Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-08-07

frolicldng, prancing colt of q girl with
a terribly ponderous bride. But God
didn't want to see me always trotting
along slow and tired and not caring
what happened to me, even pounds
and pounds of plumpness, so he found
use for Mr.. Carter in some other place
but this world, and ! feel that he is
going to see me through whatever
happens. If some Of the women in
my missionary society knew how
friendly l feel with God they would
put me out for contempt Of court.
No, the town didn't mean anything
by Christening my spirit with Mr. Car
ter, and they didn't consider him in
the matter at all, poor man! OF that
l feel sure. Hillsboro is like that.
1t settled itself here in Tennessee
valley a few hundreds of years ago
and has been Matching and clucking
over its own small affairs ever since.
All the houses set back from the street
with their wings spread out over their
gardens, and mothers here go on hover
ing even to the third and fourth gen.
Grafton. Lots of times young, long
legged, frying size boys scramble out
Of the nests and go off to college and
decide to grow up where their crow
will be heard by the world. Alfred
was one of them.
And, too, occasionally some man
comes along from the big world and
marries a plump little broler and takes
her away with him, but mostly they
stay and go to lowering life on a cor
ner of the family estate. That's what
| did.
| was a poor little lost chick with
frivolous tendencies, and they all cluck.
ed me over into this empty Carter nest
which they considered well feathered
for me. 1t gave them all sensation
when they found out from the will just
how well it was feathered. And 1t gave
me one too. All that money would
make me nervous If Mr. Carter hadn't
made DR.. John its guardian, though |
sometimes feel that the responsibility
of me makes him treat me as If he
were my OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. But
all in all. though stiff In its knees with
aristocracy, Hillsboro is lovely and low
Ing, and couldn't inquisitlveness be
called just real affection with kind
of squint in its eye?
And there sat on my front steps,
being embraced in perfume Of every
bodys lilacs and peachblow and sweet
syringa and affectlonate interest and
moonlight, with n letter in my hand
from the man whose two photographs
and many letters I had kept locked up
in the garnet for years Is 1t any Won
der | tingled when he told me that he
had never come back because he
couldn't have me and that now the
minute he landed in America he was
going to lay his heart at my feet?
added his honors TO his PROSTATE heart
myself, and my own beat at the pros
pect All the eight years faded away
and | was again back in the old gar
den down at Aunt Adeline's cottage
saying goodby, folded up in his arms.
That's the way my memory put the
scene to me, but the word folded"
made me remember that blue muslin
dress again. l had promised to keep
it and wear 1t for him when he came
back-and | couldn't forget that the
blue belt was just twenty-three inches
and mine ls-no, won't write 1t.
had got that dress out of the old trunk
not ten minutes after l had read the
letter and measured 1t.
No, nobody would blame me for run
ming right across the garden to DR..
John with such q real trouble as that
All Of sudden | Rugged the letter
and the little book up close to my
breast and laughed until the tears ran
down my cheeks.
Then before went into the house
assembled my garden and had family
prayers with my flowers. do that be-
cause they are all the family I've got,
and God knows that an his budding
things need encouragement, whether 1t
is widow or SNOWFALL bush. He'll
give II TO us.
And I'm praying again as sit here
and watch for the doctors light to go
out hate to so TO sleep and leave 1t
burning, for he sits up so late. and he
is so Gaunt and thin and tired looking
most times. That's what the last pray.
er is about, almost always-sleep foI
him and no night call!
LEAF SECOND.