The Chipley banner. (Chipley, Washington County, Fla.) 1893-1943, 1912-12-26

cover ner comp0sure after the nrsi
realization that she had made an
error. at is / who must ask your
pardon. Ny mother and / both de.
cided that you were my fathers
friend, Mr.. Barnes, for whom we
are looking. He is a stranger, and
father described him as tall and
dark. You looked like stranger
seeking number, so-you'll pardon
meY
Kensington smiled, and as Mrs.
Marston joined them he explained
again his own conduct. Then he
added; 81, too, am under a slight
difficulty as to my dining place. Mrs.
Thompson, one of your neighborl
on the hill, asked me to dine with
them quite informally tonight, and
to come out early, If L cared to, and
look at the various places l had laid
out some time since.
81 went to her house and was In.
formed by the maid at the door
that she had instructions to let nc
one in without Mrs. Thompson'l
orders. Evidently the fact that she
had asked me to dinner had slipped
Mrs. Thompson's mind and she has
gone for the day without informing
the servants. They had a house
robbed by a man who said he want.
ed to mend the clocks and had come
under instruction from Mr.. Thomp-
son." Kensington laughed. $50
you see how the servants regard
me. / shall wait now until Mrs.
Thompson returns, and then-it
will be all right"
Meantime, do come in and have
a cup of tea" Mrs. Marston said,
graciously. cit is quite natural on
the part of the servants" she laugh
ed as they sought the tea table.
'But | wonder where poor Mr..
Barnes is" said Genevieve as they
sat in a rustic seat in full view Of
the pathway.
"His loss is my gain" remarked
Kensington, teacup In hand. "But
| trust he will find you"
"Mr. Marston will be here on the
next train and perhaps he will have
found him." Mrs. Marston said.
Until train time, Kensington told
the two women much that convinced
them of his sincerity. He related
to them the story Of how the little
settlement in which they live origi-
mated.
'It was a great, rolling COW pas
ture when Mr.. Thompson first
found it, and as he was DESTROYS of
establishing a home for himself and
of surrounding himself with few
congenial neighbors, he bought the
entire piece of ground-all that was
left of an old estate-and asked me
to come up and lay it out, being
careful to place the houses SO as to
preserve every one Of the old trees
that stood in the pasture. That ac-
counts for the irregularity of the
roads and the hit-or-miss settirg of
the houses, but-pardon my seem
ing self-praise-I tried to make il,
artistic irregularity, and Mr.
Thompson thinks I huve suceSAaa.
ed"
"You have indeed just love
it," Genevieye declared enthusiast
tically. "0h-h, here comes father
with a tall, dark man."
1t was not a half hour until Mr..
and Mrs. Thompson came anxiously
along the road in their automobile
searching both sides of the street
for their guest who had been so in
Hospitality treated at their home.
81 can assure you Mrs. and Miss
MarstOn have made up for the sus-
picion Of your servants" he laugh
ingly told Mrs. Thompson. 81 have
no grievance whatever" he added,
looking at Genevieye. "I ask only
this that you invite me often here
after and let me come to see my
new made friends, Mrs. Thompson,
as well as your two good selves"
Mrs. Thompson's eyes twinkled.
She had keen intuition and some
thing told her that a romance had
been begun between her bachelor