The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-01-23
MISS RANDALL'S
CUSTOMER
A Case of Mistaken
Identity
By CLARISSA MACKIE

Hester Randall surveyed the resul
of her mornings work with keen Satls
faction. a snowy cloth was laid on he"
kitchen table, and piled thereon werr
Oaves of crusty bread, sheets of Zen It
erweight biscuits and 81 rning rushS
There were tempting ioiNrs OF lolint
cake and several layer ca&es as we'll .
platter heaped with sugared doug!
nuts and another of cookies.
Friday was always Hester's bus.r
day. She arose at ! o'clock and baked
all day to fill her orders for the daln.
ties which were in great demand
among her neighbors. On Friday even
ing, although she was tired and foot
sore, she would deliver the bread and
, cake She would have to make several
trips with the heavily laden basket be-
fore her weary body could seek repoSe
Now she sat down and drank Il cup
of hot tea and ate trihe of supper be
fore she started out on her rounds
She was plump, rosy little mite of Il
woman with bright brown eyes and
brown hair that obstinately refused to
turn gray, although Hester had passed
her thirty-first year. Now she slipped
into a thin white dress, for it was Il
hot evening, and arranging her first
basket load. went out into the gather
ing twilight
At Mrs. Amos Blake's she left part of
her fragrant burden and paused for a
little chat.
! "You know the Paige place has becn
rented for the summer, don't you, Hes
ter?' asked Mrs. Blake after awhile.
mo. l'm glad to hear it, though 1t
means another customer, laughed
Hester
81 spoke good word for you It's a
: lone man who has something to do with
making map of the county hereabouts
and he was planning to get all of his
meals at the hotel. but when told him
about how you baked for some of us
lazy housekeepers he said he'd much
rather have home cooking and he
guessed he'd fuss over his own break
fast and supper. You know men like to
fuss over cooking things. Now, Amos
here is tickled to death whenever ] let
him get breakfast on Sunday morning
This isn't telling you about Mr.. Chan
dler, though. told him I'd speak to
you and tell you to leave him some
bread and cake. and he said he might
not be home W hen you came, so he ask
ed me to give you this dollar and tell
you to leave dollars worth on his
back porch every week. Have you got
anything TO spare?"
maybe / can make out some for him
by giving up my own baking" replied
Hester as she placed the money in the
little bag dangling from her waist. "If
/ don't hurry 1t will be pitch dark be-
fore / get through. Good night
Good night, Hester. That cream cake
looks so good I'm going to have a slice
right away"
1t was dark indeed when Hester Ran
dali stopped with her third load of good
les at the gate of the Paige house. 1t
was a small gabed cottage smothered
In honeysuckle vines and for several
seasons had been rented furnished to
city people. 1t looked dark and desert
ed now as Hester opened the gate and
made her way around the sandy path
to the back porch. AS she stood there.
hesitating, the moon pushed a silver
rim above the shoulder Of High hill. so
she waited until 1t rose in all it's splen-
dor and cast pale glow over the Paige
house and garden. 1t fell full on an
open window where a white curtain
languidly tapped.
AS Hester opened her basket and laid
clean napkin on the porch harsh
voice from the open window startled
her
"What are you doing out there? 1t
snarled, and Hester wGs quick to
reply.
"Pm leaving your bread and cake"
she said with offended dignity in her
tones.
"Well. hurry up and get out of here.
! want to be alone" rasped the voice
1t was very indignant Hester who
dumped several loaves of bread. a
sheet of biscuit and some doughnuts
and layer cake on the back porch
and hurried out of the yard with
burning cheeks.
what a grabbed, cranky old man
he must be" thought Hester as she
went home and prepared for bed. "If
1t wasn't for the money I'd not bake
another crumb for him. The idear'
Unfortunately Hester could not give
way to her injured feelings, for she
needed every penny she could earn to
pay off the Indebtedness on the little
house which was her Inheritance from
Woodworking parents. So the follow
ing Friday evening found her once
more standing at Mr.. Chandler's back
door with her basket of goodies. 1t
was not yet dark, and she could see
large china dish on the floor, beside
which lay something white and OBJ
long. She picked it up and in the wan
ing light read her own name I'm bold.
black characters. She tore 1t open
-.