Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-01-16


search half-furtiyely through its 16
Dig pages. Finally her eyes focused
themselves upon a paragraph on one
OF the inner sheets, and Miss Pritch-
"etts habitual composure returned as
she read with evident satisfaction the
contents of the item.
Sue,' she said. presently, stop
'ciatterin' those plates for minute
and look at something in this paper
Then we can have a good quiet talk
while we wash the dishes"
Mrs. Sue Stubs set down the tray
OF breakfast dishes which she was In
the act of carrying To the kitchen. and
came to her sisters side. Ever since
she could remember Mrs. Stabbs had
-obeyed when her sister spoke
Here it is" said Miss Pritchett,
pointing with a toil-hardened fore
finger, the first advertisement un-
der Personal"
The little block of print which met
Mrs. Stubs expectant eyes read as
follows:
WANTED. by "a Maiden Lady of for
ty-hve, in comfortable circumstances.
a Helpmate who understands farming.
Address p, 2713 Seventy-ninth St
La gasped Mrs. Stubbs, why.
that's this house,"
Yes replied Miss Pritchett calm
~. that's this house; and P that's
me-"
You, Nary" queried her sister
dulnbly
".m-ha," was the brief response.
II decided yesterday mornin' on mat
rimony, mailed this ad. to the Herald.
and came down myself by the night
train and surprised you. | expect to
take him home with me day-after-to-
morrow. ] reckon that I'll get some
replies by this afternoons mail"
Mrs. Stubs mild blue eyes were
round with establishment. She gazed
in speechless wonder at the elder sis
ter whom she had regarded all her
life as the very personifcation of all
that is wise, prudent and sensible.
The full, rosy face. with its shrewd.
kindly gray eyes, and square. deter
mined Jaws. the carefully brushed
chestnut hair, the ample figure, of
Mary Pritchett were all as usual.
Doubtless, Mary knew what she was
about.
Sue" commanded the prospective
bride" take those dishes to the l;itch-
en-, and I'll tell you all about it. No,
let me take the dishes; you'd drop
them, Japanese teapot and all"
We'll. you see, Sue. it's this way
she began five minutes later as she
carefully polished the plate which Sue
had automatically washed and handed
her. The farm is pretty big place.
bigger than any one person, man or
woman, ought TO try to manage The
crops have to be looked after and sold
the livestock attended to. the house
kept tidy, and a hundred other things
done. / can't follow up and oversee
the hired men like man could.
Things that ought to be done
amt done, and things that are done
amt done right; and, in short,
everything gets so snarled up now
and then that | guess Brother John
must roll over and over in his grave
1T was all so different during his life.
time. Until two years ago, when the
doctors killed him trying to cut out
what the good Lord never intended 10
be cut out-no, don't tell me. Sue;
you know as well as / do that people
never had appendicitis when we were
girls, and wouldn't have II now but
for she doctors as l was saying un.
til two years ago there was no finer
farm in the county.
so you see, Sue, that need a helm
-er with the farm, but that is not the
reason that I'm doing what / am. I'm
very lonesome, too, all alone I'm that
big house; but that's not the reason.
either. The real reason is that I need
protection"
Mrs. Stubs looked mp IN half
amused surprise. The determined face
and robust figure OF Miss Pritcbett
were not those OF the ordinary tlmid
female
oh said their possessor. serenelv
I'm able TO take care of myself I'm.
der most circumstances. But there are
two things that / just can't stand
Ones cockroaches, and the Others
burglars. ] don't have any reaches
about the place. but with burglars I'm
regularly ha'nted. There were seven
burglars last year, and there have
been nine up TO date. this year. so the
habit seems 10 be growing To he
sure. they don't get much. but Just
the same I can't bear to have them
hanging around. The last one came
two nights ago. I'll have TO tell you
about that burglar separate.
1T was about one o'clock. / reckon.
when ] thought I heard shutter
swingin' in the wind, and went down.
stairs 10 fasten It. You remember
that one can see from the back stair.
way through the transom into the
lum ber-room. Well what do YOU SUD.
pose I saw through that transom2 A
burglar, as big as life. rootin away rs
hard as he could in the trunk filed
with Johns old clothes. He'd brought
in the dining room lamp to see BY.