The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-07-23

! talk IN Rouen Or an oil company that
had been formed to prospecA for kero.
sene In Carlow county. DO you know
anything about itT'
Ross, surfeited with honor, terror. and
possessed by d sweet distress at lind.
ing himself tete-a-tele with the lady.
looked nt the wall and replied, "oh,
It's that Eph Watts fooIIshncss"
"Do you know II they have begun to
dig for II yetf'
"Ma'amf" said iioss.
"IIaye they begun the dIggings yetr
mo, ma'nm. | think not. They've
got contrapsliun tixed up about three
| mile south. don't reckon they've be-
gun yet. hardly They're gittin' the
machinery In place. I heard Epb say
they'd begin to bore-dlg ! mean.
ma'am: mennt TO shy dig lie
stopped. utterly confused and unhaP-
py, and she understood his manly pur@
pose and knew him for gentleman
whom she liked.
"You mustn't be too much surprised,
she said, but In spite Of my Ignorance
about such things mean TO devote
good deal Of space 10 the oil company.
II may come 10 be OF great Importance
10 Carlow. We won't 20 into II 10 TO
morrow's paper beyond an Item or 70.
bat do you think you could possibly
find Mr. Watts and ask him for some
information az 10 their progress and u
Il would be too inlIciI troubie for him to
call here Tomorrow afternoon or the
day after? | want him to give me an
interview II he VIII Tell him, please.
he will very greatly oblige u.s."
"Oh. he'll come all right" answered.
, her companion quickly. I'm take Tibbs
buggy and go down there right ea-
Eph won't lose no time gittlR here
And with this encouraging assurance
be was flying forth when he. like the
/ others, was detained by her soilcitons
care. She was born mother. He pro
tested that In the buggy he wosild be
perfectly sheltered ! Besides, there
wasn't another umbrella about the
place. He liked 10 get wet anyway;
had always loved rain, The cpd Of II
was that he went away In a sort OF
tremor wearing her rain cloak ever his
shoulders, which garment, as II COW
erred lls owner completely when she
wore II, hung almost to bis knees. He
darted around a eerner. and there.
breathing deeply. t~nilerly removed II.
then borrowing paper and cord at a
nelghboring store wrapped II neatly
and stole back to the printing office on
the ground floor of the Herald building
and left the package la the hands ef
Bud Tlpwortay. charging him 10 care
for Il as for his own life and Iioa to
open II. but Il the lady 80 much as set
one foot ont of doors before his return
TO hand II to her with the message,
"IIe borrowed another on j. Hankins.
Ieft alone. the lady went 10 the desk
and stood for time looking gravely al
Harkless' chair. She touched II gently
as she had touched II once before thai
morning. and then she spoke TO II as II
be were sitting there and as she would
not have spoken had he been sitting
there.
"You didn't want gratitude, did
your" she whispered. with sad lips.
Soon she smiled AZ the blue ribbon
patted the chair gayly on the back and
SELLING upon pencil and pad. dashed
into her work with rare energy. She
bent low over the desk, her pencil NOV
Ing rapidly. She seemed loath to pause
for breath. She had covered many
sheets when Flsbee returned. and as
he came In softly In order not to dis
turb her she was so deeply engrossed
that she did not hear him. nor did she
look M when Parker entered, but pur.
sued the formulation OF her fast flying
ideas. with the same single purpose
and abandon. So the two men sat and
waited while their chIcftalHess wrote
absorbedly. At last she glanced up
and made n little startled exclamation
at seeing them there and then gave
them CHEEKY greeting. Each placed
several scrlbbIed sheets before her, and
she. having frst assured herself that
Flsbee had bought his Overshoes, and
having expressed fear that Mr. Par
ker had found her umbrella too small,
rs he looked damp land indeed he was
damp. cried praises on their notes and
offered the reporters great applause.
"It Is all 80 splendidv' size cried
-How could you do 1t so quicklyi And
In the rain too! II Is Just what we
need, I've done most of the things
mentioned. ] think, and made draft
Of some plans for hereafter. Doesn't
II seem to you that II would be good
notion to have woman's page--'Fcr
Feminine Readers or 'of Interest to
WOmen'-once u weeky"
"A wOman's pager exclaimed Els
bee. ~ could never have thought OF
that, Could you. Mr.. ParkerT"
Before that day was over system had
been introduced. and the Herald was
running on II and all that warm rainy
afternoon the editor and Flsbee work.
ed In the editorial rooms. Parker and
Bud and Mr.. Schoiield (after his return
with the items and courteous mes.