The Harrison times., 1916-06-24
SPRING cleaning
BY LOUISE OLIVER.

| Snn~NS~esSesssssSSS SSSe~~S~es~sS~~S~ss
Miss Hannah was cleaning her at
tic. With sleeves rolled up over her
nlump elbows, her hair tucked Sc
curely under a blue dustcap and her
figure completely hidden by a big
apron. she was reveling in houseclean-
ing.
The warm, sweet breeze blew in
through the open windows and with
it came the perfume of apple blossoms.
In her line of yigion directly across
the street. two figures passed one an
other. and Miss Hannah paused in her
scrubbing. To a casual observer moth
ing had happened except that a young
man and a young woman had bowed
to each other, but to Miss Hannah,
with her sharp eyes and her knowl-
edge Of things and people, a tragedy
had occurred. And knowing this, she
craned her neck just little to get
better view of a certain house on
the opposite side of the street.
"I thought so. Sans outside, the
cranky, miserly old sinner. It's
shame, that's what it is. They are so
dead in love with each other they'll
never be a mite O. good till they get
married, and there isn't any good rea-
son why they shouldn't. Harley's got
a right decent position, and If Sam
Martin wasn't as tight as ftddlestring
he'd give Betty nice, substantial we'd
ding present and say, God bless you,
my children'"
Miss Hannah wiped her eyes. my
heart aches for the poor dears. Dear
knows Betty has been an angel to
that old crank of a grandfather. There
isn't another soul this side of heaven
that could have kept house for him.
l wouldn't for a million dollars, if he
is my very own cousin"
So worked up was Miss Hannah that
housecleaning had lost it's charms. De-
scending to the first floor, she went out
and across the street where the enemy
was working in a flower bed by the
porch.
Good morning SAM"
What do you want? Another aid
baby needin' help? Nope, not to-
day."
Just wait till you're asked before
you refuse, please. l came to see
about Betty She and Harley want to
get married, and there isn't a reason
on this green earth why you should be
so mean as not to let them. Why,
Betty's BEEN"
The old mans eyes blazed.
you keep quiet, you meddler. It's
my business and not yours. Betty's
mother married poor man and had
to keep him when he got sick, and
her, too, and after they both died it
was tho girl. And now she wants to
marry pauper. It'll be the same thing
over again! What do you think am,
an institution for the down and
out?"
Miss Hannah went home crestfallen.
She felt that she had only made mat
ters worse for the two she had been
SO anxious to help. "The worst of
Sans meanness is" she reflected,
that he didn't make cent of it him
SELF 1t was merely an accident of
law that gave him that estate when
there was no will, and I never could
see why Brother Tom and l hadn't
right to some Of it"
Harley, having delivered paper to
Office, and Betty, her errand finished,
was on her way home when they met
under a blossoming peach tree that
spread over the fence Of the Collins
yard.
1t was impossible to pass such
vision without stopping and whisper.
ing word that brought the color fly
ing to Betty's cheeks. ooh, Harley"
she protested, you know we prom.
ised not to--not to" She faltered
and her eyes filed.
well, | was a fool to promise any.
thing so impossible, and I'm going
right over and tell him so. This is
a free country, and / guess can talk
to whomever l please!"
But it seemed he was to be spared
the trouble of trip in order to I'M
burden himself to Bettys irate rela-
tive, for the old man, crossing the
street to borrow trowel from the
Watsons, looked their way and saw
the lovers talking under the peach
tree Changing his course, he made
straight in their direction
Just then Miss Hannah, holding a
yellow, much-creased paper in her
trembling fingers and trying her best
to convince herself that she was not
dreaming, happened to look out of the
window and saw exactly what was
happening.
Without hesitating an instant, she
ran downstairs and out Of the front
door, still holding the discolored bit
OF paper in her hand.
"Sam!' she said. Sam, wait q
minute"