The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-31

dousy. Miss Devoe loves you, Billy, and she won,
mind you readin' the news. She'll amuse herself a
you're through
did not R wa to the mattel bu; went a.
Devoe already had one small foot through the paper
There was no escape He therefore placed her gently
% the ground s hand AMID picking ing tiny silver Of
Tick he said nstructively Baby go find tick
and bring Uncle Billy. Uncle Billy likes lots of
Little Prairie willing child. She started at
her mission, searching about in the sand near
the cabin and Billy settled down his reading Pres
black object between her baby thumb and finger.
Iiek-Inele Billy she said Tick I;': :.
in Uncle Bllys pocket and git him more"
Miss Devoe was delighted. She placed her "tck''
in handy pocket OF his coat and trudged off at once
for another with which she returned very promptly.
Tick she informed him as before. Uncle Billy
tick"
He indicated the pocket again and kept on reading.
Back and forth and forth and back the youngster
trotted bringing ticks by the scores and dozens, all
ent,v solved The nrob,em Of srnnivn h;id au vii, a.;
nocent engaging entertainment
In the meantime Big Dan had to the much
beated tryst at Threemile Station and Mistress Bet
sey Dodd exceedingly displeased his delay. She
was good sizsd brown-eyed, tempery young person
do you mean to tell me, Dan White" she said
that you goin to be orphant asylum for that kid
for maybe week? What about you takin' me drivin'
to Crystal Springs Sunday, which is day after
morrow"
well, was going to ask if maybe the weather
wGsan + s Sss from se,s Sunday the
oh, you did, did your That's all you up for,
was it, and waitin two solid hours fer nuthin p
can Just break the news to you right that amt
the kind you git to play second fddle-do you
understand my conversation land you can't have me
which do you decide to give up-once and fer all?"
Dan d 14}y t W
and YOU the only gal I ever"
Miss Dodd imperiousy Baby or not. it amt my
right off prompt, why that settles it all between YOU
and I. Now which Of two is goin' to be?"
But couldn't marry Miss Devoe." protested Dam
'You savvy that!'
Marry" said Betsey, erimsoning to her crown and
tnglng to the soes of her shoes "You never said
off somehin Of the sort in time You ben man and
me girl-but don't expect to git fattered to death
5, iettin your little Prairie go and takn me drvin
next Sunday"
DO you mean I've got to send her away you'll
never be my wife?" said Dan, very white about the
lips. Us that what you mean?'
IF she stays in your house owe, sunday1you bet
you and me won't ct mar d. Miss p, Rodd replied
Good-bys '''' 4 'N' N'' '' ''''' ''''' ''''
Dan stood looking at her oddly for moment en-
treaty in his honest eyes, then light of cold deter
mination.
~, can't throw her out like that" he said Il guess
He turned and walked away, Miss Betsey watching,
at first Indignantly, then forgvingly and at last
when he failed to turn and look back, with beated
regret in her two brown eyes.
"Dan," she cried. Dan Dan! Come back!"
But the wind against her. He did not hear,
and topping the ridge shouetted sharply against
the sky for moment, then abruptly disappeared from
Worried and somewhat at heart, he made his
way across the hills and at length to his cabin.
the end of which he rounded silently There sat Billy
still engrossed in his paper and there the earnes.
Little Prairie still tTudgng to and from the brush and
tick
harmless suberfuge for keeping the baby out OF mis-
chief He came forward quietly, while little Miss
Devoe was toddng away on her mission Billy glanced
up for second
"Helo-back, hey?" he said mechanically, and his
mind returned to the reading.
Dan was studying Partridges clothing curiously:
on some trouble Your eoaas alive with 's ants SCUM
Whats at; . .ha,. qusrrisd Billy who had only half
Then the baby came faithfully to the step as be-
ss ea ns 3 Of y se
vainly struggling for its freedom, between her
haustibe hill Of the little black and for nearly
two hours had been fetching them, one by one, to
Uncle Billy.
"Man-theres thousand ants a-crawlin' on your
person. exclaimed big Dan excitedly Billy. git up
and shake them off before they begin to eat your car
ANTS great jumpin Jehosaphat!"
He swept half dozen of the franticaly running
little insects from his hand at stroke and leapng to
his feet threw down his paper off his coat and
shook and beat it on the steps like lunatic
Good gosh' there's inside my Shirt" he said.
his garments. There's another further down inside!
There's three my back They're my legs! They're
inside of me everywhere! must have been sittin'-"
The baby interrupted She had made another sue
cessful pilgrimage to her base of supplies and now
stood before Billy faithful to her task
"Tick-Unc1e Billy" she said before, proffering
one more helpless ant to the who had kept her
entertained. ."nother-tick"
"Smotherin' angesT said Billy aghast at this be-
lated discovery, the doggone little terror OF kid
has put at least million in my pocket! Burn the
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