Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1905-02-17


ano with one hand, while the other
hands were claSped.
VIII you tell me about thcm?'' she
asked rs they reached broad. quiet
avenue away from the ain and confi-
7 sion OF the city.
"Are you really interestedT' turning
to look at her curiouSly.
every much 50. Please tell me-"
'Jhey are Antoine and Carita. They
may have other names. These are an
l know. have watched them from
my window all winter He had a tiny
fruit stand on the corner. ana she v...s
errand girl i'm big millinery establish
ment on the next street | saw the
first love chances. and l swear by Bun
ker Hin they did not come from An
tome"
Miss Markham laughed softly.
Il watched Carita passing aud re-
passing. making several trips by the
little stand for each GRAND. Then
there would be days when she did not
come at nh. and Antoine'S neck would
have been safer i'm those days IL il had
really been made OF rubber instead OF
the material provided 10y the Creator"
Miss Markham smiled appreciatively.
She could fancy the ardent italian gaz-
ing mp and down the street watching
for his sweetheart
"Wen. occasionally making pretense
of an abnormal desire for bananas. |
rushed out to the stand while she was
still lingering there. and 50 | some
times overheard few sentences their
soft Italian love words sounding like
bird notes In spring. Can't you fancy
them building nest somewhere OF
Ooughs and mOSs-they wouldn't re-
quire much more than the birds. you
know-and settling down like the birds
TO sing their love songs and rear their
youngY'
a new light shonc in Miss Mark
hams clear eyes.
And this is the man whom the girls
describe as mere business automa-
ton" she Thought, but she only said
encoura gingly, Weir
Hammond's head swan for an in
slant with n comprehension OF the
magnitude OF what he meant to do. but
he went ON steadily.
The day of the tornadO-you remcm-
Der it-when the wind tore shutters
from the houses and overthrow chin
neys and great limbs were stripped
from the trees as the small boy pulls
leaves from a twig that day | wit
messed the downfall of the house of
Buona-in other words. the complete
destruction of Antone's fruit stand
and peanut cooker"
Miss Markham sighed with quick
sympathy. Hammond was uncon-
sciously giving the little story dra-
matte turn.
Poor Antoine. lie made one or two
frantic endeavOrs 10 prevent the disas-
ter, ana then. crushed 10y the misfor-
tune. he chung TO the doorway OF the
oiiice building and watched the gamins
as they wildly scrambled for the scat
tered fruit"
And was everything entirely ru-
inedy" Miss NIarkham's hand mstinc-
lively sought her purse.
"rhe peanut cooker lay in the mud.
bent ana twisted out Of all semblance
to its kind. Antoine picked e up with
trembling hands and then. realizing its
uselessness replaced IL In the gutter.
while the tears streamed down his
cheeks"
4 HIT ISL iii Z cNpcClantlN.
Hammond continued obcdiently:
"'Nevcr mind, Antoine l said cheer
fully-its SO easy TO be cheerful over
another's misfortunes, you know
you'll soon be on your feet again. We
must expect reverses I'm business At
my words OF sympathy the flood gates
Of his grief were opened, and the
words fairly tumbled over one another,
his soft broken English finally relaps-
ing into Italian altogether as he told
his story. He had been so careful OF
his money-he had saved twenty-five
'dolla.' They We're TO have been mar
ried tomorrow, he and Carita, and he
was TO have bought Carita n new gown
and rose wreath for her hair, and
they would have been so happy! And
now-thcn he pointed elOquently to
the ruined peanut cooker, waved both
hands in a gesture expressing the utter
nothingncss OF his condition, and the
ready tears came again.
81 missed him then for several
weeks. The other day they came to-
gether and waited until l came out
from the Office. My brudda-he die
began Antoine cheerily as soon as
Joined them. An leave Antoine sew
enty-four dOlla,' said Carita. her eyes
big with the magnitude of the for
tune An his business Antoine add
ed pompously. Did he have Il standY
l asked him. no. piano. We mar
ry ourselves tonight. Thursday"
Hammond paused abruptly. The ex-
preston on Miss Markham's patrlcian
face was so unlike the usual air of DO
lite Indifference that he was almost
startled into the telling of his own
story, forgetful Of the italian lovers
THAT is ALL" he added awkwardly.
"And how did you know they would
be at your office this morning?" as If
reluctant TO leave the subject.
Antoine hunted me up last night
at the club Said his wife-you should
have seen his eyes when he said the
word-his wife wanted to come and
play for me first believing it would