Middletown transcript., 1908-10-05
[coNfrNuED FROM LAST WEEK.

You II have to see to things here:
He lighted his candle and
turned TO go. By the way, she
was here a month ago.
Yes. Mrs. Taney remembered
distinctly the gross.featnred
black-eyed young woman who
had staggered through the farm
house in her cheap silk and gilt
jewelry.
She came just to look at her
new home, and-well-she rather
took a fancy to the south cham
Der. You'd better fix it up for
her.
My room, William?
Yes. It's all the same to you.
Of course you can go up to Lefty.
Lefty, who had been at work
inside, came out and threw her
arms, sobbing, about her mother.
She knew that this had been her
mothers room for thirty years.
All Mrs. Taney's children were
born in it; the baby died there.
William stopped and came back
saying: Now, look here! It's just
as well to speak plainly at once.
I'll have no opposition to my wife
from you, Lefty, nor from-frop
any other woman. I'm the head
of this house. My wife shall be
mistress in it. She brings me a
snug bit of money, and I'll not
have her nor her family insulted
in it, --......
My son!
But he stalked off to bed.
There was no time next day
for Mrs. Taney or Lefty to even
think of the coming trouble. They
were up, as usual, two or three
hours before day, kindling fires,
milking, and cooking breakfast
for the six harvest hands. Then
came washing, dinner at noon,
all the work of a farm, in short,
which falls on the women, in ad-
dftiou to which " i1ieeiff was vas the cleaning
and preparation of the room
which the bride had chosen for
her own. Mrs. Taney moved
sluggishly through the latter
part of the work.
What is the matter, mother?
said Lefty.
Mrs. Taney laughed feebly.
don't know. l feel like a clock
that is nearly run down.
Lefty made no reply. The
child had lately been absent, al
most Indifferent, while her
mother talked, apparently wrap
ped in her own thoughts. Could
it be, the mother thought, that
Lefty also was forsaking her?
Mrs. Taney had cnly had one
other daughter-the baby who
died. The other children we're
sons, all of whom except William
had gone to the West and mar-
ried there. She often had-wished
they would ask her to visit them,
that she might see their children.
But they never did it.
While they were hanging out
the clothes that afternoon, Mrs.
Taney heard tap three times
repeated on the orchard fence.
Letty's face colored. She drop
ped the clothes and ran down be-
hind the apple trees. As she
came back, her mother saw her
thrust a note into her pocket.
Mrs. Taney grew sick at heart.
Lefty with secret! Lefty carry
ing on a clandestine love affair /!
While Mrs. Taney stood doubt
ing whether to ask the child for
her confidence, Lefty had disap.
peared. A few minutes later the
girl went down the road in her
clean dress and sun bonnet. It
was but a trifie, yet it stunned
the jaded woman as sharp blow
would have done. The other
farmers daughters kept up a
perpetual, vulgar flirting and
secret courtships. But Lefty
was her own one ewe.lamb deli
cate and pure.
Mr.. Burke, coming over the
fields that afternoon with his
hatchet and bag of specimens,
was amazed to see Lefty standing
on the road in eager conversa-
ton with man. A coarse, red
jawed, beery fellow, was his an
CRY verdict The fellow talked
long and earnestly, then took
Letty's hand and pressed it fer
vently. Burke turned his back
on them and struck across the
fields. The girls mother should
hear of this at once, he said to
himself, decidedly. Then he