The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-04-26

she is too feeble to come up for the
wedding, and she's devoted to Edith.
They were to let Hannah have the
day to go to her sisters, for she will
have to work so hard next week
so this morning, proving fair, your
cousin Maria said to me, of course
they've gone, and settled down quite
contentedly with me in the sitting
room.
Il think I've mentioned to you once
or perhaps twice, James, that she's
been pretty trying about the telephone
telling people I'm too busy to talk
to them, and answering the rings for
number four because she thought they
must mean three and so on. Well,
we hadn't been sitting there ten min
utes when the telephone rang two,
loud and clear, and Maria sprang to
her feet
" We aren't two you know; we are
three, I said feebly, but of course
saw at once what she meant to do.
She took down the receiver and said,
in her crispest voice, The family
whose number is two are away. Please
do not annoy us by continuing to
ring, and hung up the receiver. She
waited minute, and then there came
sharper call for two, and with a
fash in her eyes she took down the
receiver again.
I've been meaning to discipline
that telephone girl she said over her
shoulder to me. and then she said,
Give me the desk | was sitting so
near | could hear the telephone girls
voice say, What number are your
Number three said Maria, and
wish the desk
Number two was called said the
telephone girl. Please hang up your
receiver at once
Your cousin Maria didn't hang up
the receiyer-you know her we'll
enough, James to be sure she wouldn't
She laid it on the table and stood
there beside it, Then all at once
heard 4 soft voice. l was sure it was
Edith Carriers, and then-the room
seemed to be filled with great roar
Your cousin Maria jumped, and so did
l.
Edith the voice roared Edith!
You must have got my telegram. Some
meddling, interfering busybody has
been trying to prevent My lap
was full of the ruff1es for Ethel's skirt,
but managed to run with them to the
telephone and hang up the receiver.
Your cousin Maria's face was study,
and she looked pretty limp as she sank
into a chair. In about fifteen minutes
she sat up stif1y,-I don't think she'd
heard anything l said in the meantime,
and announced she was going home
on the one-forty-fve, and then she
hurried upstairs to pack.
Il tried to help her. and I asked
her if she would come back for the
wedding, but she only gave sort of
shudder and said, No! That man!
No.
Edith ran in on her way to the
train, and told how she'd had
telegram from her ranchman early
in the morning, and had waited to
meet him and go down to Aunt Pa
tience's on the noon train. She looked
just as tranquil and sweet as ever,
but she said there had been some lit
tie misunderstanding about the tele-
phone that morning. She thought
perhaps the people who have number
four, who are new on the line, had
To
away when Maria spoke from over
the top of the stairs with her arms
full of dress skirts.
1T wasn't the number four people,
and you know it, Edith she called. 1t
was me-she never thought of gram
mar. You can tell your ranchman for
me that the meddling, interfering
busybody has learned from him what
nobody else has ever dared to tell her
and she's going home to think it
over And you needn't think I'm Of
Tended. I'm not, as this will prove to
you, child-only don't care to meet
your young man yet awhile
and she tossed down an envelope
to Edith with a fifty-dollar check in
it, for something pretty, with her
love-
Edith hadn't a minute, but she ran
up and kissed Maria, twice over.
Il tried to persuade Maria to stay
after that, but 1 couldn't She went,
in spite of all 1 said"
Poor old Maria!" said Mr.. Potter,
slowly. "A blow like that stays by
one DO you suppose she'll ever come
again?"
Mrs Potter looked at him with
smile.
"She said she'd come on in the fall
TO see that I cot Ethel nronerlY fit.