Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-24

petite new to him: never minding any
more Mary Ellens petty tyranny. And
when the lettuce and radishes began to
show. his laugh rang clear and pieased
as child's. and drab little Mattes rang
with 1t.
You don't know how's it put in the
time. Mr.. Blanchard she said one day
working with the hoe as he told he's.
Then. colorng under the inadvertent ad-
mission of dearth of business. she went
on stumblingly: You see-you see-after
Easter time things is slack fer some time
-p'rhaps till on in June"
Yes. | See Rufus said. slowly. And
that Jest calls to me that the lease on
be rentin' it again. neither"
Shouldn't think body fond's you are
of workin' in the soil would want to.
anyways Miss Sharpe said. quietly.
Never wanted to. but Mary Ellen
Rufus paused at some new pulse
stirring within him and looked search
ingly at the little dressmaker busy about
the lettuce, slow wonder dawning In
his eyes. For three years he had been
OF no Importance to anybody. He had
not had the slightest esponsibility-he
who In the old days had had so much.
He had been quietly submitting to being
relegated to the ranks of old men with
their life's tasks ended. And he did not
feel old. He was not old He glanced
swiftly at his strong. Drowned hands,
at his muscular forearm hardened with
the work that had come to him, and
as he looked through the new companion
SO much to him there was born in him
a wonderful rebellion. Once more his
glance went to the little dressmaker and
quickly he went up to her.
II never would have rented the farm
il it hadn't been for Mary Ellen" he
said. And now
For long minutes Rufus whispered
earnestly, eagerly, while Miss Sharpe
listened with her little drab face quiv-
ering strangely. When at last she looked
about her poor little mouth seemed to
have mysteriously disappeared, and
when RUFUS had left her and gone up
town ION a matter of business. and she
went into her cottage, for the first time
since the new one" had come into her
life, the tears shed on the old horsehafr
sofa were not tears of hopeless misery.
1T was on toward evening when Mary
Ellen was on the point OF hitching up
and driving out to the farm to see II
father could possibly have gone out
there, since she had not set eyes on him
since he had cleaned up" after dinner
and gone for a SPELL" that the bog
from Browns grocery turned in the
gate. with eyes bullying and letter in
his hand.
Il seen 'em co. he gasped. and i'm
Mary Ellen grabbed the let
ter, frenzied thoughts Of the Widow
Perkins flying through her mind. She
tore open the envelope with fnGa-s
shaking, and, standing on the doorstep.
read:
Dear Mary Ellen: I'm 'fraid if / live
long in your way I'll be a regular no
a,count old man, and as 1 don't feel
one mite like CROWN old just yet. and
you won't let me live out on the farm.
where l en- keep young. by myself.
Matte Shapes goin' long to keep me
comp'ny so you don't need to worry
bout me no more. We was married this
afternoon and we're going away till we
en- get the farm the first o. the month.
We're gone when you get this, Mary
Ellen, so don't try to foller.'
Mary Ellen's eyes slowly left the
letter .dy stars she gasped my
stars. That drab little creature!"
CTHE ENDO