The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-04-06

PLACE
By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN
Copyright. 1905 by D. Appleton 6 &C


hastily
Hey" she exclaimed. Land sakes
You scare body to death. Shut tina
door quick! | Amt hankerin' for in
Auenzy Who are you? What do you
want? Why didn't you knock? Where's
my specsY
She took a pair Of spectacles from
the manteishelf and set them on the
bridge of her thin nose.
II beg pardon for coming i'm shout
ed Phoebe. you are Mrs. Beasley
aren't your
81 don't want none" replied Debby
with emphasis $50 there's no use
your wastin' your breath"
After some strenuous minutes the
visitor managed TO make IL clear to
Mrs. Beasley's mind that she was rot
peddler. She tried to add word OF
further explanation. but 1t was effort
wasted
"Taiy't no use" snapped Debby
II can't hear you. you speak so faint
| Wait TILL | get my horn. It's In the
settin' ROOM
Phoebes wonder as to what the
horn" might be was relieved by the
widows appearance a moment later
with the biggest ear trumpet her caller
had ever seen
There, nowr she said. adjusting
the instrument and thrusting the bell
shaped end under the teachers nose
nj al
what be you-sewin' machine agentT'
Phoebe explained that she had come
some distance on purpose to see Mrs
Beasley. She was interested in the
Thayers. who used to live In Orham
particularly In Mr. John Thayer. who
died in 1854 She had been told that
Debby formerly lived with the Thay-
ers and could no doubt remember
great deal about them.
Mrs, Beasley, her hearing now with
In forty-tive degrees of the normal.
grew interested. She ushered her Wis
itor into the adjoining room and prof
fered her a chair
"What you so interested in the
Thayers for?" inquired Debby, zone
of the heirs. be your They didn't
leave nothin'."
No. the schoomistress was not an
heir. was not even a relative of the
family But she was-was interested
just the same. A friend Of hers was
a relative and
what is your friend" inquired the
inquisltor-''a manY
There was no reason why Miss
Dawes should have changed color. but, |
according to Debby's subsequent tes-
timony. she did; she blushed. so the |
widow declares.
NO" she protested. "Oh. no! It's a
she's a child, that's ALA little girl"
Mrs. Beasley remembered many |
things, but nothing at all concerning
John Thayer's life In the west
"He never wrote home but once or
twice afore he died" she said, land
when he did Emily. his wife. never
told me what was In his letters. She
always burnt 'em, | guess | used to
hunt around for 'em when she was
out. but she burnt 'em to spite me,
caPlate. Her and me didn't get along
any too we'll She said | talked too
much to other folks about what was
none of their business. Now, anybody
that knows me knows that amt one
Of my failin's l told her so; says
~
And so on for ten minutes. Then
Phoebe ventured to repeat the words
out west" and her companion went
,fr on a new tack. She had just been
vest herself. She had been on visit
o her husbands niece. who lived In
Arizona-in Blazeton, Ariz. TITS the
licest town ever you see." she contin-
led. "and the smartest. most up to
late place Talk about the west bein'
My land. you ought to
ee that town-electric lights and tel
phones and-and-I don't know what
nr'
This was but the beginning. 1t was
vident that Mrs. Beasley had thor
ughly enjoyed herself In Blazeton and
hat the sorrows of the bereaved De
ire Higgins had been one of the prin- ,
ipal sorrows of that enjoyment The
endeavored to turn the ,
ubject, but IL was useless.
~ fetched home whole pile of
hem newspapers" continued Debby.
They was awful interestin'; full of
ictures of Blazeton buildin's and !,
sadin folks and all. And in some of
be back numbers was the advertise
lent about Mr.. Higgins. | do wish l
ould show 'em TO you, but | lent 'em c
, Mrs Atwood. up to the Center. II {
want such ways I'd go and fetch q
IN. Mrs. Atwood's been awful nice
, me. She took care of my trunks and
lings when ! went west-yes, and
fore that when | went to Bayport to
eep house for that miser'ble Cap'n
Whitaker. ! amt told you about that,
ut ! will by and by. Them trunks
ad lots of things In 'em that didn't Il
ant to lose or have anybody see. My "
Iaries-Pve kept a diary since 1850 Z
nd h
"DiariesT' interrupted Phoebe, grasp W
g at straws. did you keep diary p
lille you were at the ThayersT :,
Yes. Now. why didn't l think of
lat afore? More n likely there'd be q
,methin' In that to helm Won with that q