Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-05

The sky was blue. and the lake was
blue, and there were four blue birds
against the silver gray of the birches.
Its like chain of sapphires,' Peg
gy said as she and her mother followed
the narrow path among the trees.
yes" murmured her mother faint
ly.
Peggy looked back at her.
Mother" she protested, you are
tired out" and she took the heavy bag
that her mother had carried, and, thus
weighted with two, she plodded on
until she came to TN intersection of
the path.
I'm not sure which way to turn TIC
go to our cottage" she said. ''Doesn'.
it sound too good to be true to say
our cottage mother?"
Yes, it does, and the rent is sc
cheap" Mrs Linton said.
I'VE couldn't have come if it hadn';
been cheap" Peggy remarked philo.
sophically.
NO, we couldn't" her mother agreed
| and again they plodded on.
Presently man appeared among the
trees. He wore bluecoveralls, and he
was wheeling barrow
"Oh. can you tell us where Miss
Brownies cottages are?" Peggy call
ed eagerly.
THE tin cottages?" the man in
quired.
1.-The what" Peggy gasped.
The man grinred.T~ ''The tin cot
! tages. Those are the ones Miss
Brownlee rents. You go on till you
come to a path toward the lake, and
you'll find them
Mother Peggy demanded when he
had gone on, what do you suppose
| lie meant?'
| I'm sure l don't know, and / don't
care" said Mrs. Linton pensively.
"Poor little mother" Peggy worried
you're tired OUT
Again they went on, and at last they
saw before them row of diminutivt
houses like inverted bathtubs. They
We're painted gray, and they Were
very compact and neat, but to Peggy
who had dreamed of picturesque rus
tic bungalow. they were Nightmares.
"Oh." she said in dismay they are
hideous, MOTHER
And after one glance Mrs. Lintor
sat down on the moss and laid her UNI
lbrella beside her. Its the last straw,
she said deiectedly.
ooh, dearr' sighed Peggy. And hel
mother echoed the plant.
But presently they saw 4 woman
reckoning TO them iron. e porch of {
large rustic cottage a, To- e end of :
row of tin caricatures.
"That must be Miss Brownlee," Peg
gy said Il am going to tell her tina
III think she should have told us tina
the cottages were made of tin"
But as they came up to the porcl
the beaming face of the rather MASSIVE
lady disarmed criticism.
81 thought you would be here abou
this time" she said. 81 want you t
have lunch with me-"
"Oh," Peggy demurred, Eve dom
like to trouble you.''
I'm dead lonesome" Miss Brownie
fastened to explain, land 1 like com
| hstI why bubi W.
tages."
aren't they a little odd?" Pegg
asked.
81 think they are beautiful" Mis-
Brownlee declared radiantly. "Afte
the big fair they were for sale-tbe
had been models, you know-and
bought them cheap, and they are mic
and comfortable inside. l have rente
the one next TO you to. young maj
! an artist He comes tomorrow"
HAS he seen them?" Peggy quave
ed, not daring to look at her mother.
"NO, but 1 told him how nice the
were"
"Oh." Peggy murmured, and WEI
on eating hot biscuits.
A half hour later she said to Mi.
Brownlee, Il have never tasted such
perfectly delicious lunch"
Miss Brownlee laughed. '.Well,
am a right good cook" she said.
always wanted TO have an opportunit
to learn things. but after mother die
I was too old to take up painting