The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-08-12
Selett Stprp,
THEIR MAY FLIqTING.
The au dac i-ty

WIS. DItNn lUOh the ltlttI anu Ttdu II
meekly. 1t was brief
MY Dear Miss Betty: | have Just
left the house. 1t is down in the country
and near the seashore and has piazzas and
an apple orcLard--in short, is an ideal
home for young married couple VIII
call tomorrow and 60 into details more
fully. Faithfully yours,
JAMES GRAHAM.
Mrs. Brown looked up with pleased
huuer
Il didn know it had had gone 50 far,
Elizabeth, she said eagerly; that you
were engaged. When -
I'VE are not engaged, sharply, and
never viii be- have thought Mr., era
ham very pleasant man and have liked
him, aud he has called on Us qaite often
lately But their has never been word
Of love spoken And now this note, 1t
Is positively insultingl Mother, we must
commence packing at once and move this
very afternoon.
Why, child. We can I, in startled
I dismay 1t will take a week At least
/ You know '--
Il know We shall be out Of this house
/ before night yebemenily 1 shall 20
7 and engage moving van at once to carry
/ our goods to the station. and | will have
/ them taken to the little station Just beyond
I the limits Of the town II viii cost few
( duliars more, hut IT Will hide all trace
( of cur whereabouts Mr. Graham will be
7 4 rs.y.. 4.s.t- H..
sumRuouy wretch al sorry ever spoke
60 him sbout our plans to hire 4 quiet place
. for the SUMMER Now. mother. yon 20 and
be- packing your clothes aud yaluables. |
.iiali tell the van man 10 bs here in an hour
aai We mus, be ready
Yes dear, mc,kly. bat where shall
We go
..Whv. to-to-oh. anywhere II
is--su really matter, suppose We Try that
little place wherr We bad two weeks outing
la.t summer r urcharlv.llc, YOU know
L., real country there. with solitary walks
auI sariens IA every yard and rouutry
Isoplc coming iu with things 70 sell Reut
uu-s l.. cheap there. and hy offering
enough ~ can get ~amc s,Irt ct house pr
It ve gan /, We U hire part Of one or tWO
r,aius Anyway. We haven f, time g. 60
eagr one ahead u"w-
Ofvhar,lyiIle = wherc wc hr~s met Mr.
Graham. tsptitF
/. ia Why yc, | belies" you ar"
night. mother. but yoa know be i1li u,
hc was ias, down there ior les days 6>h
,ng ABd that be didn ceg a bite. ~ It
c,5nrsc. Nc woulin' meet him again. Men
never 20 fishing twioe in the same place
when they have bad luck. Now please
harry. mother.
The urvi afternoon shey wsrr standing
sn the ifopt porch of a pretty vine covered
cottage. sulsvriDtcud3ur the removal ot .
their e,.sis fr,ua the locAl delivery wagon.
The indignation .,iIl burned ia Elizabeth
eyrs. Nh, BrcWu lgokrl ,,red and plain
tive
Il lo hops We can STAY here, Eliza
beth, ,he sighed but. the postmaster
>eemcd Slow an gisins up the key and
vouliu premise u ibe house .urc
Wen stay ali right, Aosher, don
you Worry The house. Was 20 rent and
The key lefl with the postmaster for prs
p,-ctige tru4nis What il the owner did
write 10 him about an cid maiI who was
looking after a ylace Tor some Young friends. F.
and thar he would have her comc doWn
and ~ee this. She hash pal in a nap.
appearance yet, nor her young friends, and
we sere the drss real applicants Besides,
we are in actual possession, and was
shrvwl enough 10 force an advance reat
into the postmaster hands Now help
me swing ,his hammock on the piazza here,
and thrn yus, lie down ia II Tor an hour :
r,~t
Two dsy, later they were settled and the
furniture was all arranged Mr. Brown
was lying in the hammock behind the
screen of yine-, gazing pensiyely At Eliz
abeih. who had stopped reading aud was
now contemplating the cl1,ed book Ia her
lap wuhout seeing eyes There were >ol-
iiary walks about the village many Of
iheu,. aud the young girl was facing the (
fact that the walks represented the sagIal
conditioa Of the place The previous sun
mer outing had been eompaniopship 10 /
make It -.
The gate latch clicked, and Mrs. Brown
was aroused by siided exclamation irSm
Elizabeth Coming up the walk was James Z
Graham. and beside him Nas an angular, +.
middle aged woman who was apparently F.
refusing 10 be convinced.
Taint the kind of house want Mr. /
Graham, she was saying shrIlly, mot 10 I.
any way There must be bay wiuder in /
the end for Della : plants an willers in
front Tor her an Tommy to SIT under. She /
said needn even look at place without
the willers
IL But let me show You through the |
house, Miss Brown, urged Graham II
am sure YOU will like the arrangement, and
there is 4 fine willow in the back yard
which the young people can sit under.
There WASH time to 20 To my agent after
the KEY, but can get in one of the windows
aud open the back door from the inside
| III sure -
But the woman stopped short, turned,
aud started back toward the gate.
"Willers in front, she repeated AZ
greSsiyely. Them the last words Della
said It's no use, Mr. Graham don
want it.
Graham watched her through the gate
and up the sidewalk toward the station,
and then turned again To the house.
Might as well run through it while
I'm here. they heard him say. Then,
why, hello; looks as if somebody lived
in the house, curtains at the windows,
and as he came a few steps nearer,
'.hammocks swung on the piazza, and
Great Scott Elizabeth-Miss Brown
You here! Well, well; this is luck
Elizabeth was at the head of the steps
now, an odd light in her face. "Who
was that woman, Mr.. Graham?' p she de.
manded
Betty Brown, queer stick, who is look
ing after house. A friend recommended
her to me as joke, and | determined to
retaliate by actually renting her the house
You have noticed how failed. But is it