The citizen., 1912-11-29

own accord, bringing a wife with him.
one Evelyn Gott OF Ostable. Evelyn
! could talk bit herself, and her first
| interview with Lavinia ended with the
! iattefs leaving the house i'll a rage,
! swearing never to set foot in it again.
rms oath she broke the day of her
! SIster-ln-law's funeral. Then she ap-
peared, after the ceremony, her bag
gage on the wagon with her The be-
reaYed one, who was sitting on the
front stoop of his dwelling with, so
| people say, most resigned expression
on Ais meek countenance, looked up
and saw her.
! My land! Laviny," he exclaimed
turning pale. "Where'd you come
1 from?"
Never mind where | come from" 3"
/ observed his sister promptly. "You
Just he thankful I've come. IL ever
a body needed some one to take care
of EN-, It's you. You can tote my
/ things right in" she added, turning
/ TO her grinning driver, and you,
Bishy, go right in with 'em. The idea
4 of your settin' outside takin' it easy
when your poor wife ain't been buried
! moce'n an hour"
But-but-Laviny." protested poor
Ryan, speaking the truth unwittingly,
/ i couldn't take It easy afore she was
buried. could II"
Go right in" was the answer.
"March!"
/ Abishai marched, and had marched
under his sisters orders ever since.
! Sho kept house for him. and did 1t
well, but her one fear was that some
female might again capture him, and
! she watched him with an eagle eye.
/ He was the town assessor and tax col
lector, but when he visited dwellings
containing single women or widows.
Lavinia always accompanied him, TO
help him in his fggerin'," she said.
] Consequently, when he appeared, un-
chapercned, on the walk leading to
the side door OF the Coffin homestead,
kezah and her friend were surprised.
Hes dressed to kill" whispered
Grace, at the window. Even his tall
hat; and in this fog! do believe he's
coming counting, Aunt Keziah."
Mr.. Pepper entered difIidently.
"I-I-" he began. well, the fact
is, came out by myself You see.
Laviny's gone up to Sarah BIS to talk
/ church doins. I-I-weli, kind Of
wanted to speak with you about some
/ thin. Keziah, So Oh! / didn't see
you, Oracle. Good mornin.'
/ He didn't seem overjoyed to see
/ Miss Van Horne. as It was. In fact.
/ he Redeemed perceptibly and backed
toward the door The girl, her eyes
/ twinkling. took up her jacket and hat
/ oh! I'm not going to stop, Mr.
/ Pepper" she said. Il was only help
| ing Aunt Keziah a little, that's all /
must run on now"
Run -nonsense!" declared Ke-
ziah decisiyely You're goin' to stay
right here and help US get that stove
/ pipe down. And 'Bishyll help, too.
Won't you, 'Bish?"
The stovepipe was attached to the
"air-tlght' in the dining room. It
/ the pipe-rose perpendicularly for a
few feet and then extended horizon
tally, over the high-boy until it en-
tered the wall. Ryan looked at it and
then at his Sunday clothes"
why, I'd be glad to, of course he
/ declared with dubious enthusiasm
But don't knows I'll have time. Per
/ haps Id better come later and do It,
Laviny. She"
"Oh. Laviny can spare you for a
few minutes, guess; specially as She
don't know you're out. Better take
your coat off, hadn't you? Grace, fetch
one OF those chairs for ky-for
Bishy to stand on"
! Grace obediently brought the chair.
1t happened to be the one with a
rickety leg. but its owner was help
ing the reluctant Abishai remove the
long-tailed blue coat which had been
his wedding garment and had adorned
his person on occasions of ceremony
ever since. She did not notice the
chair.
IT'S real good of you to offer to
help" she said. Grace and | didn't
hardly dast to try it alone. That pipes
been up so long that I wouldn't Won
der if twas chock.full OF SCOT. If you're
careful. though, l don't believe you'll
get any on you. Never mind the floor;
I'm goin' TO wash that before l leave" "
Reluctantly, slowly. the unwilling
Mr.. Pepper suffered himself to be led
to the chair. He mounted it and gin
gerly took hold of the pipe.
Better loosen it at the stove hole
first" advised Keziah. What was it
YOU wanted to see me about, 'Bish?"
ooh nothin', nothin'," was the hasty
response. "Nothin' of any account
that is to say"
He turned redder than ever and
wrenched at the pipe. 1t loosened at
it's lower end and the wires holding 1t
in suspension shook.
81 guess" observed the lady CT the
bouse that you'd better move that
chest Of drawers out SOS you can get
behind it Grace, you help me. There!
that's better. Now move your chair. -
Ryan stepped from the chair and
moved the latter to position between
the high-boy and the wall. Then he
remounted and gripped the pipe in the
middle of it's horizontal section.
Don't be in such a hurry" inter
rupted Keziah. Does stick in the chin
- do,,+ ;+7 Tell Won what Won can