The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-05-20

THOSE POTATO BUGS
BY LOUlSE OLIVER.

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out. She was only half way home
from the post Office and had the pros.
pect Of walking two miles to the EN-
ersons, where she was staying.
, She tucked the letters into her
blouse and trudged along, the hot sun
beating down on her bare head. Col
| lar turned in and sleeves rolled up,
Sol was having a pretty good chance
to spoil the milky Wilderness of her
skin.
All at once she saw some cows. And
no fence to restrain them, for they
were out in the road and coming to-
ward her. Three of them! one red, one
, black and white, and a Jersey.
If there was a thing in the world
that Victoria was afraid of, it was a
cow. She stopped suddenly In dismay.
What in the world should she do? On
one side were some grass, a few
bushes, and a fence. She couldn't hide
under a bush. She would be sure to
be trampled on. Where could she go?
The fence was high. She had never
, climbed a fence.
But the COWS were coming! Anyone
can climb a tree If a bear is after him.
So Victoria got over the fence. That
is, she climbed to the top and fell the
rest Of the way. And she knocked a
pan out Of q mans hand on her way
down.
Before she could scramble to her
feet she caught sight Of the contents
of the pan, scattered in all direc-
lions, and she started to scream and
SILVER, and cover her eyes with her
hands. About a hundred or two
squirming, crawling potato bugs was
the sight she was trying to shut out.
And then the man took her firmly by
the shoulders. Shut up" he snapped.
For the love Of Mike, don't have hys-
terics here. What's the matter with
you?"
Victoria was impulsive and generous
by nature. She held out her hand. Il
am very sorry. But I was scared to
death at the COWS. IF you have an
other stick, maybe T could help get
them back in again. I mean the bugs"
He laughed. mo, thank you. 1t will
only take a few minutes, Miss Miss
-
Harmon. I am Victoria Harmon.
and am staying over at the Emerson
farm. My car broke down and I'm
walking"
But it's two miles"
81 know"
"And it's a beastly hot day"
Eyes, 1t is."
well, won't you let me hitch up
and drive you homer"
Victoria, accustomed to offers of
homage and also accustomed to &C,
cepting them, said simply, Eyes, thank
You I believe 1 will"
So she waited in the shade Of a
chestnut tree while the man went to
the barn and got the runabout ready
! She was thinking that, dressed up, he
would be very fine looking, and he Ger
tainly had a commanding manner He
was so different from the men whom
she knew at home. He was big and
brown and hearty and she was sure he
had never an unwholesome thought IN
his life.
So he drove her to the house. Then
he towed her car home a little later.
And Victoria kindly consented to drive
over to Hanging Rocks with him on
Sunday to see the falls. 1t was as she
had thought. He did look we'll dressed
up, and he seemed to know how to
dress. His clothes were we'll made
and made for him! She began to be
puzzled. Once he spoke Of Naples as
though he had been there.
The Emersons knew nothing Of him
except that he had recently bought the
Brown farm.
There were several rides and many
walks before the time came for VIC
toria to go home.
She both hoped and feared some
thing, but when the day came her
young farmer friend said only a polite
"good-by" at the station. Victoria went
home to the city with a vague longing
in her heart.
One day her mother said to her,
Victoria, I wish you would be nice to
Mr.. Thurston whom your father Is
bringing home to dinner tonight. He
is very desirable, good family and all
that-and very rich. He has been
away and has just come to town. He
has the reputation Of being eccentric
and people say he Is crazy about farm,
ing. I don't know much about thai
part of 1t, but l know he Is very, very
well off,"
eyes, and I suppose he Is as ugly as
satan and as rich as Croesus and he's
looking for a young wife and I'm It,
Victoria stormed and ran out Of the
room.
She was getting very irritable. The
whole scheme Of society nauseateo
her.
Dinner was at eight. She was
dressed by seven, for she wanted an
hour in the cool darkness Of the little
garden back of the house
She walked restlessly up and down
beside the hedge Of althea and finally
dropped dispiritedly onto a bench
Donald" she almost sobbed aloud
Donald, Donald, Donald! 1t Is so lone,