The Brandon news., 1911-05-18
AN ANGEL.
There Was Mischief Afoot,
and She Located 1t.
By MARTHA NC WILLIAMS.
BY MARTHA NC WILLIAMS.

/ Jewel red apples poised carefully upon
her bare brown head. Miss Prudence
| Heathcote, her aunt and guardian,
frowned at the whistling, but had to
smile bit when Margaret broke out:
| Now, Prudence, precious, come at me
| with the saying about whistling girls
and Growing hens! / know you hate
! my sole musical accomplishment, but
this day is enough to set craven
image whistling, even dancing, If 1t
was of anything softer than granite
You ought to be out In 1t. The orchard
| is a place enchanted. ] didn't know
until now things so prosaic as apple
gathering and cider making could set
themselves to music"
"H-mr' Miss Prudence said. HIN!
May ask If Jimmy Blair is out there,
as he promised to be?'
"Of course! A gentleman keeps his
promises, doesn't he?" Margaret an
swered, tossing her head, but flushing
In spite Of herself.
Again Miss Prudence said "H-mw
There appeared to be nothing else to
say. But after two breaths she got up
and moved toward the kitchen, sigh
ing out: "And of course he'll be here
TO dinner That means cooking things.
Men do have such atrocious appetites."
"Pm glad they do" Margaret retort-
ed shamelessly. 1--WE got one to match
anybody. Oh, Aunty Prue, do make
potato pudding! Make 1t very rich
and have lots Of thick, sweet, real
lemon sauce"
go away, you baggage" Miss Pru-
dence said over her shoulder. "Who
told you what Jimmy likes best? I've
the greatest mind to make dried apple
pies, just to see If he would know the
difference" smiling at Margaret as she
spoke the last sentence.
Margaret blushed very red and be-
gan to pout. 7You mean Jimmy Is so
gone on me he's not in his right mind"
she said. "But you're all wrong, Aunty
Prue. IL don't believe he-he cares
for me 3 hiitt-hhss tt-hhs rasii;y---not aiy that way az
least. Ali this week he's been as kind
AS could be, but distant, as II he was
afraid wouldn't understand"
"Then there's mischief afoot, what
sort I've got to find out" Miss Pru-
dence said vigorously, her hand on the
doorknob, "for If ever any lad was
clean out of his head, clean idiotic
about chit Of thing, it was Jimmy
about you, all last week and all the
weeks before it, since you came to
stay with me-"
mischief afoot, but where? she
kept mentally repeating to herself as
she whisked about the trim kitchen,
her brows puckered, her eyes intro
spective. On the surface she could see
nothing. Nobody had openly any right
or reason to be interfering between the
pair. Jimmy was an orphan, the same
as her Peggy Moreover, he had never
had the least shadow Of an entangle-
ment True, various and sundry young
women had been setting their caps at
lhim-pretty caps, modestly set-but he
had overlooked them all-unless 1t
were Miss Prue gave great start
There was the root of the trouble; it's
name, Vidella Bane Jimmy had rath-
er made up to her In the weeks just
before Peggy came. Now that she
thought of it he had squirrel Della to
church two Sundays running, besides
buying many things for her at the
strawberry supper and fair. And Del
| la, 1t was well known, wanted to mar
ry and settle herself She had three
younger sisters crowding her In the
home nest. Naturally she would do
what she could to hold Jimmy, the best
chance In all Easton town.
But how she had done it Miss Pru-
dence could not fathom, although she
Istudied the problem almost to the det-
riment Of her dinner. She sat down to
| 1t still puzzled. Jimmy greeted her
and the dinner rapturously and talked
| q great deal of hfs appetite and Of
many other things, but somehow did
not eat with his usual zest, although
he made fair meal. Nobody with O
palate could help doing that with such
things as Miss Prudence set before
him. Jimmy assured Margaret more
than once that IL such cooking ran In
| the family her future husband was the
luckiest fellow alive.
"I think so too. That's why It's so
provoking not to have him come
along" Margaret said at last. "Only
think, Jimmy, I'm almost twenty-one
ana have never had- real business
beaul Isn't 1t shameful when Aunty
lPrue is going to will me all her pretty
dishes and the Heathcote sflver7 Fan
cy an hetress without sweetheartv
"Such dest1tutton IL painful-so pain
| eul I hardly believe It exists" Jimmy
said, turning away his head, then
breaking inconsequently into talk Of
something else.
Miss Prudence, watching him, saw
Ithat his teeth had set before be could
lspeak. OF the seeing came enlighten-
lment In part. She meant to make 4
whole before she was much older. SO
as soon as dinner was over she sent