The Bottineau courant., 1912-06-14


wing Of her big house to anybody in
the village. but had leased It for any
length Of time up to twenty years $50
would run the story to Mr.. Fenlow. the
tall, good looking man who had charge
of the building of the new stone church
near the river Mr.. Fenlow had been
staying at the hotel. but it had been
rumored that he was dissatisfied and
desired to make change.
Agatha Moore had seen him once or
twice and had never spoken to him In
her life Indeed. SO casual had been
her glances at him that she hardly
knew just how he looked. Now she
felt terror stricken to think that she
had involved a perfectly harmless and
strange man in some Of Cousin Phoe-
be's gossip. OF course 1t was Agatha's
fault. She had no business to try to
Jest with Mrs. West. Phoebe had no
| sense Of humor.
It was not until after supper that
Agatha decided to run over to Phoebe's
and confess that she had been joking
about the new tenant for the west
wing and thus nip in the bud any gos-
sip that Phoebe's busy tongue might
propagate.
Alas. it was too late: The mischief
had already been done. On her way to
Phoebe Vests Agatha met several
neighbors. and each one was thorough
ly Informed concerning the new ten
ant who was coming to occupy the
west wing of Agatha's big house.
"Where's be going to get his mealsT'
asked one.
"Cook 'em himself. for all I :. .cw."
snapped Agatha impatently :. she
faced about home. and thus she added
another bit of fuel to the fame of gos-
sip.
Il wonder what ought to do." mus
ed Agatha three days later as she
wandered distractedly around her lit
tie garden. It lacked two days of the
first of the month. and her molehill of
! a joke had developed into a mountain
of incontrovertible fact.
People watched daily to see If Aga
tha's new tenant had arrived to take
possession Of the west wing. and Phoe-
be West had made last and desper-
ate effort to induce Agatha to take old
Mrs. Peterson into her house as q
chaperon.
"A woman of my age doesn't need
chaperon," retorted Agatha. Fastening
away. She avoided Phoebe nowadays.
On the day before the first Agatha
found courage born of desperation and
wrote little note to Simeon Fenlow.
She asked him to call ION important
business" explained her prim little
| note.
That evening, the eve Of the FIRST,
Simeon Fenlow called upon Agatha
| Moore. Agatha almost swooned with
agitation as she unfolded her iniquity
to the big. broad shouldered man
whose voice doomed like the waves on
the beach whenever he spoke. Simeon
Fenlow watched her keenly as she re-
lated the story Of her innocent joke
upon gossiping Phoebe West and how
the joke had become a boomerang of
retribution.
Agatha was too much excited to
notice how interested he was or to
realize that he was very handsome
man with keen hazel eyes and iron
gray hair and that the hazel eyes
grew very humorous and tender as the
penitent little woman shed tears over
her recital and rufled her brown hair
with her little hands and grew pinker
and pinker with modification at her
own folly. 80. ..,.
When she had ended Simeon Fenlow
threw back his head and laughed such
hearty roar that Agatha was fain to
Join in after awhile, and in her tears
Of mirth the bitterness of the last few
days was washed away.
"N6w tell me what / can do, Miss
Moore" he said after awhile.
II was wondering If you wouldn't
come and be my tenant for a few
days. just to carry out the idea. Yon
needn't pay anything, you know, and
If you would just say that you didn't
like it or something Of that sort people
would understand. I don't suppose /
ought to ask such a thing Of you.
though ''', -.
II don't know why" bristled Mr..
Fenlow. ''Why can't have the west
wing really and truly. Miss Moore?
There's my dear old mother pining
away for me at home. while I'm nailed
down here on this job. It would be
mighty nice for us to have your west
wing for few months. What do you
say? I'd rather be your real tenant
than q borrowed one"
What could Agatha say?
One evening the gossips Of the town
| were startled at the report that Mr..
Fenlow had been seen to drive up in
ascarriage to Agatha's house and hand
out white haired old lady. who went
in, and q little later an express wagon
followed with some trunks that were
carried upstairs.
And just before the occupant Of the
west wing vacated it there was an
other report more startling still, It