Oxford Democrat., 1908-02-04
her chop feed and it'll hearten her up,

Morningstar in tone freighted with
sarcasm. "Yes. guess feller would
feed his cows chop feed yet! That
would pay. amt It? 1t takes towners
to have the DUNN ideas about cow"
"Towners" Georgiana questioned,
with lift Of her fine eyebrows.
"Och. I mean body'd think Pete he
was n towner. recommendin' such a
DUNN thing like that there"
Mr. MOrningstar received dollar a
week extra on DR.. Kinross' board for
aiding and abetting his disguise.
"Ain't you leavin' Eunice stay and
help usT Mrs. Morningstar persisted.
"Her and Abe needn't be together
Her husband obstinately stuck to his
will. "She can work in the upper field
and him in the lower. Do you hear.
AbeT" he sharply questioned his son.
Abe growed an affirmative under his
breath. He was afraid Of his father.
"Yes." cried Mr.. Morningstar sar-
eastically. they'll both mind you. too,
when they're out Of eyesight in the
fields over"
"TIl be strollin' over there some time
this after" Mr.. Morningstar said
warningly. "to see how things is goin'."
Georgiana, with queenly lift Of her
dark head and look Of disgust, rose
from the table.
Kinross so thoroughly shared the
feelings which her ui@IHar and look
expressed and he felt such strong dis
approval OF Eunice's apparent lack OF
sensitiveness to tie shame of. this talk
that sudden warm liking for Georgi-
ana stirred i'm him. Forgetting his role.
he rose instinctively to stand while she
passed from the room. But the act
was so entirely out of character that
neither of the young ladies recognized
| 1t for what it was, though Georsianas
glance did for m instant rest upon him
uncertainty with vague surprise
which quickly brought him to himself
and to his chair.
A little while later as he fingered In
| the kitchen after dinner TO get word
alone with Mrs. Morningstar and las
Providence favored him by keeping old
Morningstar indoors) with Mr.. Morn
ingstar as we'll he saw Eunice and
Abe start out together for the fields
While Mrs. MOrningStar and Ollie
cleared off the table he seated himself
by the kitchen window and watched
the youth and the maiden as Ion" as
they were In sight The incongruity Of
a Wolcott working in the fields like
peasant and along with fellow like
Abe Morningstar struck him afreSh.
"Now, you see"-AIrs. Morningstar
turned to him as her husband stretched
himself ont on the settee and Ollie de-
parted with pile Of dishes to the out
er kitchen-"how crazy that there girl
IS after our Abe-her not havin' n
wo"l to say agin workin' in the fields
out such hot afternoon"
"Bu. she never does say word
against anything she's as!ed to do
does she?" questioned Klnross, averse
to this Interpretation of Eunice's ST.
lence and acquiescence.
"Well. I'd like to see her oncet! What
right would she have. I'd like to know
Pop he won't even leave Ollie and Abe
speak back. What fur would he leave
her."
well. guess anyhow hoarsely
echoed Morningstar from the settee.
Kinross saw that his opportunity had
come.
"But it's different with Eunice." he
began. "Shn's not your own child and
does not owe you n daughters respect
and obedience"
Mrs. Mornngstar set down the plat
ter she was scraping and stared ut
him. and Mr.. Morningstar sat upright
on the settee and fixed him aggressive
" with his little sharp eyes.
"She owes us more'n what our own
children owes u.s." the latter affirmed,
''us raisin' her like our own and her
not bein' Onrn."
"But you have not raised her as
your own. she was taken out OF
school ut a younger age than Ollie was.
ard she has. never been clothed ~
your daughter has been. For years
she has been doing the work OF two
women and has got nothing for II but
her board
"Whos been tcllin' you them
thlngs?" Mr.. Morningstar asked. with
repressed venom. And what's 1t your
business. anyhow
"Eunice she has the right 10 work
| fur our keepin' her when she was q
child yet" Mrs. Mornlngstar repeated
her oft reiterated argument.
This brought KinroSs TO the point
which hc had been driving.
"To pay you for keeping her when
she wns n child? But you told me you
had been paid for that-the money
found pinned TO her dress. And then.
you know. after n very few years the
chlld's work more than paid for the
expense Of boarding her. So that real
". as I heard her tell you. you owe her
back pay; also you owe her. now that
she Is of age. that large sum Of money
you found pinned 10 her dress which
you did not use for her"
He had turned from the window and
sat facing them both, speaking with a
cool precision and In tone OF author
fly which bewildered them.
(Which you did not use for her." he
repeated. "and which. therefore. must
be refunded. You will pay TO Eunice
within the next week the sum OF
5000. I'll allow you thousand
dollars for your care Of her up to the
age Of six years, though Of course you
never gave her a thousand dollars
worth Of care in the whole nineteen
years you've had her"
you'll allow gasped Mr.. Morning
star. while his wife's eyes fairly bulg-
ed from her face. what are you got
to do about itT'
"And how'd you know 1t was that
much left u.s." sputtered Mrs. Morn
ingstar.
81 spent the greater part Of last
night in the haunted room and" he
said, with mysterious significance,
81 learned things. -Four thousand dol
lars was found on the child when you
| took charge of her. You will pay
| $1,000 to Eunice within week. II
you make any difficulty about 1t
shall exact her back pay-S2 Il week
| for the past five years and interest on
"a Good Name at Home''