Middletown transcript., 1908-11-21

Mira, said Mrs. Peterson, dole
fully. Sit down and Ill tell you
about it. though it almost brsaks
my heart.
Land sakes! cried Mrs. Steb.
bens, auxiously. Don't keep 9
body in suspense. ! suppose that
red COW foundered herself on corn
just as / predicted when
Red COW! said Mrs. Peterson,
with contempt. Johns wrote
home that he's engaged to a city
girl.
Well, what Of that? Tell me
the bad news and I can hear
about the engagementafterWard
I've been expecting something
of this sort this long time.
Why, that's the bad news, SAID
Cousin Sarah, ,impatiently. We've
worked and saved to send John
through college, and then ne
goes against our express wishes
by engaging himself to q girl we
never can call daughter. of
course I know city girls are de-
signing creatures. but supposed
John had common sense enough
to keep his head from being
turned. Pals heart broken over
the idea that this old farm that's
been in the family for years will
be scattered to the four winds
before we're cold in our graves.
We're going to consult a lawyer
and see if it can't be willed to
some institution rather than see
it spent for fine clothes.
Sarah Peterson! l thought
you had more sense, said Mrs.
Stebbens, as soon as she could
take part in the conversation.
What did you expect when you
educated your only son and sent
him to the city? How many city
girls have you known in your
timer Maybe the young woman
is all right and you'll be tickled
to death with her. You don't
have to live with her, you know,
and if John is pleased that settles
it. My advice to you is to make
a nice Thanksgiving dinner this
fall and invite the girl and her
folks out to see you That
There will be no Thanksgiving
in this house this fall, said Mrs.
Peterson, firmly. | expected a
little sympathy from my own
blood relation, but it seems I'm
mistaken. John can marry any
one he pleases, but we've made
him understand that he can never
bring his wife here. I won't let
her set foot in this house while
live, nor afterward, if I can help
it. II -.
I'm going home till you come to
your senses, said Mrs. stebbens,
rising with dignity. You call
yourself a christian, and then act
like heather about girl you've
never seen.
If you'd see the accounts in the
papers that John sent you would
not talk like that, walled Mrs.
Peterson. Giving party to an
nounce the engagement! In my
day
But Mrs.Stebbens was already
shaking the lines over the back
of the family driving horse, and
hurrying away TO give her cousin
chance to see the error of her
ways.
You'd be surprised to see a
sensible woman like Sarah take
on so, she said, when telling her
husband of the stir Johns letter
had caused. Sarah Peterson
needs a lesson, and I'm going to
see that she gets it.
How do you think of going
about it, Mira? asked Mr.. Steb.
bens, who had great faith in his
wife's ability. Maybe they II feel
all right after the wedding is all
over with.
They're going to feel all right
before if I know anything, said
Mrs. Stebbens, positively. I'm
gong to get that young woman
down here somehow, and show
Sarah where she's wrong. l
know John Peterson well enough
to be sure he's found nice girl
for his future wife, and I'm going
to help them.
Well, if you undertake, guess
you'll carry it through all right,
remarked her husband, taking up
the milk pail. You're a master
hand at having things your way.
"A week later Mrs. Stebbens
hurried into her cousins kitchen
and asked if she would do a little
favor for her. Maud. has sent
for us to come, she explained in
great haste, and I can't leave my
hoarders alone in the house. Yon