Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-02-13

ton, as they left the little town be-
hind them and turned through the
deep lanes, now hung with dog-roses,
honeysuckle, and briony, down to the
fiats-a prairie on a small scale, IN
tersected by drains and dykes, gay
with yellow iris, tenanted by fat
sheep, nibbling the salt, rank heritage,
which scampered in all directions at
the approach of the cart, jogging and
jolting over the narrow, uneven sandy
track that led to the solitary farm
house, visible, like an oasis from
afar.
1t was large homestead, with
every sign of good cheer and prosper
ity indoors and out, and they were re-
fiected in the comely face Of Mrs.
Curd, as she stood in the doorway to
welcome her guest, though she was
somewhat subdued in manner and at
tire. She greeted Phyllida warmly,
babe Job get a good incoming
Quncheon) for himself and his horse,
and insisted on his mistress partaking
Of cake and homemade wine before
she would allow her to go upstairs.
Johnny will be in for dinner, my
DEAR" she said. "Ee hopes you will
not take it unkind if he is not here to
meet you; but there is mort of hay
out, and he has to be here, there, and
everywhere. So I told him I would
take you over the house first, to rest
you a bit, and then for this afternoon
he has set his mind on the river, and
I make no doubt you will like bit of
row; there does not seem to be
much of a breeze for sailing"
She pointed out of the window as
she spoke, and Phyllida beheld the
mast and red sails of barge in the
fields as it looked, for the river here
was sunken so low between the
grassy banks, that no water was visi-
BILE beyond them.
In her heart Phyllida rejoiced at
Johnny's absence, though she was
wiser than to say SO; but she soon
found that, if he were not actually
present, she was not to forget his eX-
istence, for Mrs. Curds conversation
and thoughts required to him per-
petually. Every corner and cupboard
recalled some anecdote of his infancy
or boyhood, his eXcellences anC his
wisdom. He accompanied them down
even to the cellar where he had once
drawn beer to water the garden, when
the we'll was dry with what remark
able results on the vegetation was not
recOrded); and pursued them to the
garrets, where the exact spot could
still be shown in which he reared a
colony of silk worms, the produce OF
whose cocoons was to that very hour
reposing in his mothers grandmoth-
er's best work-basket.
1t would have been 1udicrous had it
not been SO perfectly natural and I'M
affected; as it was, Phyllida could
not entirely repress her smiles as she
followed her painting guide up and
down, in and out, Of every room and
| closet.
The storeroom was kept to the last,
and Mrs. Curd could not conceal her
honest pride as she threw open the
| door and pointing to the well-hlled,
neatly arranged shelves, exclaimed:
"There, my dear, as you see it, so it
| is any day of the week or month OF
| the year. Not but what there is al
ways something wanting in store
room, as you'll come to find it's like
a garden, for the matter of that, and
a good deal more reasonable to my
| mind, for what with keeping out the
| ants and blackbeetles, and seeing that
! the Jams don't ferment and the soap
| doesn't soften, can always spend an
hour up here with pleasure and profit
| and often do, when l feel low in m!
| mind like. But, as I say to Johnny,
! shall never be ashamed to hand il
| over to whoever is to come after me;
not this very day as might be-
She looked at the girl as she spoke,
and the hint was too broad to be mis-.
taken, even had Phyllida been less
shrewd and in some measure less pre-
| pared for it. She was no longer the
child she had been year ago; her
| mother had once or twice lately ex-
pressed a wish to see her settled, and
| Mrs. Makey's farewell that morning
had been an injunction to make a
/ good day Of it, and bring them home
some happy news" When she &C
cepted Mrs. Curd's invitation, she felt
1t would probably be decisive visit;
and she suddenly recognized that she
--. svfSle Tor nar AwR Measure to