The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-10-13
In the Old Mill
BY DONALD ALLEN
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Literary Pre-,

and reel. That alone will provoke ire
in any villagers breast. The way to
haul up fish is to haul him, instead
of turning the handle of a coffee mill
for fifteen minutes.
Miss Kitty walked right up to the
stranger He didn't even turn his
head. On the contrary. he caught an.
other sucker She coughed lightly.
Another sucker. She got ready her
pole and line. A third sucker! She
felt like striking the man over the
shoulders with the pole, but walked
off up stream. He had the deep hole,
and there was no use fishing in the
ripples
IF / can't fish, then he shan'ti"
was the determination arrived at, and
presently log came drifting down
to spin around in an eddy. Then
came board, beam and a slab. He
knew the girl was throwing them in
from the other end of the mill, but
he didn't look her way. He simply
suspended his fishing and sat looking
! over the river. Nothing could be done
with a man like that, and after an
hour Miss Kitty went home. When
| she had told her story, which she did
almost with tears in her eyes, Uncle
| Elijah drawled:
We'll, thars folks as is nigh-sight-
ed, and thars folks as is deaf. Mebbe
he didn't see nor hear you"
| Didn't see nor hear girl"
And a girl like her!" added Aunt
Mary.
'Ill make him see and hear tomor.
row IL have to hit him with a club!
| If he's in my place again I'll throw
all the old mill into the water to both
er him!"
The morrow came and the stranger
was there. The girl had come half
an hour earlier, but so had he. He
was pulling out the suckers the same
old way. No wooden Indian could
have been more needless Of her pres
ence. She walked to the far end Of
the mill. gathered all the drift wood in
sight and heaved it into the water.
The deep hole soon became unfish-
able. She was rejoicing when there
came flash of lightning and a rum
BILE of thunder. A sudden spring
storm was at hand. Almost before she
could seek the shelter of the mill 1t
grew dark and the rain began to fall
heavily. thunder storm was the
one thing Miss Kitty Havens was
afraid of. She sat down on a beam
and covered. 1t seemed as If night
had set in for good. The lightning
was fierce and the thunder awesome.
Il shall surely be struck dead!"
moaned the girl, 'and / know |
shouldn't have been so mean to that
man. He didn't know that he had my
place. He ought to have seen a girl
! when she stood so near him, but per.
haps he's almost blind"
tree on the other side of the river
was struck by thunderbolt, and the
old mill shook and trembled.
The girl screamed out, and the next
moment she felt hand on hers. II
must be the strangers.
Say, it was mean of mel" she said
as the thunder died away.
No answer, but he held the hand
with flrmer pressure.
You had my fishing place. you
know, and l was mad about 1t. Girls
do get mad sometimes, you know
That is. ! do. / stood and stood and
stood, and you wouldn't notice me
Hadn't | right to be mad?"
No answer.
But I'm going to be killed, and
don't want anybody to be glad of 1t
threw all that stuff into the river
10 spite you. ] just hated you. II
you we're girl would you do like
that?"
HIN! HIM" was the reply.
What? Can't you talk?"
Il guess so, II | try"
And can you see and hear?"
Both"
"Will-will the lightning hit the
mill?"
Il don't think so. The worst seems
to be over. Yes. can see clear sky
Then. SIR" said Miss Kitty, as she
pulled her hand away and reached heI
feet, III | am not to be struck and
killed ! want to know why you didn'l
speak to me?"
"Oh, / saw at once that you were
snippy and conceited and needed tax
ing down peg. | am Mr.. Charles
Earle, OF Boston. and | believe you
are Miss Kitty Havens."
mo, sir, | am Miss Snippy Havens
and you please to remember I'll YOU
can return to your fishing!"
. But. Miss Hayens-"
"And |. sir. am going home!"
But during the storm"
, but the storm has passed and
, am snippy Fish. sir-fish!"
And two years later. when they
I finally became engaged. the snipp,
I girl said to the artist:
IF you hadn't tried TO take me dowr
t peg we might have been married 4
whole year ago. That is. we nigh
} IL there had been thunder storm ane
, | a preacher together!"
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