The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-29

derosfty of her mind was only equaled
 by that of her body. I must say Petu- mia made hit with the dear old soul
 by the seasoning of her chicken gravy. Sailie wanted to send the children
 home, but Jasper wouldn't let her, and
 altogether we had eleven at table.
 Polk maneuyered for seat at the
 head of my festive board. with a spark of the devil in his eyes, but Jasper's
 sense of the proprieties did not fail
 me, and he seated Cousin Martha in fathers chair with great ceremony.
 And as looked down the long table,
 bright with all the old silver Jasper had had time to polish, gay with roses
 from my garden that he had coaXed
 Henrietta into gathering for him,
 which nodded back and forth with the
 bubbling babies, suddenly my heart
 filed to the evefy brim with love of it
 a1-and for mine own peoples
 But, just as suddenly, q vision came
 into my mind of the long table across
 the roaA at Widegables, with the moss
 back seated at one end with only two
 or three of his charges stretched along
 the. empty sides to keep him company. I wanted him to be here with us. I wanted him badly. and I went to get him. I excused myself suddenly, tell ing them all just why. I didn't look at Polk, but Cousin Martha's face was lovely as she told me to run quickly. I found him on the front porch, sInok- ing his pipe alone. while the two little relics whom he had had left to dine with him were taking their two re- 1 spective maps. Our dinner was late on
 account of the initiation of Petunia and he had finished before we began.
 tI stole most of your family today plunged head1ong into my errand, ttbut I want you, too, most of all. .''~
 "You've got me even If you do prefer to keep me across the road from you. he answered, with the most solemn ex-
 pression on his face, but with erin 1 kle of a smile in the corners of his l deep eyes.
 can't remember when T. didn't look with eagerness foB that crinkle in his l eyes, even when l was child and he what at that time considered a most 1 glorious grownup individual, though 1 he must have been the most helpless
 hobbledehoy that ever existed.
 "You don't need another vine,'' an-
 swered nutinously.
 ''You know want you, but Jasper's is the privilege of looking after you, s he answered calmly. "I want you to
 be happy, Evelina,'' and I knew as I
 raised my eyes to his that could con sider myself settled in my own home. ''Well, then, come. and have dinner No. with me-" I answered with a laugh that covered a little happy sigh
 that rose from my heart at the look in the kind eyes bent on mine.
 I felt, Jane, you would have approv- ed of that look. It was so human to human.
 He came over with me, and that was one jolly party in the old dining room. They all stayed until almost sunset, and almost everybody in town dropped in during the afternoon. to welcome me home and ask where I was going to live. Jasper and Petunia lowering in the background, the tea tray out on 1 the porch set with the silver and l damask all of them knew of old and the appearance. of having been in- 1 stalled with the full approval of Cousin 1 Martha and James and the rest of the
 family, stopped the questions on their 1 lips, and they spent, the afternoon much enlivened, but slightly puzzled.
 Time doesn't do much to people in a 1 place like the Harpeth valley, that is
 out of the stream of modern progress, l and most of my friends seem to have