Middletown transcript., 1907-11-30
/ USEL ESS PERsO
BY ELIzABETH ROBBINS

all, from two old pairs of his
papa's trousers, which his mani
ma had ripped and pressed.
! think I'll made the seats and
elbows double, seeing there's
cloth enough, soliloqu;zed Phoebe.
Freddie is so hard on his clothes
and poor Mrs. Westall has 70
'fmuch Ito do, and when they do
come to holes the patches will be
right there all ready to hem
1 down to.
The groceryman came just as
Phoebe finished cutting the
jacket He was a fresh, attrac
looking young man, and gen
orally inclined to be sociaPle !;
but this morning he was VERY
glum and said never word a$ he
wrote down Phoebe's order.
Why, what have you don9 70
your wrist? exclaimed Phoebe.
Cut it on Badgers old k&ro-
sene can, ! guess. The dickens !!
| didn t know it was bleeding like
that-on your clean floor, too
Wait a minute and let me db it
up for you. Never mind Ehe
floor.
Oh, it's no matter. l can put
my handkerchief about it.
But Phoebe insisted, and after
washing the wounded wrist,
/ wound it with soft white cloth.
The young man looked down at
her in silence till she began to
fasten the end of the banda$e,
when he spoke abruptly:
Say, Miss Percival |! Supp6 6se
you'd been going with a girl
steady for most two years, ana
F., all at once she left you in the
lurch some Sunday night a1ld
went home from evening meeting
with another fellow! Shouldn't
you think yourself justified fn
never having anything more TO
say to her?
Why,I don't know, said Phoebe
dissentingly. She may have
done it just to tease, not meaning
anything. No; I don't think I'd
break an engagement for little
thing like that.
Oh, but there wasn't any en-
gagement-at least, nothing had
ever been said |
Well, said Phoebe, as she took
several unnecessary stitches! if
| had been going with a girl two
years and never mentioned any
thing about being engaged, /
should expect her to think my
attentions didn't mean anything
and she was free to go home
with anybody she liked. Shouldn't
you ?
The young man blushed. I
guess I've been something of a
fool, Miss Percival," he said, with
an embarrassed laugh. I've
been expecting folks to be mind
readers. Thank you for doing
up my wrist.
Phoebe watched him as he
went down the path. l knew
Nellie was feeling bad about
something the last time she was
here she unused; but | had other
company and SO she didn't say
anything. It's queer what trifes h
will come between two people
who really think the world of
each other, and Phoebe sighed as
she recalled the one romance of
her own life.
The cutting out of Freddie
Westall's clothes was done, and
Phoebe was at her stitching ma
chine, when Mrs. Gaines, her
next neighbor, burst in at the
door and sank into chair. Do
you know how to put in a stove
lining? she asked breathlessly.
John took mine out and then was
called away and won't be home
till noon; and just before he went
he remembered to give me let
ter he took out of the postofic g
week ago-and it's from my
sister, and she's coming hereI
to-day on the half-past ten train,
and going off in the afternoon on
her way home from the noun
tains, and her son and his wife
are with ber-and I've been can
ming tomatoes all the week and
l
let everything else go-and I've
been working every minute since
| got the letter cleaning things
up, and forgot all about the
stove
III go right back with you,
Phoebe said promptly, and the
two left the house together. Il
Phoebe was possessed of gump-
ton, and the stove lining was
put in as quickly and as we'll as