The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-06-03

gust was slipping into Sep
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 hillsides were al.
ready clothed with a vcrdant growth
Of new grass and
The red pennons Of the cardinal flowers
Hung motionless upon their upright slaves
How they cleaned in the meadow
grasses and along the brooksides, like
brilliant flecks of flame. giving n new
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 II turns out TO be Phoebe Day."
thought Cephas dolefuly, two rooms
Is plenty good enough. an | shan't
block up the door that leads from the
main part, neither. as ! thought likely
! should. IL 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.
mis- m E.AS in xtAi oh ha
that he drew upon himself many
sharp rebuke from the deacon.
"Of course Id club him over the
head with salt fish twice a day un.
der ordinary circumstances" Cepbas
confided to his father. with a valiant
air that he never wore In Deacon Bax.
ter's presence, but I've got reason.
known to nobody but myself. for want
In to stan well with the old man for
a spell longer. II ever quit wantin
to stan well with him he'll get his
comeuppance short and sudden
"Speakin' O standin' well with folks,
Phil Perry's kind O. maxim up to Pa.
dence Baxter. amt he. CephasT' asked
Uncle Bart guardedly. "Mebbe you
wouldn't notice II. hevin' no particular
Interest. but your mothers kind o got
the idee into her head lately. an she's
turrible farsighted."
Il guess it's sou Cephas responded
gloomily. ITS nip an tuck tween
him an Mark Wilson. That girl draws
'em as moiasses does flies. She does
1t 'tbOut liftin' finger too, no more'n
the molasses does She just sets still
an Is! An all the time she's nothin'
but Eighty little redheaded spitfire
that don't know a good husband when
she sees one. The Teller that gifts her
will live to regret 1t. that's my opin
ton| And Cephas thought TO himself
Good Lord, don't ! wish ! was re-
grettin' II this very minute"
~ s'pose a girl like Phoebe Day'd
be considerable less trouble to live
wtth? ventured Uncle Bart.
81 never could take any fancy to that
low hair O. hern! like the color we'll
enough when I'm peeling ii of corn
cob. but ! don't like IL on girls
head" objected Cephas hypercritically.
San her eyes hain't got enough blue
In 'em 70 be blue They're Jest like
skimmiIk. An she keeps her mouth
open a little mite all the time. Jest as
II there want no good draft through.
an she was a-tryin' TO cit air. An
twas me that begun calm her Feeble
Phoebe In school. an the scholars'll
never forgit il. They'd throw II up TO
hA hAI rs,,t
go to work an keep company with
herr
"Mebbe they've forgot by this time"
Uncle Bart responded hopefully;
though it's an awful resk when you
think o. Companion Pike! Samuel, he
was baptized and Samuel he continued
to be, TIL he married the Wilder Blk
by from WATERFORD. Bein' as how
there want nothin' partic'ly attractive
bout him-though he was as nice a
Teller as ever lived-somebody asked
her why she married him, an she said
her cat he'd Jest died an she wanted
q companion. The boys never let go o.
that story! Samuel Pike he ceased to
be thirty year ago, an Companion Pike
he's remained up TO this instant min
utef'
'He amt lived up to his name
much" remarked Cephas. Hes to
home for his meals, but ! guess his
wife never sees him between times"
"If the cat he'd lived meDbe she'd a
been better comp'ny, on the whole"
chuckled Uncle Bart. Companion was
alters kind o. dreamy an absent mind
ed from a boy. | remember astkin' him
what his wife's Christian name was
(she bein' a stranger 10 Riverboro3, an
he said he didn't know! Said he called
her Mis- Bixby afore he married her
an Mis- Pike afterwards"
"Well, there's something turrtbIe
queer bout this marryin' business"
and Cephas drew a sigh from the heels
of his boots. at seems 3 II a man
hedn't no natcheral DRAWN towards a
girl with a good farm N stock that
was willin' 20 have hint Seems Jest
as II II set him ag'in' her somehow
And yet. II you've got 10 sing out o. the
same book with q. girl your whole life