The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-10

4
/ Lucy went down to the office of the
County News with her sister, who re-
| guested the editor to put the advertise
ment in two issues OF his serni-weekly
| paper. This was a little expensive, but
Miss Deborah was sure it was better to
give her experiment fair trial. The paper
was issued on Saturday morning, and the
lay passed With no results. EARLY Sunday
morning, just as the sisters were finishing
| their baked beans, the doorbcll rang, and
| Bridget came in with a broad smile on
| her face.
Please, ma am, boy and girl want to
see you, and they've got something in q
basket
'Toads' calculated Miss Deborah, and
she rose hastily.
I'VE saw an advertisement as said you
wanted toads," the little girl explained
shyly.
Miss Deborah opened the cover of the
basket. They are frogs she cried Il
especially said / did not want frogs. If
you can't tell frog from a toad, you had
better go to vacation school. i am not
going to give you blessed cent. rot one,
and you can take these frogs back to the
bog where you got them
| A pitiful expression came into the faces
| If the children. They turned away sad
ly and silently Their torn clothes and
| general air of detection went straight to
Miss Deborah's kind heart
do you like baked beans?" she inquir-
| I'd in 4 conciliatory Tone
| You bet" said the boy
| She ushered them into the dining room,
where Lucy was finishing her coffee.
| You didn't have much breakfast. I
imagine" she hazarded. as they humbly
dispatched the baked beans and brown
| bread
mo, ma am We lad to be up very
early, we wanted to get ahead of the Bax-
| ter bows"
Are they looking for toads?'
''Ye m. There's four Baxter boys, and
ne was afraid mebbe you'd all the toads
you wanted before We come along, so we
get up at o'clock
When Miss Deborah babe them good
by she had relented so far as to say
You can take the frogs back, but I'll
give you ten cents each on account OF
your trouble"
Miss Deborah and Lucy were just start
ing for church and were walking sedately
down Main street, in their gently rustling
summer silks, holding their pongee para
| sols to shield them from the torrid rays
of the sun, when they met struggling
procession of four unkempt children. Two
of them carried large tin pals
'Thc Baxter boys!' was Miss Debo-
rah's prophetic cry.
| Can you tell me. please, the house the
toad lady lives in:' asked the oldest boy
Il am the toad lady" replied Miss Deb
orah, assuming as much dignity as was
possible. 81 live in that white house with
the lilac bushes in the front yard. Good
ness, Lucy, what shall do? We are late
for church already. I shall be very late
if &C back now, but can't miss chance
| like this, or disappoint these children.
hope you have brought me toads and not
! frogs"
| They are toads all right" said the old
est boy, lifting the cover of his pail, and
allowing Miss Deborah to look inside,
where she saw q merry company of six
bright-eyed toads There's eight in Jims
box he announced.
| Miss Deborah made rapid calculation
Five times fourteen are seventy cents,
she said, ''and Bridget hasn't got home
from early mass-she must have stopped
at her brothers, there is nothing for it
but to go back. Lucy, go on to church,
and if don't get there, for heavens sake
dent tell Mrs. Lutterworth the reason
why. Lie, Lucy, lie like IA Filipino,
say I am i'll, that I mind the heat: say
anything but the truth. If Sarah Lutter-
worth should get hold of this should
never hear the last of il"
'Shan't I go back too suggested
Lucy Then nobody can ask any ques-
tons"
MY dear. every one would think we
were at deaths door if one of us wasn't
at church. We should have the whole
town coming to inquire"
Lucy proceeded down the quiet elm
shaded village street to the accompani-
ment of church bells. She was a little
late, and slipped into her seat half way
up the broad aisle as unobtrusivelYfEs
>he could, but she was conscious on
Vulnerable eyes fixed upon her. She knew
syery one was wondering why Deharah
was not there, Deborah, who never Ed
Sunday at church.
| After the service was over Lucy tried
to slip out without speaking to any one.
but Mrs. Lutterworth fastened down the
aisle and caught up with her before she
reached the church door.
Il hope Miss Deborah isn't lie" she
asked.
NO said Lucy. 'she feels the heat q
little"
Il am so sorry! 1 never knew Miss
Deborah to give up church for weather"
| She wouldn't have stayed at home
merely for that, but-the fact is she was
detained by callers who came just as we
were leaving home" said Lucy, thinking
it just as well to say something approx
mate to the truth. She was sure the per-
son who invented lying did not live in a
country town, for it is so futile under
these circumstances to tell anything but
the blunt, unvarnished truth Before tn |:
day was over all the aristocracy of Epping
ham knew whom Deborah Wyatt's caller
were Mrs Simonds, from her window
saw her greet the procession of boyg
and turn back with them, and has a dis
cussior with her maid as to whether the
pals contained toads or berries. They
finally came to the conclusion that Miss
Deborah would not have given UP church
! for ANYTHING loco unusual than toodS Di-