Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-05-31
An Angel
By MARTHA
McCULLOCH.WILLIAMS

I MdItuICi hiohi thS ViNhuih
| whIstlng cheerily. a heaped basket of
| jewel red apples poised carefully upon
| her bare brown heal. Miss Prudence
Heathcote. her aunt and guardian.
! frowned at the whistling. but had to
smile a bit when Margaret broke out:
Now Prudence, precious, come at me
| with the saying about whistling girls
and Growing hens. know you hate
| my sole musical accomplishment. but
| this day is enough TO set II craven
| image whistling. even dancing. If it
| was of anything softer than granite.
You ought TO he out in it. The orchard
| is IL place enchanted. | didn't know
| until now things so prosaic as apple
| gathering and cider making could set
| themselves TO music.
HIM Miss Prudence said. Him.
| May | ask If Jimmy Blair is out there,
| as he promised TO be?'
| "Of course. \ gentleman keeps his
| promises, doesn't he:' Margaret an
| swered. tossing her head. but flushing
in spite of herself
Again Miss Prudence said HIM
| There appeared to be nothing else to
| say. But after two breaths she ~ up
and moved toward the kitchen, sigh
| ing out: ".ind of course he'll be here
to dinner. That means cooking things.
| Men do have such atrocious ap petites.'
| I'm glad they do" Margaret retort-
ell shamelessly. I've got one to match
anybody. Oh. Aunty Prue TO make a
| potato pudding. Make it very rich
and have lots of thick. sweet real
| lemon sauce"
| Go way, you baggage" Miss Pru-
| dence said over her shoulder "Who
| told you what Jimmy likes best: I've
| the greatest mind to make dried apple
| pies, just to see il he would know the
difference" smiling ut Margaret as she
| spoke the last sentence.
/ Margaret blushcd very red and be-
| gan to pout. You mean Jimmy Is so
| gone on me he's not in his right mind
she said. but you're all wrong, Aunty
| Prue. II don't believe he-he cares
for me n bit-hardly. Not that way, at
least. All this week he's been rs Kind
as could be, but distant-as If he was
afraid | wouldn't understand"
"Then there's mischief afoot what
sort I've got to find out Miss nru-
dence said vigorously, her hand on the
door knob for if ever any lad was
clean out of his head, clean idiotic
! about chit of n thing. it was Jimmy
about YOU all last week and all the
weeks before it. since YOU came to
stay with me-
| Mischief afoot, but whercG" she
| kept mentally repeating to herself as
| she whisked about the trim Kitchen,
her brows puckered, her eyes intro
spective. On the surface she could see
nothing Nobody had openly any right
or reason to be interfering between the
| pair. Jimmy was an orphan the same
as her Peggy. Moreover. he had never
| had the least shadow of an entangle-
ment. True various and sundry young
| women Ind been setting their caps at |
him-pretty caps, modestly set-but he
had overlooked them all = unless 1t
were-Miss Prue gave great start
| There was the root of the trouble; its /
| name, Nidella Bane. Jimmy had rath-
er made up to her in the weeks just
before Peggy came Now that she
thought Of it, lie had squirrel Della to
church two Sundays running, besides
buying many things for her at the
strawberry supper and fair And Del
Ia, it was well known, wanted to mar
ry and settle herself She had three
younger sisters crowdlng her in the
home nest Naturally she would do
what she could to hold Jimmy. tue best
chance in all Easton town.
But how she had done it Miss Pru-
dence could not fathom, although She
studied the problem almost to the def
riment of her dinner. She sat down to
it still puzzled. Jimmy greeted her
ana the dinner rapturously and talked
great deal of his appetite and of
many other things. but somehow did
not eat with his usual Zest. although
he made fair meal Nobody with a
palate could help doing that with such
things as Miss Prudence set before
him. Jimmy assured Margaret more
than once that if such cooking ran in
the family her future husband was the
luchiest fe. wv alive.
u think SO too. That's why it's so
provoking not TO have him come along"
Margaret said ut last. only think
Jimmy I'm almost twenty one and
nave never had a real business beau,
Isn't it shameful when Aunty Prue Is
going to will me all her pretty dishes
ana the Heathcote silver? Fancy an
heiress without sweetheartw
such restitution is painful-so pain
full ! hardly believe it exists" JimL
said, turning away his head. then
breaking inconsequently into talk of
something else
Miss Prudence, watching him. saw
mat his teeth had set before he could
speak. OF the seeing came enlishten-
i&tat III part Sire iue3lat 10 make ii
whole before she was much older So
as soon as linner was ovel she sent
Margaret upon an errand and herself
drew Jimmy on to the barn with pre-
text Of wanting his advice as to the
new hayloft and stalls She was
straight speaking person womanly.