Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-04-27

He would not feel safe to start for
home with It as 1t was. He drove off,
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
in a colored cotton handk erchief was
in the room vigorously welding a
broom. She was singing in high
cracked voice. The opening Of the
door let in a gust Of cold wind, which
struck the singer In 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! l amt hankerin for in
fuenzy. Who are you? What do you
want7 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
81 beg pardon for coming in" shout
ed Phoebe. 'You are Mrs. Beasley,
aren't your"
II 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 not
a peddler. She tried to add a word of
further explanation, but 1t was effort
wasted.
"'Tain't no use"' snapped Debby.
II can't hear you. you speak so faint.
Wait till l get my horn. It's in the
settln' room
Phoebe's wonder as to what the
horn" might be was relieved by the
widows appearance moment later
with the biggest ear trumpet her caller
had ever seen.
There. now!' she said. adjusting
the instrument and thrustng the bell
shaped end under the teach hers nose.
Talk into that. If 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 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-hve degrees of the normal,
grew interested. She ushered her Wis
itor into the adjoining room and prof
fered her chair.
What you so interested in the
Thayers for" inquired Dehby. zone
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
relative and
"What is your friend" inquired the
inquisitor-"a man?"
There was no reason why Miss
Dawes should have changed color. but,
timony, she did, she blushed. SO the
widow declares.
mo-" she protested. "Oh, no. IT'S a
she's a child. that's ala little girl"
Mrs. Bensley remembered many
things. but nothing Mt 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 EN-, l guess. | used to
hunt around for 'em when she was
out. but she burnt 'em to spite me. I
cal'late. 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 my failin's. I told her SO; says
T.
And so on for ten minutes. Then
Phoebe ventured to repeat the words
tout west" and her companion went
off on a new tack. She had just been
west herself. She had been on Il visit
to her husbands niece, who lived in
Arizona-in Blazeton, Ariz. ITS the
incest town ever you see," she contin-
ued. land the smartest. most up to
date place. Talk about the west bein
oncivilized! My land. you ought to
see that town-electric lights and tel |
ephones and-and-I don't know what |
ALL
This was but the beginning. 1t was
oughly enjoyed herself in BIazeton and /
that the sorrows of the bereaved De
sire Higgins had been one Of the prin
cipal sorrows of that enjoyment. The
schoolmistress endeavored to turn the
subject, but 1t was useless.
II fetched home whole pile of
them newspapers" continued Debby
They was awful interestin'; full OF
pictures OF Blazeton buildins and
leadin' folks and all. And In some OF
the back numbers was the advertise
ment about Mr.. Higgins | do wish
could show 'em to you, but lent EN-
to Mrs. Atwood, up to the Center. If
'twan't such a ways I'd go and fetch |
'cm. Mrs. Atwood's been awful nice
to me, She took care Of my trunks and /
things when | went west-yes, and /
afore that when | went to Rapport to