Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-11-09
THEIR MAY
FITTING
By FRANK H. SWEET
Copyright, 1906. by Frank II. S,ceet

4 Il
'The au-dac-i-tyr'
Elizabeth Browns eyes flashed, and
she threw the note from her angrily,
then picked it up at the inquiring look
of her mother.
"Read thatw she commanded hotly.
Mrs. Brown took the letter and read
1t meekly. 1t was brief:
My Dear Miss Betty-I have just left
the house. II is down in the country and
near the seashore and has piazZas and an
apple orchard-in short is an ideal home
for a young married couple. VIII call to-
morrow and go into details more fully.
Faithfully yours, JAMES GRAHAM.
Mrs Brown looked up with pleased
flutter.
Il didn't know it had-had gone so
far, Elizabeth" she said eagerly, that
you were engaged. When
I'VE are not engaged" sharply, "and
never will be. l have thought Mr..
Graham a 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
ingl Mother, we must commence pack
ing at once and move this very after
noon"
"Why, child, we can't" in startled
dismay ut will take week at least
You know
ar Inoxry vr,a cba II ha ont nf +hiC houca
before nlghtr' vehemently. 81 shall
go and engage a moving van at once to
carry our goods to the station, and l
will have them taken to the little sta
tion just beyond the limits of the town.
1t will cost a few dollars more, but it
will hide all trace of our whereabouts.
Mr.. Graham will be here tomorrow to
go into details-the presumptuous
wretch! I'm sorry / ever spoke to him
about our plans to hire a quiet place
for the summer. Now, mother, you
go and be packing your clothes and
valuables. / shall tell the van man
to be here in an hour, and we must
be ready"
Eyes, DEAR" meckly, "but where
shall we goT
"Why, Toto Oh, anywherei 1t
doesn't really matter. Suppose we try
that little place where we had two
weeks outing last summer-Orchard-
vile, you know. It's real country
there, with solitary walks and 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, IL
we can't, we'll hire part Of one or
rooms. Anyway we haven't time to
engage one ahead now"
"OrchardvlIle Is where we first met
Mr.. Graham, isn't itr
us IL? Why. yes. believe you are
right, mother, but, you know, he told
US he was just down there for few
days fishing and that he didn't get a
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
the removal of their goods from the
local delivery wagon. The Indignation
still burned IN Elizabeth's eyes. Mrs.
Brown looked tired and plnintlve
Il DO hope we can stay here, Eliza
BETH" she sighed, but the postmaster
seemed slow In 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
aud 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 shrcwd enough TO force nm I'D
vance rent into the postmaster's
hands. Now help me swing this ham
mock on the piazza here aud then you
lie down In II 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
sively at Elizabeth. who had stopped
reading and was now contemplating
tho closed book in her lap with unsee-
ing eyes. There were solitary walks
about this village, many OF them, and
the young girl was facing the fact that
the walks represented the social condi-
ton OF the place. The previous sum
mer's outing had been pleasant, but
there had been companionship to make
II 3d.
Tho gate latch clicked, and Mrs.
Brown was aroused by stified ex-
rlamntlon from Elizabeth. Coming up
the walk was James Graham, and be-
side him was an angular, middle aged
woman who was apparently refusing
TO be convinced.
"'Taln't the kind OF house I want,
Mr.. Graham" she was saying shrllly,
mot In any way. There must be bay
winder. in tho end for Delia's plants
an willers In front for her nn' Tommy
'ook at place without the willers."
"But let me show you through tho
aouse, Miss Brown" urged Graham.
II am sure yau will like the arrange
mont, ana there is n fine willow In tho
back yard which the young people can
sit under. There wasn't time to go to
my agent after the key. but can got
In one OF the windows and open tho
back door from the inside. I'm sure
But the woman stopped short. turned
and started back toward the gate,
"Willers in front" she repeated ag-
grcssiyely. "rhema the last words
Della said. It's no use, Mr.. Graham.
l don't want IT,"
Graham watched her through the
gato and up the sidewalk toward tho
station aud then turned again to the
house.
might ms we'll run through IL while
I'm here they heard him say, then:
"Why, hello! Looks as II somebody
lived IN tho house curtains at the win
dows, and" as he came few steps
nearer, ''hammocks swung on the
piazzn, and Great Scott! Elizabeth
Miss Brown. You hcrc Well, welll
This IL luck"
Elizabeth was at the head Of tho
steps now, an odd light In her face.
"Who was that woman, Mr.. Gra-
ham ip ah. denuuled