The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-10-27
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THE STORE-KEEPER.
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Cant do it,aRodney. Sorry, but yor
know the reason"
THAT old account" defensively
81 want feein' good along then. "I'C
paid if could. But I've got prom
Use of steady work now, and"
no.
my wife, she amt got thing to
eat in the house and"
Christopher Burton shook his head
and glanced across to where a frail-
looking little woman was fidgeting be-
side a barrel of cranberries, looking
into the barrel when she was not peer
ing appraiSingly toward him.
Another man had Slouched toward
the counter behind Rodney, his ears
all attention, but when Rodney turned
away disappointed, though not sur
prised, this man put on an air of in
nocence and sided along the tobacco
case and the candy case, and finally
out.
Burton's eyes followed them. Both
these men had been his schoolmates
20 years before. Then his eyes
flashed to the shrinking woman by the
barrel. The woman drew near.
"Iou-wouldn't mind, Mr.. Burton ?"
she whispered.
Mind" with surprise, "what-oh,
you mean charge things? Now, look
here, Mrs. Rand, whatever have done
to make you think so badly of me?"
"Liza." Burton leaned across the
counter, lowering his voice. 81 don't
want you to say anything like this
again. don't deserve it. l charge
to lots of the best people. You never
acted so to any of the boys when we
attended school. William once gave
me a sound thrashing, | remember"
But you licked him the next day."
giggIed the woman. I've heard Will
liam laugh over it a dozen times. But
weren't they grand old days."
They were So" Burton stood erect
once more, order book open.
Zone pound best mixed tea," he said
as he wrote, "a dollars worth of white
sugar.. Now I've got some nice
hams, and Williams fond of ham. III
put in good lean one-you like the
lean better, think. And cheese-I
have some pretty good cheese. l be-
lieve. III put down five pounds. I'll !
send them right around, Mrs. Rand"
he said briskly, $50 they'll get there
pretty soon after you do"
The storekeeper filled the list care
fully and placed the packages in a
basket for his driver to deliver. Then
he tore the leaf from the order book
and dropped it in the waste barrel. |
Lastly the wife of Rodney and of the
fellow who had sidled out were re-
membered.
Burton stepped to his desk and look
ed at two letters there. But he made
no motion to withdraw the contents.
They had come the night before and
been read.
A car stopped in front of the store.
He guessed its owner before he saw
her leave the car and come toward the
store. He had read a notice of her
arrival 10 days before. She came
straight to him with hands out
stretched, in the old impetuous way.
81 couldn't stand it any longer,
Chris she said. "You didn't come
to see me-maybe you didn't want to.
So I've come to see you. l want you
to tell me what's the matter. Now
come stand beside me, Chris and let's
talk I've been looking forward so ,
for 10 years to coming home to whore
people have hearts, and now there is ,
no home. They won't have me. You
know how | went away, Chris. I was
very ambitious-or something. I
thought this old village too poky and 7
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