The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-12-26

the spread" was as to hear the sOun'
of the girls voice. In the ten day
that he had spent at the farm he hat
not once heard her utter a word
though he saw her three times da.
at the table. This strange silence, witt
some other ineXplicable things abOu
her, had begun to get Oh his nerves.
He had come out to this farm to b,
quiet and undisturbed, and here, rath
er to his chagrin, was mystery ris
ing Oh his horizon.
He waited, with his glass halfwa.
to his lips, to hear the girls reply.
She came across the kitchen carrying
a dish Of apple jelly in one hand anl
saucer of apple butter in tile Othei'
There was Il grace in the movements
OF her young, slim figure that was cOl
spicuouay lacking in Mrs. Morning
stars own daughter of the same age
Her eyes were, as always, dOwncast
as though to veil soul she did not
wish to discover to those about her
Kinross had never yet succeeded III
discovering the color of her eyes
COllClloN IuC SlIl az W ty OoIC tDout
her an air of detachment from her sur
roundings, almost like one moving in
a dream. Just now she scarcely seem
ed conscious of him at all as she
placed the two dishes On the table be-
fore him and then turned and walked
out of the room.
His piqued curiosity increased his
sense of irritation with things in gen
eral to positive i'll temper. This dainty
looking adopted daughter of the house
hold, who, he had at first thought,
must be fair lily among gross weeds,
her movements and so appealing to
his poetic sense her frail beauty Gin
spite of his professed misogyny)-eveH
she was probably no exception in the
generally bucolic atmosphere of the
Morningstar farmhouse, for more
tainly never encountered.
Was she not an exception? Then
why this constantly deepening impress
sion Oh his mind of an indefinable
charm, vague mystery, enveloping
the beautiful girl who drudged at her
household tasks in apathetic and stu
pid contentment with apparently not
a thought or instinct above her mar
row, mOnotOnous round of work; too
dull even to share the curiosity and
interest of the rest of the family con-
corning their "gent'man boarder," and
fnn nllaOn,af fn hnp fncfn,
mothers unjust and often tyrannical
partiality to her own daughter Ollie?
More than once he had been on the
point Of asking Mrs. Morningstar to
tell him something of Eunice's his
tory. But some subtle instinct which
he had never analyzed had held him
in check. Perhaps it was chivalrous
aversion to prying into what the girl
herself so evidently wished to con-
ceal. Perhaps he was not, after all,
in hurry to have the interesting mys-
terry explained away into a mere COM
monplace circumstance, the usual out
come of interesting mysteries.
"Well," he demanded of Mrs. Morn
1ngstar when, after Eunice had disap-
peared, the landlady stood beside him
and refilled his glass with milk, her
stout bulk a grOtesque contrast to the
insignificant stature of her husband.
who had been overpowering him with
his logic a few moments before,
where is the spread? She didn't tell
YOU
But she brang 'em!" exclaimed the
woman in astonishment. "Here!
showing toward him the jelly and the
apple butter.
1.-The spread?' he repeated blankly.
"Ain't them spreadinsy' she asked,
touch of wounded feeling mingled
with her puzzled surprise. ITO be sure.
some calls 'em the smear. But" she
added discriminatory, Il think that's
Dutch!'
To prOpitiate her he helped himself
eXperimentally to some of the apple
butter.
Were gettin' two new boarders till
this dinner Already" she remarked,
pushing pie within his reach, though
she must know by this time that he
never ate her pies, not even at break
fast.
Her statement appeared to be blow
to him. Thrusting the apple butter
from him, he stared up at her, chagrin
and keen disappointment in his face.
"Mister he goes this dinner to fetch
'em on the buggy out" she Informed
him. Zone of 'em's overstudied the
brain goin' to college. Yes," she in-
sisted argumentatively, ''there is such
thing as overstudyin' the brain, espe-
cially fur country person where ain't
used to it still. To be sure, you bein'
doctor that way, you'd know yourself
the brain kin be Overstudied."
He did not rouse himself to explain
to her that he was not a doctor of
drugs, but of philosophy. 1t would in
volve SO many questions on her part
and so much explanation on his-and
the day was already hot.
"DO you think you'd better risk TAX
ing two more boarders?' he asked her
doubtfully with the faint hope Of avert
Ing the impending calamity. "Won't it
give you lot more to do? And you are !
busy from morning to night now"
you think?' she laughed. "Och, no, |
amt oyerworked. can stand a