foolish thing" Mrs. Marsh had OBJ
served, in troubled tones, when it had
been fairly settled by letter that the
two young ladies from New York were
coming for week. whatever we're
going to do with 'em is more than l
know. Nothing'll be good enough for
'em; nothing'll suit lem; they'll just
sit around with their hands folded and
complain of things between them
selves. I rather guess we've under
took more than we can manage"
And that had come to be the general
conviction of the family.
Burt Marsh, however, forgot his
prejudice for a moment, as he looked
into Cora Gregory's blue eyes-Della
| Freeman had tripped up the gravel
walk, and was talking pleasantly to
Mrs. Marsh In the hQll-forgot it so
far as to take her little travelling bag
from her hand and walk up to the door
with her, instead of helping his father
with the trunk-forgot it SO far~as to
sit next to her at the dinner table, and
carry on lively conversation; might
have forgotten it entirely, if his mother
had not recalled him to himself.
'Of all things. Burt Marshv' she
said, as she poured dipper of hei
water over the dinner dishes, don't
| get to thinking too much of them girls
either Of 'em. Do you s,pose they'd
look twice at you? And if they would,
what kind of wife would one of them
make for a Woodworking farmer:
Look at 'emw She pointed to where
the two girls were bending over a
clump of sweet clover in the yard.
Look at that dress and that hatr'-in-
dicatinging Cora's trim form. How
long do you s'pose you could keep her
in such things as them? Don't do
nothing rash, Burt!'
The dress, pretty, blue-figured
lawn, had cost precisely one dollar and
six cents, buttons and Innings included;
the hat, rough white straw, had been
picked up at bargain for twenty
three cents and trimmed with q piece
Of null and few pink buds, carefully
preserved from last summer.
But how could Mrs. Marsh know
that?
And how coEid Burt. with his utter
inexperience of such things. do other
wise than accept his mothers view,
and gaze at Cora in her blue lawn as
he might have gazed at princess in
her silks and velvets?
Yes. they've eome,v be said. with q
sigh, as he leaned over the fence to
exchange a word or two with Bradley
Harwood, his friend and neighbor.
They're very nice looking"
Don't say so?" said Bradley. smil
| ing. "I'll be over"
He was over that very evening and
the four sat out under the maple trees
on shawls and footstools. and enjoyed
the moonlight and the soft. warm
breeze.
Burt sat near Cora; Bradley. after