Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1911-02-11
EVE OF THE
ORCHARD
(cosrrisbt. rgro. b. Associated Literary Prs...I

By lola FORESTER

""sA ohoAA SibhCA NAhVW WotSA VII VI
throw stones at. It's shame.
They're running off with all the
sweet apples we've got, and we only
rented the place for the sake of the
fruit"
Isabel stood out on the lawn,
belligerent figure, in her short linen
skirt, and tucked up sleeves of her
MILDLY blouse. Her fluffy blonde hair
was pinned high on her head, for the
day had been extremely warm even
for early fall, and her pretty tanned
neck was bare.
1t was shutdown, the hour when
A.. the summer dwellers of Orange val
ley came out from behind their vene-
tian blinds and trellised verandas,
and turned neighborly hoses on the
lawns, and neighborly streams Of
conversation on each other. AS sole
daughter of the house, Isabel manip-
ulated the garden hose at the sunset
hour, and during that period for the
past week the little fruit orchard at
the back Of the house had been raid
ed. 1t was enough to make any SUI
burbanite desperate to see the sum-
mer spoils taken from under her very
nose.
Don't do it tonight, anyway,
Bell" her mother said, laughingly
from the veranda, where she sat at
a low wicker table arranging some
fresh cut flowers for the dinner ia
BILE. you'll be all disarranged and
probably wet through, and the Bris-
lows are coming to dinner with
Bob"
"Not Terry Bristow?" The color
rose quickly in Isabels face, and
she turned away from her mothers
range of vision.
Was that the eldest boy, Terry?
l forget, there are so many of them.
It's the one who went down to Ecua-
dor or Panama, or some such place,
on civil engineering feat and won
out. L believe he's secured some
valuable concessions, too, from the
government. Was that the red-haired
one, Bell?" .....-. 20
"No, dear. Terry never had red
hair. lists rather chestnut in
color and wavy, only he wears it
cut 50 short it hardly shows the
curl" ~.4y5 f7. ..-F''.,y1~+ MY
Il didn't know you ever were well
acquainted with him."
Il never was" Isabel's chin was
tilted at a most engaging angle. Her
tone was clear and DISTINGUISHED 81
met him good deal last summer
at Glen Allyn. Aunt Natica liked
him awfully well, and included him
IN her house party later, with his
. two sisters"
That must have been just beforo
he left for the south"
ut was" \ lot of inference Law ba-
hind the laconic words, but Mrs Or.
vile said nothing. She smiled com.
fortably to herself, and went on elm
ping the stems Of the flowers. Bob
had said casually that he would
bring Terry Bristow back 10 dine
with them that evening, and had
given her a brief commendatorv
sketch of his prospects in life, for
Bob knew his mother.
Half unconsciously she let the
flowers slip from her fingers. and !
watched the slender figure out on the
lawn. The Orvilles were not rich
They were not even well to do. Bob
worked in a bank, and Mrs. Oryills
spoke sometimes of her income
which sounded most satisfactory In
the abstract, but amounted to pre-
ciOus little hard cash when the diyi.
dend day came round. Isabel was
their one tangible asset, Bob said
and even on that point there was a
chanoe for divided opinion, for she
was not beauty. There was an
eager, animated expreapi0a 10 her
face that gave it special charm. and
the prodle was good, her mother
said, and her eyes were not large but
rather long, with little trick of half
closing when she laughed, and tbatl
was often. But these things do not
make beauty, and Isabel lacked dis
tinction, the family had long since
oUroA1