The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-27
BY Ii. NJ. Bower.
Copyright. 1912, by Little. Brown
& Co.

III Is astonishing now fanny
can live for months together and
not realize how little real privacy
there is for any one until some
thing especial comes up for secret
discussion. 1t struck Good lndi-
an forcibly that afternoon, be-
cause he was anxious for a word
in private with Peaceful, or with
Phoebe, and also with Evadne-
| IL II was only to continue their
quarrel.
At dinner he could not speak
without being heard by all. After
dinner, the family showed an UNI
conscious disposition to bunch
Peaceful and Baumberger sat and
smoked upon the porch, and the
boys stayed close by, so that they
could hear what might be said.
When he could no longer en-
dure the inaction, Grant went to
the milk-house. He felt sure that
Baumberger's ears were pricked
toward the sound of his footsteps,
and he made them purposely audi
BILE.
Hello, Mother Hart" he called
out cheerfully to Phoebe, potter
ing down in the GOODNESS. He went
down to her, and laid his hand up
on her shoulder with a caressing
touch which brought tears into
her eyes. Don't you worry bit,
little mother" he said softly.
They've stacked the deck, but
Well beat 1t, anyhow
"Oh, Grant, Grant," She laid
her forehead against him for a
moment, then looked up at him
with a certain whimsical solicit
tude. ''Never mind our trouble
now What's this about you
and Vadnie? The boys seem to
think you two are going to make
a match of it. And have you been
quarreling, you two? only
want" she added. deprecatingly,
Ito see my biggest boy happy,
and If | can do anything in the
way to help"
| You can't, except just don't
worry when we get to scrapping.'
His eyes smiled down at her with
their old, quizzical humor, which
she had not seen in them for
some days. 81 foresee that we're
due to scrap a good deal of the
time," he predicted. Were both
pretty peppery. But"
"Churning?" The voice of
Baumberger purred down to
them. There he stood bulkily at
the top of the steps, good-natured-
ly regarding them. "Mr. Hart and
| are goin' to take a ride up to
the station-gotta send tele-
gram or two about this little af-
fair"-he made motion with his
pipe toward the orchard-''and l
just thought good, cold dring of
buttermilk before We start
wouldn't be bad" His glance just
grazed Good Indian, and passed
him over as being of no conse-
quence.
After Baumberger had drunk
his fill, Grant went to the top of
the steps, and made sure that he
had really gone before he said a
word.
Mother Hart. on the square,
what do you think of Baum
berger?" he asked abruptly.
"Oh, Grant, don't know what
to think. He seems all right. l
wish | could be as cool-headed as
Thomas" she said. with tinge
of petulance ut don't seem to
worry him monet"
What does he think of Baum
berger? Is he going to let him
take the case and handle it to
please himself?"
81 guess so," she admitted. 81
haven't had real good chance to
talk to Thomas all day. But Baum
berger seems to take it for grant
ed he's got the case. Thomas
hates to hurt anybody's feelings,
and, even If he didn't want him,
he'd hate to say So"
1t was at this point that Evad-
ma slipped unnoticed to the top of
the milk-house steps and pushed
Good Indian forward by his two
shoulders. 'I'm so furious l
could beat you, What do you
mean, savage, by letting a lady
stay all AFTERNOON by herself,
waiting for you to come and coax
her into being nice to your" She
finished by giving each ear a lit
tie slap and laid her arms around
his neck.
please don't look at me that
way, Aunt Phoebe" she said.
wheL she discovered her. Il
should have told you last night
that we're-well, l suppose we're
engaged" She put her arms
around her aunt's neck. "You
aren't angry, are you, Aunt Phoe-
be?" she coaxed. "You-you
know you said you wanted me to
be particularly nice to Grant"
So the quarrel was patched up.
In some respects the mind of
Good Indian was extremely SIM
| pie and direct. His knowledge of
women was rudimentary. He had
been extremely uncomfortable in
the knowledge that Evadna was
angry. But since fate was kind,
and his lady love no longer frown-
ed upon him, he made the mistake
Of taking 1t for granted that he
was free to turn his whole atten-
ton to this trouble which had