The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-05-19
Cupid Springs a Surprise
By OLIVE ROBERTS BARTON

some one else hammered Oh the box.
This your trunk. Huntley?"
"No-its a box for IA gentleman
down the road"
"Yes-we didn't think 1t was tur-
tie. but the world is so fun of num- /
Der OF things-what's inside, Hunt? Go .
on and tell us" (
"Cabbages!" he snapped. Where
the garage?" He started the car .
around the house The girl with brown
eyes looked oddly after him. then with |
a delicious little laugh she turned and /
went up the steps with the others.
Ii was clear 20 Huntley now His /
aunt. or rather his uncle's wife. was |
too busy with church, clubs and social |
duties to make the acquaintance OF |
| her brothers family. She had allowed /
them to grow up--and rich-without |
any effort to know them, except by !
sending ridiculous presents, because /
| they lived in the country. 'Lord-they 1
/ probably live In palace" he groaned. |
And me with cook stove for
| birthday gift for that little queen out
/ there" a dull red covered his face
and then paled when he thought of the
| brown eyes raised so frankly-so mer.
rIly to his
Huntley did not deliver the stove
that day The box-four young men
were walking lame from taking turns
draping their legs about 1t in the ton
neau-still stood peacefully In the car.
Huntley took Alice in to dinner that
night. Bob Murray saw to that They
had been together almost every sec
ond since the young mans arrival, and
as he said to his sister: Hunts In the
race already. sis. give him clear
| track. I'd like to see him win
But when someone proposed toast
to Alice, his heaven fell. II only he
could forget that confounded stove.
Who ever heard OF sending n stove for
a birthday present. anyway?
He sat silent for awhile and Alice
looked at him with the same odd
emile that had followed him in the
morning A question trembled on her
lips for the hundredth time. but died
unuttered. She longed to say: Didn't
Aunt Theresa send me any birthday
gift?" but some fine instinct, Hunt.
leys discontinue when her birth
day was mentioned, or someone joking
about the big box. kept her quiet
And when Huntley came out OF his
brown study and looked down at the
pretty girl beside him, she looked up
brightly and spoke of something else.
But she noticed the fierce light OF de-
termination in his eyes.
He got away as soon after dinner as
he could without being noticed. With.
out waiting TO get cap or ulster he
slipped around the house to the
garage. keeping in the shadow OF the
trees. The moon was full and the air
was heavy with roses Only fear OF
what the morrow might bring kept
him to his purpose What night to
be wasting on FOOLS errand when ne
mleth be strolling through the garden
with the sweetest, dearest girl he had
ever met. The moon and the roses
we're going to his head, when the box
and it's clumsy contents appeared Ike
a specter. He could not sleep with
that haunting him. What If they
found him out? How they would
laugh. And what would Alice think?
We'll. won't be the goat II know
IT.. and he made n dash for the big
door. "l'll ditch that stove Or" The
t door slid back at his touch and the
, moon streamed into the vault-nke
blackneas of the shed. The silent mo
e tors looked like sleeping monsters in
I the half light Huntley found his car.
D turned on the lamps and started TO
, lump to the drivers seat when he
: heard n delicate laugh from the ton
1 neau and the dearest girl In the world
s was looking at him round the corner
y of the big rough box
you see, Mr. Brown. | came out for
my birthday gift | am sure this Is 1t,
and ] was afraid you had forgotten
! about It, 1t will save you trip. too,
1 II YOU give Il to me now. | suppose
you had orders to take II home, but II
is ten miles to fathers, and ] can take
II in my own car when leave. That's
mine there-the white one" Then
: very innocently: What Ia In it-a
Q washing machine or-or cabbages"
: "Oh, Lord-it's worse. It's gaso
: line cook stove. ! was just going to
: dump II into the nearest frog pond.
. Alice slipped from the car and held
u cut her hand. "oh, no. please don't
u IL should Just love n stove-realiy
y And II you will wait till morning I'll
go around with you"
Hunt,ey took the little hand and for
: got Gs usual to let 20. And am FOR
given for being such dummy? | Dc
not deserve IT."
q Alice drew him toward the door
. Don't let us talk of stoves. Look a.
. the moon and--and SMELL" She drew
u deep breath of the perfumed air
- =, And hand in hand they wandered
- toward the garden, without though
= of the wasted acetylene and the oper
y door behind them.
Overriding II.
M he sighed heavily.