The Baltimore County union, the Towson news. (Towson, Md.) 1909-1912, 1909-11-20
A Crown of Gold.

NIOWu VI OVlu"
(From the Outlook.)
Mirabel stood in the kitchen door,
on an April day. waiting for her hus-
band to come in from the barn, where
he had been embarrassing after his
trip to town. 1t was noon, and her
dinner-table, in exquisite order, stood
waiting for them. A beef soup OF the
old-fashioned kind, with onions and
dumplings, bubbled on the stove.
Mirabel knew he would be content.
Pleasure was too strong word for
anything Harrison might feel. He
had no concentrations to express
more than as sober certainty that she
would do things as perfectly as they
could be done. He thought exceed
ingly we'll of Mirabel, but there was
no throb of surprise over any miracle
she could offer him from time to time.
She stood there on the doorsill sway
ing from one foot to the other in a
childish way she had, her fece half
smiling in quivering response to the
bright spring weather. 1t made her
feel quite strangely, as if she were
little girl, with no tasks, only to laugh
and sit in the sun. Yet she liked her
work. Only there was part OF her
that seemed to be always flying
abroad over the boughs, or singing
irresponsible thingslike the bluebirds,
now in their nesting fervor. From
the sky she looked down at her blue
calico and wondered if it were be-
coming, and then sighed impatiently
because there was no way to find out.
Mirabel looked quite unlike any of the
girls in the neighborhood or any girl
she had ever seen. She had skin
so delicate that the sun seemed to
scorch it, and fine dropping profile.
But what puzzled her most was that
there were freckles on her nose, and
that she had thick, heavy hair, bright
bronze red and curling passionately,
and that to her husband none of these
things seemed to matter. Sometimes
when she went into room all by her.
self, and stood in front of the glass in
wild self-scrutiny, it seemed to her
that she had the prettiest neck and
chin girl ever had, and her hair was
so glorious to her that she caught her
breath. After such a meeting with
herself she would look at Harrison
when he came in from the barn and,
flushing all over her delicate face,
wonder if he would tell her how pretty
she was. But he never told her. Not
once in all their counting days had he
mentioned how she looked to him,
and they had begun their love-making
so early that there had been hardly
time for other men to speak Of it. He
was coming now from the barn,
straight, tall fellow with good brown
eyes and square chin. Mirabel sped
in to the stove, and had the steaming
dinner dished up before his feet could
touch the sill. Harrison he'd an arm
full of packages. He laid them down
on the kitchen lounge, swept off his
hat with one motion of his hand, and
with the other began to pump into
the basin in the sink. He soused his
head and face, and came out dripping.
After scrub at the towel by the door,
he turned to Mirabel, waiting beside
her plate.
WELL" said he, you all right ?"
That was deep affection. Mirabel
knew it and her eyes glowed. But she
answered soberly, because that con-
tented him, and they sat down to eat.
When Harrison had dulled the edge
of appetite he set back and sighed
with satisfaction.
WELL" he said, who do you
s'pose l see in the post-office waitin'
for the mail?"
II don't know"
Lucy Miles"
In spite of her the color flew up into
Mirabel's tell-tale skin. She felt it
there and chided herself for it.
'How's she look ?" she asked, with
careful interest.
young as ever. Pretty, too"
"How's she look, Harrison p said
Mirabel. "You know | never really
see her.
mo, she was visitin here when l
used to see so much of her. That's
what she doin now. Coin to-morrer,
she said"
''How's she look ?" Mirabel re-
peated tine question clearly, and
turned candid eyes on him. She had
no reason for being jealous over Lucy
Miles. If Harrison had wanted her,
she had many time assured herself,
he might have had her. But Harrison
always called her pretty, and hearing
that her heart ached and her lips grew
mutinous.
Harrison was speculating over her
question.
YES" he said, at length, I guess
Lucy's a mighty pretty girl, fur as
looks go. She's got black eyes an
black hair an good skin, an she's
straight as an arrer. Yes, l guess
there's no doubt but what Lucy's
pretty. Got any pie ?"
There was custard pie warm from
the oven, and Harrison addressed
himself to it with a fervor feminine
beauty had not challenged in him.