The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-10-27
THEIR MAY
FITTING
By FRANK H. SWEET

Copyright. 1905, bU FrdnIt II. Street
THE au-dac-i-ty"
Elizabeth Browns eyes flashed, and
she threw the note from her angrily,
then picked it up at the inqulring look
Of her mother.
Read that she commanded hotly.
Mrs. Brown took the letter and read
it meekly. 1t was brief:
My Dear Miss Betty-I have just left
the house. 1t is down in the country and
near the seashorc and has piazzas and an
apple orchard-ip short, is an ideal home
for a young married couple. VIII call to-
morrow and so into details more fully.
Faithfully yours, JAMES GRAHAM.
Mrs Brown looked up with pleased
t1utter.
II didn't know it had-had gone SO
far, Elizabeth" she said eagerly, that
you We're engaged Whom
We are not engaged" sharply, land
never will be. / have thought Mr..
Graham very pleasant man and have
liked him, and he has called ON us
quite often lately, but there has never
been word of-of love spoken, and
now this note. 1t is positively insult
ing! Mother, we must commence pack
ing at once and move this very after
noon."
why, child, we can't" in startled
dismay 1T will take week at least
You know
Il know we shall be out of this house
before night" vehemently, Il shall
go and engage moving van at once to
carry our goods to the station, and
will have them taken to the little sta
ton just beyond the limits Of the town.
1t will cost few dollars more, but 1t
will hide all trace of our whereabouts.
Mr.. Graham will be here tomorrow to
go into detaiiS-the presumptuous
about our plans to hire Il quiet place
for the summer. Now, mother, you
go and be packing your clothes and
valuables l shull tell the van man
to be here in an hour, and we must
be ready"
Yes, dear" meekly, "but where
shall we go?"
why, Toto Oh anywhere! 1t
doesn't really matter. Suppose we try
that little place where we Lad two
weeks outing last summer Orchard
vile, you know. It's real country
there, with solitary walks aud gardens
in every yard and country people COM
ing in with things TO sell. Rent must
be cheap there, and by Offering enough
We can get some sort of house, or, If
we can't, We'll hire part of one or
rooms. Anyway we haven't time to
engage one ahead now"
"Orchardville is where we first met
Mr.. Graham, isn't it,
rs it? Why, yes. believe you are
right. mother, but, you know, he told
IL; he was just down there for Il few
days fishing and that he didn't get Il
bite, so, of course, we wouldn't meet
him again. Men never go fishing twice
to the same place when they have bad
luck Now, please hurry. mother"
The next afternoon they were stand
ing on the front porch of pretty
vine covered cottage, experimenting
the removal of their goods from the
local delivery wagon. The Indignation
still burned in Elizabeths eyes. Mrs.
Brown looked tired and plaintive
Il do hope we can stay here, Eliza
BETH" she sighed, but the postmaster
seemed slow i'll giving up the key and
wouldn't promise Us the house sure"
We'll stay all right, mother; don't
you worry. The house was to rent
and the key left with the postmaster
for prospective tenants. What if the
owner did write to him about an old
maid who was looking after a place
for some young friends and that he
would have her come down and see
this. She hasn't put in an appear
ance yet, nor her young friends, and
we were the first real applicants. Be
sides, we are in actual possession, and
l was shrewd enough to force an ad-
vance rent into the postmasters
hands. Now help me swing this ham,
mock on the piazza here and then you
lie down in it for an hours rest
Two days later they were settled and
the furniture was all arranged. Mrs.
Brown was lying in the hammock be-
hind the screen of vines, gazing pen
sivaly st Rl,a%ha+h E:tNe h~S --4~s~S