The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-10-26

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She was heated, tired and vexed
that day, or the speech might not
have been quite so plain. By and BY,
when she was rested and the kitchen
in its wonted order, she would make
| the particular kind of waffles grand
pa liked for supper, and feel COM
Portable sense of having thereby bal
anced all accounts.
Well taken care of the old man GER
tainly looked as he sat by the win
dow that day, and everything about
the substantial farmhouse bore proof
of the same kind of care. The room
was spotlessly clean, and every chair
in It's appointed place. "Mathy's a
prime manager" he always said of
her but sometimes he had weary
feeling of being managed too much.
He watched Christy pass down the
walk and turn in the direction of
Beck's. Maybe they were right, and
Debby never would send. A cloud
had come over the summer day, and
the world looked strangely empty and
lonesome. Debby had been the one
girl among all his boys, and it had
hurt more than the fathers heart had
acknowledged even to himself when
she married and left the old nest,
though that was before her mother
died.
Since then-well, they all thought
he "would be so we'll off with John r.
He supposed he had been Only
Marthy's so busy, an l s'pose old
folks is hard to put up with some
times p he murmured. 1t was usually
as one to be put up with" that he
thought of himself here. But at
Debby' had her mother sways,
and there were little children in her
home, too-a tiny girl named after
Mary. He seemed to feel the cling
ing of the soft arms about his neck,
and new life with the touch. No, it
could not be that Debby did not want
him Martha did not know.
Christy, at the corner of the gar
den fence, looked back, saw the face
at the window, and walked more
slowly. What did he see, she won
dered, in those long hours of gazing
down the road? Old friends? Old
days, when he was the centre instead
of the outside of everything? How
strange it must seem to be stranded
so while life's great busy stream flow
ed by She had never thought of it
before, but she could not shake off
the thought now; and when the mat
ter of the currants had been settled
she broke away from Mrs. Beck's
neighborly gossip and walked home
ward by way of the village. That,
at least, could not hinder Aunt
Martha.
The postofice was but one corner
of the village store, and the postmas-
ter and merchant in one answered her
inquiries with the easy familiarity of
old acquaintanceship.
"Can't I show you some dress
goods, Miss Christy? Letters? Not
any for your folks today. No; that
letter for the old gentleman hain't
got here yet. He's expectin' strong
as ever, I reckon?''
A laugh completed the sentence,
and was echoed by the three or four
loungers who had dropped In for the
afternoon news. The subject SEEM
ed indeed to awaken unusual hilarity
in two occupants of seat on the gro
Gerry counter, and one-a red-faced
youth, with bristling hair and very
blonde mustache-volunteered an ex-
planation "Fact is, Bufham, the old
fel-gentleman called for his mail a
little bit ago, while you was out. He
got letter this time for sure. :"
"There wasn't any for him" said
Mr.. Bufham in startled incredulity.
"Well, he got one all the same, and
we didn't NEEDLE with the United
States mail either" laughed the
joker, with significant wink. "We
spied him when he was way across
the bridge, you see; and, of course,
we knew what he was after; SO we
had time to get one ready, Jim and
me. You ought to have seen how he
grabbed it, and went off spry as a
cricket p
Christy's flashing eyes and flaming
cheeks made Mr.. Bufham's apprecia.
tive laugh die suddenly in a faint
gurgle, and he turned upon the man
a glance of mild reproof. "That was
goin' too fur, Jim-a letter too fur.
Of course, no offense wasn't meant,
Miss Christy, only a bit of joke"
But Christy tarried for no apollo
giles. Poor grandpa | She saw how
It all had been-how the doubt awak-
ened by Aunt Martha's words had
made the silent waiting intolerable,
and he had slipped out to take the
long walk, so hard for him now,
alone. She could we'll believe that
he had snatched the proffered letter
eagerly; it would seem like life 10
him. And to think it was only a
cruel mockery at best How could
it appear only funny" to those men |!
How dared they call such thing a
Joke! Her heart was hot with in
dignation and pity as she hurried
down the street, anxious only to over
take the tired, tottering feet which
somewhere along the way were pre-
ceding her.
He had passed out of the village,
and the bridge which spanned the
shallow river showed no trace of him.
Christy scanned the winding road up
the hillside beyond. "Surely he
could not have passed out of sight,
she thought, her uneasiness fast deep
ening to alarm.
But as she left the bridge she es-
pied the figure she sought, leaning
wearily back against tree which had
concealed him from her view. A log
had offered a seat on which to rest
while he examined the precious let