The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-08-03

room to room, with her stiff-starched I'M
derskirts rustling like the futtering
wings of the wild pigeons now feeding
their young up in the dark thickets of
Vickly's Woods. She sang little bits
of song in the sweetest voice that ever
led class of young Hoosier hoodlums in
a public school She picked up her guitar
off the haircloth sofa, and slipping its
sling ribbon over her left shoulder, went
about the rooms playing pretty and mel
low old rondeaux in a way that she had
never played them before.
She made short little fights out to the
front gate of the narrow little hollyhock-
cd and morning-gloryed yard, and back
again. She stopped at least twenty times
in her delightful little futterings here
and there about the house to kiss her
mother on the cheek, or to pat her on the
shoulder reassuringly and lovingly, out
of the very enthusiasm of her mood. In
fact. she did hundreds and hundreds of
foolish little things that she was perfect
ly aware a mature young woman school
teacher shouldn't permit herself to do.
But she couldn't help it. And, what's
more, she didn't try.
In any one of the little, rustling, white
dove flights to the front gate she could
hear the sounds of shouting. clapping
hands and multitudinous laughter of a
delighted audience. And she could al
most see and hear Mr.. Huntley in the
merry humor of his new character that
he had shown of late, exchanging humor-
Gus repartee with his audience as is now,
and always has been, the custom and
the delight of the Hoosier audience and
the Hoosier orator. Perhaps, after sup
per was over, she would walk with her
mother down to Coonrod Redden's. She
would be heartily welcome. She needed
no invitation. For such is the broad and
simple hospitality of the native Hoosier
people to-day, that to "be acquainted"
constitutes n perpetual and unlimited in
vitation to come when you please and be
sure of hearty welcome.
But after the supper was over Lizzy
could not fully make up her mind to
start. He had not been long enough in
Hoosierdom to thoroughly understand
that informal freedom of manner which
sanctioned the unprecedented gathering
of neighbors at each others houses at
any and all seasonable times.
True, she remembered that he had very
readily conformed himself to the prevail
| ing customs in Sandtown society. But
he had always exhibited much more of
reserve, even to the point of diffidence,
than was quite agreeable.
"A leetle mite backurd. A leetle mite
| backurd," Coonrod Redden had said of
him at first. But l don't thenk the
Teller means any harm by ut. He haint
yusen to ar ways yit. He's been raised
whar people haint gut nuthun to do but
git acquainted. I'm they kin teck as
much time to ut as they wawnt to. I'm
they ginurlly teck a plenty, low We
haint gut time fur no SIGH foolishness as
that out h-yur en- Indyanny Teller
comes h-yur we wawnt to know right
away whurrer he's fittun fur a neighbor
UT nut. Eff he haint, we wawnt to boss
i'm up, UT git i'm out, jist Quick's we kin,
| by gump'
| She knew that Mr.. w. Mason Huntley
had ostensibly subscribed to this doctrine
which Coonrod Redden had not failed to
enunciate on all fitting occasions. But
had that subscribing been more than a
piece of amiability on his part?' She had
thought that in the case of man having
only the humble and subordinate place of
assistant" it was not at all to be ex-
pected that he would not readily fall into
the ways of the Sandtown people as cas-
lily As he had fallen into the sandy wind
ings of the Overcoat road.
| So she hesitated about starting. in the
secret hope that he would make that un-
necessary by coming to her "soon." as he
had said. But if he did not come within
an hour, she would go. She felt that she
must see him. She could not content her
self with the thought of remaining away
until after twilight She would go down
| in the twilight at the very furthest.
| So when the young Doc bikes came
over presently, to get Mrs. Wickly to
come and stay half an hour with his aunt
and her sick little boy, she felt that il
would be way of occupying the inter
val of time. And so she went along,
taking care to look back once in every
twenty yards to see if he were coming.
Then there were presently so many
of the Sandtown women dropping in al
Mrs. bikes to see how little Jimmy was
and to ask Lizzy Wickly about her great
fortune and take note of how she looked
and talked, and whether she had begun
to be stuck up, and proud and exclusive
as IT'LL pcOpic very lOOliSuly 10. Auu
perhaps with the thought of making il
very prominent that she had not begun
to be bit stuck up, and perhaps be-
cause she still felt the very unusual ex
hilaration of her naturally buoyani
spirits strong upon her, Lizzy did her best
to convince her neighbors, the former
Arguses of SandtowI, that she was sufh
GENTLY sensible and well-groomed in the
simple democratic doctrines and prac
4 tees of Sandtown not to be made giddy
even when suddenly elevated to the great
height of an inconceivable fortune like
the one which Wickly's Woods had
brought her.
CHAPTER XXI.
1t was quite dark when Lizzy finally
reached home, after getting up to star
half dozen times, and. being stopped q,
often by fresh incursion Of congratu
lating Arguses.
There was a light in the middle room
that they certainly had not Lit befor'
starting upon their enforced visit to thu
sick. Some one familiar with the house
was there And who 50 familiar as thu
man she had been waiting and watching