The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-01-22

TENDER. There had been plen-
ty of rain all the season. and the cOun-
tryside was looking as fresh and green
as an emerald. The hiIlsides We're al
ready clothed with a verdant growth
of new grass and
The red pennOns of the cardinal flowers
Hung motionIess upon their upright slaves
How they CLEANED in the meadow
grasses and along the broOksides, like
beauty to the nOsegays that Waitstill
carried or sent to Mrs. BoyntOn every
week.
TO the eye of the casual observer
life in the two little villages by the
rivers brink went on as peacefully as
ever but there were subtle changes
taking place nevertheless. Cephas Cole
had asked" the second time and again
had been refused by Patty. so that
even a very idiot for hopefulness could
not urge his father to put another
story on the ell.
IF it turns out to be Phoebe Day
thought Cephas dolefully. two rooms
is plenty good enough. an | shan't
block up the door that leads from the
main part, neither. as | thought likely
l should. II so be it's got to be Phoebe.
not Patty. | shan't care whether moth
er troops out n in or not" And Cephas
dealt out rice and tea and coffee with
so languid an air and made such fire.
quent mistakes in weighing the sugar
that he drew upon himself many a
sharp rebuke from the deacon.
"Of course Id club him over the
head with Il salt fish twice a day un-
der ordinary circumstances" Cephas
cOnfided to his father. with a valiant
air that he never wore in Deacon Bax-
ter's presence. but I've got a reason.
known to nobody but myself. for want.
in to stan well with the old man for
a spell longer. If ever ! quit wantin'
to stan well with him he'll get his
comeuppance short and sudden"
"Speakin' O standin' we'll with folks,
Phil Perry's kind o maxim up to Pa.
tience Baxter. amt he. Cephas?' asked
Uncle Bart guardedly. "Mebbe you
wouldn't notice it, hevin' no particular
intrest. but your mothers kind O. go
the idee into her head lately. an she's
turrible f%arsighted."
II guess it's So" Cephas responded
gloomily. It's nip an tuck tween
him an Mark Wilson. That girl draws
EN- as molasses does flies. She does
1t 'thOut liftin' Il finger. too. no more'n
the molasses does. She just sets still
an Is. An all the time she's nothin'
but a Eighty little redheaded spitfre
that don't know a good husband when
she sees one. The Teller that gifts her
will live to regret it. that's my opin-
ion!" And Cephas thought to himself.
Good Lord, don't ! wish l was re-
grettin' it this very minute"
81 s'pose a girl like Phoebe Day'd
be considerable less trouble to live
WITH" ventured Uncle Bart.
81 never could take any fancy to that
tow hair o. bern! like the color well
enough when I'm peeling it off a corn
cob. but I don't like it on a girls
head" objected Cephas hypercritically.
"An' her eyes hain't got enough blue
in 'em to be blue. They're jest like
skimmilk. An she keeps her mouth
open a little mite all the time. jest as
If there want no good draft through,
an she was a-tryin' to git air. An
twas me that begun calm her Feeble
Phoebe in school. an the scholars'l
-never forgit~ it. They'd throw It up te
me the whole 'durin' time II ! should