The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-04-16
Cant / help you, p~lease?" says she

spoil your fine clothes. Besides I've
got sort OF used to It by this time; my
arm goes round Of itself, like a pad.
die Wheel"
She laughed and grabbed a chowder
plate and commenced to wipe. She
done fairly we'll for anybody who
hadn't practiced much, but she never
would have won the cup for speed.
One dish every five minutes Is all
right, maybe, II you're getting paid by
the year., but However, l judged her
ma kept hired help to home. I won
dered what she'd done with Hartley.
BY and by she y "Mr. Pratt,
how long do you expect to stay here?"
"Here?" says /. "On Horsefoot-on
Ozone island? Land knows. Longs
the Heavenlies-that is, longs MI.
Van Brunt and Mr.. Hartley stay here,
l guess. It's a restful place, amt IT."
says l, reaching for the next stack of
dishes.
She smiled. mo doubt they find 1t
So" she says. How do you like the
Natural Life?"
"Who-me? oh, l c~allate l shall
like 1t tiptop when / get a little more
used to it-that is, if l last. l was
oldest boy in a family of nine, and dad
died young, so l was brought up Natur
al, as you might say. It's been some
time, though, since l had SO many
hours of straight-along, pitch-in.and-
hustle Naturalness in the days run;
been getting artificial and lazy of late
years, l guess. But I'm tough, and I'll
be all right and used to it pretty soon
getting lots of practice. BY the
way" says, who was it that sent EN-
here?"
"Who?" says she, looking surprised.
Sent? / don't understand"
WAS Mr.. Van Brunt and his chum
sent here by the doctor, or who?"
why, / didn't know they were sent
at all. l think they came here of their
own accord"
"Humph!" says l, considering. WAS
any of their folks ever took this way?
Does 1t run in the families?"
That seemed to tickle her and /
guess she understood what / meant.
But she didn't answer the question;
went on dry-polishing the pickle dish.
Then she says, kind of accidental on
purpose:
rs Mr.. Hartley's health i%mproving?"
"Oh, yes!" says l. He's picking up
some, specially in his appetite. He
amt up to Van Brunt in that line yet,
though. Van eats for three; Hartley's
only up to the one-man-and-a-boy mark
so far. He'd do better If he didn't have
them blue streaks of his. Seems to
have something on his mind"
Perhaps he's troubled about leav-
ing his business" she suggests, look
ing sideways at the pickle dish.
Guess not" says l, looking side
ways at her. 81 don't think I've heard
him mention business since he's been
down. No, faint that, according to
my notion. He amt in love, is he?"
She looked at me then pretty hard;
but I was as w~ooden-faced as a cigar
sign.
Dear me, no." she laughs, brisk. 81
guess not. What made you think
that?"
"Oh, nothing" says l. 81 amt yer
been took that way myself, but 1t
seemed to me he had all the symp-
toms. Didn't know but he was fret
ting about some young m He's
a fine chap, that young Hartley. It'll
be a lucky girl that gets him"
She didn't say much more, but she
looked at me every once in a while as
IL she was wondering. l let on.
l was as innocent and easy as the cat
with the cream on it's whiskers. l had
a sneaking hope that l might have
boosted Hartley a little mite, and l
felt good down one side. Then l
thought Of Van, and I felt mean all
up the other.
After a spell the Twins and Miss
Talford happened along, and what q
time Van Brunt made when he see his
girl helping me wipe dishes,
well, WE'LL" he says. rs this the
way you hurry back to see what the
dear children are doing?' Sol, you old
f~ascinator, how do you do it? Martin
and l fell in love with him at first
sight, Miss Talford; and now look at
Agnes"
Hold on there" says 1. Don't
spread it too thick. l amt got but one
hat thatll do for Sunday, and l want
that to fit me. l was giving Miss Page
a few lessons in housekeeping. and
you'd ought to thank me for that, Mr..
Van Brunt."
1t seems the Talford girl had seen
James and he had agreed to go to
Eastwich with EN-. Twas a good
chance for him, a soft job and all that.
Truth to tell, l guess he was kind of
sorry about parting from Van alto
gether, the cleaning might not oe so
good in his next boss berry pasture.
So about six o'clock Scudder come
with his dory and the picnic broke up.
The Fresh Airers were pretty nigh
played out by this time. The smaller
children was nodding with their heads
on the shoulders of the bigger ones,
| --I - - 49, A. ~