The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-22

the hollow. A little story and q half house it was, and, judging by the neg lected appearance of the weeds and bushes in the yard. it had been mnoc- cupied for some time. However, the blinds were now open, and a few fowls about the back door seemed to promise that some one was living there The wooden letter box by the gate had Q name stenciled upon it. Miss Dawes sprang from the buggy and looked at the box.
 Yes" she said. ''this is the place. Will you come in. MT. Bangs? You can put your horse in that barn, I'm sure. if you want to.''
 But Bailey declined to go in. He declared he was going on to the black smiths shop to have that wheel fixed. He would not feel safe to start for home with it as it was. He drove off. and Miss Dawes, knowing from life long experience that front doors are merely for show, passed around the main body of the house and rapped on the door in the ell. The rap was not answered, though she could hear some one moving about within and a shriIl voice singing 'sThe Sweet By and By" So she rapped again and again, but still no one came to the door. At last she ventured to open it
 A thin woman with her head tied up in a colored cotton handkerchief was in the room vigorously yielding a broom She was singing in a high cracked voice. The opening of the door let in a gust of cold wind, which struck the singer in the back of the neck and caused her to turn around hastily.
 "Heyr she exclaimed. 'Iand sakes!
 
 door Quzcki ain't hankerin' for 1n- auenzy. who are you? What do you Nant7 Why didn't you kneck2 Where's my specsg'
 She took a pair of spectacles from the mantelshef and set them on the bridge of her thin nose.
 s'T beg pardon for coming inr' shout ed Phoebe ~You are Mrs. Beasiey, aren't youP'
 asI don't want none" replied Debby, with emphasis. "So there's no use your wastin' your breath"
 After some strenuous minutes the visitor managed to make it clear to Mrs. Beasley's mind that she was not a peddIer. She tried to add q word of further explanation, but it was effort wasted.
 "sTain't no user' snapped Debby
 
 Wait till I get my horn. It's in the settin' room"
 Phoebe's wonder as tn what the ''horn" might be was relieved by the widows appearance a moment later with the biggest ear trumpet her caller had ever seen
 There. nowrs she said, adjusting the instrument and thrust1ng the bell shaped end under the teachers nose. ''Talk into that If you ain't a peddler, what be you-sewin' machine agentp' Phoebe explained that she had come tome distance on purpose to see Mrs Beasley. She was interested in the Thayers, who used to live in Orham, particularly in Mir. John Thayer, who died in 1854 She had been told that Debby formerly lived with the Thay- CTS and could no doubt remember a great deal about them.
 Mrs. Beasley, her hearing now with in fortyhve degrees of the normal, grew interested. She ushered her wis Itor into the adjoining room and prof fered her chain
 what you so interested in the Thayers for7" inquired Debby. "One of the heirs, be you? They didn't leave nothin'.''
 No, the schoolmistress was not an heir, was not even a relative of the family. But she was-was interested just the same. A friend of hers was B relative and
 .'What Is your friend" inquired the lnquisitor-"a man?'
 There was no reason why Miss Dawes should have changed color, but, according to Debby's subsequent tes- timony, sbe did; she blushed, so the widow declares.
 -eNo." she protested. "Oh, mol It's a she's a child, that's ala little g1rl" !" Mrs. Beasley remembered many things, but nothing at all concerning John Thayer's life in the west.
 'sHe never wrote home but once or twice afore he died,'' she said. ''and when he did Emily. his wife. never told me what was in his letters. She Rlways burnt lem, I guess. I used to hunt around for lem when she was out, but she burnt 'em to spite me, caI'Iate. Her and me didn't get along any too well. She said I talked too much to other folks about what was none of their business. Now, anybody that knows me knows that ain't one of my fai1in's. I told her so; says I"-
 And so on for ten minutes. Then Phoebe ventured to repeat the words tout west" and hSr companion went off on a new tack She had just been west herself. She had been visit to her husbands niece, who lived in Arizona-in Blazeton, Ariz. 'It's the incest town ever you see,' she contin- ued, '"and the smartest, most up to date place. Talk about the west bein' eacivilized! My land, you ought to see that town-electric lights and tel epbones and-and-I don't know what allr'
 This was but the beginning It was evident that Mrs. Beasley had thor oughlys enjoyed herself in Blazeton and that the sorrows of the bereaved De-