The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-12-25

AAA SAAo AAOASAs oAO uU wv u00Vy
work FOR me anyway: 1t spells my
hands grubbing around those nasty,
sticky, splintery boxes and barrels. In
stead Of being out Of doors I've got to
be shut up in that smelly. rummy. to-
baccoy. salt-fshy. pepperminty place
with Cephas Cole! He won't have a
pleasant morning. | can tell you. I
shall snap his head Off every time he
speaks to me"
$50 ! would" Wnitstill answered
c~OmpoSedly. "~Everything is so clear
ly his fault that | certainly would work
Off my te.uper on Crlhas! Still. I can
think Of a way to make matters come
out right. I've got "A great basket Of
remember there's Il choir rehearsal for
the new anthem this afternoon. but
anyway | al help Il little on the clean
ing. Then YOU can make ROdulan do IL
few OF the odd jobs: ii will be a nov
city to him. And CrphnS will work
his fingers to the bone for you. as you
we'll know. il you treat him like a hu-
man being"
"All right" cried Patty joyousIy. her
mood changing in an instant. '"There'S
Rod coming over the bridge now. Toss
me my Bingham apron and the scrub
bling brush and the pail and the tin of
soap and the cleaning cloths. Let's
see. The brOOm'S down there. so I've
got everything. If | wave Il towel
from the store pack up luncheon for
three. You come down. and bring
your mending. Then when you see
how I'm getting on we can consult.
I'm going to take the 10 cents I've
saved and spend it in ~raiSinS. | can
get Il good many if Cephas gives me
wholesale price. with family discount
subtracted from that. Cephas would
treat me to candy in Il minute. but If |
let him we'd have to ask him to the
picnic. Goodbye And the volatile
creature darted down the hill singing
"There'll be something in heaven for
children to do" at the top of her
healthy young lungs.
The waving signal a little later on
showed that Rodman could 90 to the
picnic. the fact being that he was hav-
ing a holiday from II o'clock until 2.
and Ivory was going to drive to the
bridge at noon anyway, so his permits
sion could then be asked.
Patty's mind might have been
thought entirely on her ugly task as
she swept and busted and scrubbed
that morning. but the reverse was
true. Mark Wilson had gone away
without saying gOodby to her. This
was not surprising perhaps. as she was
about as much sequestered in her hill
top prison AS a Turkish beauty in a
harem. Neither was it astonishing
that Mark did not write to her. He
eve had written to her. and as her
father always brought home the very
infrequent letters that came to the
family Mark knew that any senti-
mental correspondence would be
fraught with danger. No. everything
was probably just as it should be. and
yet well. Patty had expected during
the last three weeks that something
would happen to break up the monoto-
ny Of her former existence. She hard
ly knew what it would be. but the kiss
dropped SO lightly on her cheek by
Mark Wilson still burned in remem-
brance and made her sure that it would
have a sequel or an explanation.
Marks sister Ellen and Phil Perry
were in the midst Of some form of
lovers quarrel. and during its progress
Phil was paying considerable attention
to Patty at Sabbath school and prayer
meeting, occasions. it must be confess
ed. only provocative Of very indirect
and long distance advances. Cephas
Cole. to the amazement of every one
but his (constitutionally, ex%asperated
mother. was ''toning down" the ell OF
the family mansion. mitigating the
lively yellow and putting another fresh
coat Of paint on it. for no conceivable
reason save that of pleasing the eye
Of a certain capricious. %ungrateful
young hussy, who would probably say.
when her verdict was asked, that she
didn't see any particular difference in
it N way or another.
Trade was not especially brisk at
the deacon's emporium this sunny
June Saturday morning. Cephas may
have possibly lost q customer or two
by leaving the store vacant while he
tOiled and sweated for Miss Patience
Baxter in the stockroom at the back.
Overhanging the river. but no man
alive could see his employers lovely
daughter Juggling at a keg Of shingle
nails without trying to save her from
q broken back. although Cephas could
have watched his mother move the
house and barn without feeling the
slightest anxiety in her behalf. II he
could ever get the theft" Of the dog
goned" cleaning out of the way so that
Patty's mind could be free to enter
tain his proposition; could ever secure
one precious moment of silence when
she was not Stating and banging. push
ing and pulling things about, her head
and ears out of sight under a shelf
and an irritating air Of absorption
about her whole demeanor: If that mo-