Oxford Democrat., 1912-09-03

touCneo py 1i's
ClRS. COMSTOCK picked up sew
INT eral papers and blew out the
kitchen light. She stood In the
middle Of the sitting room floor
for q time and then went into her
room and closed the door. Sitting on
the edge Of the bed, she thought for
d few minutes and then suddenly bur,
led her face in the pillow and again
heaved with laughter.
Down the road plodded Margaret and
Wesley Sinton. Neither Of them had
words to utter their united thought.
"Donew Kissed Wesley at last. Done
brown! Did you ever feel like bloom
I'm, confounded donkey2 How did the
woman do it?"
"she didn't do it!' gulped Margaret
through her tears. "She didn't do any
thing. She just trusted to Elnora's
great big soul to bring her out right,
and really she was right, and so 1t had
to bring her. She's darling, Wesley.
But she's got time before her. DID
YOU see Kate Comstock grab that mon
ey? Before six months she'll be out
combing the Limberlost for bugs ana
arrow points to help pay the tax. !
know her"
"Well. 1 don'tw exclaimed sinton.
"she's too many for me. But there Is
a laugh left in her yet. I didn't s'pose
there was. Bet you q dollar II we
could see her this minute she'd be
chuckling over the way we got left
Both Of them stopped in the road and
looked back.
"There's Elnora's light in her room"
said Margaret. 1.-THE poor child Will
feel those clothes and pore over her
books till morning, but she'll look de-
cent to 20 to school, anyway. Nothing
is too big price to pay for that
"Yes, If Kate lets her wear them.
Ten to one she makes her finish the
week with that old stuff"
"No, she WON'T" said Margaret. "she
don't dare. Kate made some conces-
sions all right. big ones for her-h she
did get her way in the main. She bent
some, and If Elnora proves that she
can walk out barehanded In the morn
ing and come back with that much
money in her pocket, an armrul OF
books and buy turnout Ike that she
proyes that she Is Of some considera-
tion. and Kate's smart enough. She'll
think twice before she'll do that. Ell
nora won't wear q calico dress to high
school again. You watch and see II
she does. She may have got the best
clothes she'll get for time for the
least money, but she won't know 1t un-
til she tries to buy goods herselr at
the same rates. Wesley, what about
those prices? Didn't they shrink con-
siderablef
"You began it." said Wesley. "Those
prices were all right. We didn't say
what the goods cost us; we said what
they would cost her. Surely she's mis-
taken about being able to pay all that.
Can she pick up stuff Of that value
around the Limberlost? Didn't the
Bird Woman see her trouble and just
give her the money!
"I don't think so," said Margaret.
"Seems to me I've heard Of her pay
Ing or Offering to pay them that would
take the money for bugs and butter,
flies, and I've known people who sold
that banker Indian stuff. Once l
heard that his pipe collection beat that
of the government at the Philadelphia
centennial. Those things have come
to have value"
"Well. there's about a bushel Of that
kind Of yaluables piled up in the wood
shed that belongs to Elnora. AT least
/ picked them up because she said she
wanted them. Maggie, how the nation
did Kate Comstock do that?"
"You will keep on harping, Wesley
l told you she didn't do 1t. Elnora
did it! She walked in and took things
right out of our hands. S'pose wed
got Elnora when she was baby, and
we'd heaped on her all the love we
can't on our own, and we'd coddled
petted and shielded her, would she
have made the woman that living
alone, learning to think for herself
and taking all the knocks Kate Com
stock could give have made Of herr
You bet your nfep cried Wesley
warmly. Lowing anybody don't hur'
them. We wouldn't have done any
| thing but love her. You can't hurt q
child loving it. Shed have learned te
work, be sensible, study, and grown
into a woman with US, without suffer
ing like poor homeless dog"
"But you don't get the point, Wes
ley. She would have grown into fine
woman with US; just seems as II Ell
nora was born to be fine, but as We
would have raised her, would hel
heart ever have known the world as II
does now? Where's the anguish, Wes
ley, that child can't comprehend See
] Ing what she's seem OF har mothe'