The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-06-02

lie WOOueH leIter DOA Dy tue gaze Hau
name stenciled upon H. Miss Dawes
sprang from the buggy and looked at
the box.
Yes she said, this is the place.
Will you come In. Mr.. Bangs? You
can put your horse in that barn. I'm
sure, IL you want to-"
But Bailey declined to 20 In. He
declared he was going on to the black
smiths shop to have that wheel fixed.
He would not feel safe to start for
home with it-as it was. He drove OF,
and Miss Dawes. knowing from life
long experience that front doors are
merely for show. passed around the
main body Of the house and raped on
the door in the ell. The rap was not
answered, though she could hear some
one moving about within and a shrill
voice singing The Sweet By and By"
So she raped again and again, but
still no one came to the door. At last
she ventured to open IT,
A thin woman with her head tied Up
I'm colored cotton handkerchief was
in the room vigorously welding q
broom. She was singing in a high
cracked voice The opening of the
door let in a gust OF cold wind, which
struck the singer I'm the back of the
neck and caused her TO turn around
hastily.
Hey" she exclaimed. Land sakes!
You scare body to death! Shut that
door quick! I amt hankerin' for in
fuenzy. Who are you? What do you
want? Why didn't you knock? Where's
my specs?"
She took a pair Of spectacles from
the mantelshelf and set them on the
bridge Of her thin nose.
II beg pardon for coming in" shout
ed Phoebe You are Mrs. Beasley,
aren't your
"T don't want none," replied Debby,
with emphasis. 80 there's no use
your wastin' your breath
After some strenuous minutes the
visitor managed to make It clear to
Mrs. Beasley's mind that she was mot
peddler. she tried to add word OF
wasted.
"'Tain't no user snapped Debby.
81 can't hear you, you speak SO faint.
Wait till ! get ny horn. It's In the
settin' room"
Phoebe's wonder as to what the
'horn" might be was relieved by the
widows appearance q moment later
with the biggest ear trumpet her caller
had ever seen
There. nowT' she said, adjusting
the instrument and thrusting the bell
shaped end under the teachers nose.
TALK into that. IL you amt peddler,
what be you-sewin' machine agent"
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 i'm MIR. John Thayer. who
died In 1854 She had been told that
Debby formerly lived with the Thay-
ers and could no doubt remember a
great deal about them
Mrs. Beasley, her hearing now with
in forty-five degrees Of the normal.
grew Interested She ushered her VS.
itor into the adjoining room and prof
fered her q chair.
"What you SO interested in the
Thayers for?" inquired Debby. "One
of the heirs, be you? They didn't
leave nothin'."
No, the schoolmistress 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
inouisitor-"a manT
There was no reason why Miss
Dawes should have changed color, but,
according To Debby's subsequent tes-
timony, she did; she blushed, 50 the
widow declares.
NO." she protested. "Oh. 10! rs "a
she's q child. that's ALA little girl"
Mrs. Beasley remembered many
things, but nothing ut all concerning
John Thayer's life in the west
'He never wrote home but once Or
twice afore he died." she said "and
when he did Emily. his wife, never
told me what was in his letters. She
always burnt EN-. 7 guess ! used to
hunt around for 'em when she was
out, but she burnt 'em to spite me, /
carlate. Her and me didn't Get along
any too well 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 INV failin'S. ! told her 50; says
70
And 50 on for ten minutes Then
Phoebe ventured to repeat the words
"out west" and her companion went
or on new tack She had just been
west herself. She had been ON visit
to her husbands niece, who lived ln
Arizona-in Blazeton. Ariz. Its the
incest town ever You see" she cont1n-
ued, land the smartest, most UP 70
date place. Talk about the west bein'
oncivilized! Ny land, YOU ought TO
see that town-electric lights and tel
ephones and-and-T don't know what
allI"
This was but the beginning 1t was
evident that Mrs. Beasley had thor
oughly enjoyed herself in Blazeton and
that the sorrows OF the bereaved De-
sire Higgins had been one OF the prin-
cipal sorrows OF that enjoyment The
schoolmistress endeavored 70 turn the
subject, but Ii was useless.
sxT n