The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-25

v4Z&5 bO Sufcu1Eeu Wltn ualI sup GD pressed hilarity. At first her father merely scowled at Barbara's in- termittent little gurgles,, which refused to stay entirely pent up. He drowned at her seemingly inane interruptions of the technical discussion into which he had Immediately plunged with the East Coast company's engineer until he could no longer ignore the smile which pulled at the lips of the latter, too, at every fresh attempt of the girl to swing the conversation into an ut terly irrelevant channel. He looked around the table then and. caught the gleam fin Caleb's eyes. He took note of Miss Sarah's illuminated face and gave way to burst of Querulousness not all stimulation.
 What is the joke?" he demanded in voice that set them all to rocking in their chairs. Let me in on it, let me laugh, too, if there is anything worth laughing at. Gal, you're growing old old and feeble witted."
 Barbara bobbed her head meekly. Her giggle, however, was shameless. Allison had had experience with his daughters seeming meekness. More over, the working of Caleb's and Sa- rah's faces bafiled him. He waited, fuming.
 / "Just before you and Uncle Cal came In we've were talking about the weather" the girl gurgled. MT. O'Mara predicted it would rain soon, and just wanted to ask him what made him think so."
 It was very quiet for a moment. Steve sat, a little red of face himself, gazing across into the girls starry eyes.
 "Go ahead" she prompted him, with . gasp.
 Then his lips began to curl until a smile overspread his, face and half closed his eyes. He leaned back and raised obediently quaintly solemn, quaintly boyish treble.
 q want guessin',"' he averred sober ly, "ner I want thinkin' it will. It'll jest be rainin' come sun up, and it'll be good fer till Wednesday fer sure"
 At the beginning of that quavering statement Dexter Allison's lips fell apart. They remained open long after Steve had finished. Once he started to rise, and then dropped back into his chair, dumfounded. There was no doubt concerning the success of his daughters query. At last he got to his feet and padded around the table. With hand on either of the boy's shoulders he turned that Drowned face up to his own.
 "You," he murmured weakly. "You! And Elliott said that you could out guess dear old Mother Nature herself! We'll, I'm blanked!'
 They talked no more business at table that morning, and Allison found scant opportunity to make himself heard at all. Even the reticence which seemed part of Steve's grave face and big body was swept aside before the tumult of questions that tumbled from Barbara's lips, promptly to be supplemented by Caleb whenever her breath gave out.
 It was minutes before Allison could wedge in single remark, longer than that before he stopped drowning to himself in a fashion which made Caleb remember that moment of inexplicable vehemence outside on the veranda. They had 'retrogressed as far as the 'fnjine"-the steam injine"-when All lison finally made himself heard.
 What can't remember is just why you left us So suddenly. I know it was some sort of rumpus, with Barbara in it-there's always a woman, of course-but can't recalH-
 He paused to ponder-paused> and be- came aware immediately of Barbara's swift silence and Steve's hint of self consciousness. Then 1t all returned to him with rush. He had his turn.
 "Oh, but I do remember" he drawled. ''Why, of course-of course! It was matter of knight errantry and ladies fair! But who was it whose choice conflicted with your own?'
 He cooked his head on one side, mock thoughtful; then he fell to pounding his knee and roared with laughter.
 "Archie Wickershamv' he shouted. "Archie Wickersham-oh, Lord! nev- CT really appreciated that melee until this minute. And you promised that you'd be back, didn't you, and-well. b'gad, here you are! Shake hands again, Steve. And, if I may be par doned the idiom, allow me to assure you that it was some battlev'
 If it did nothing else, Allison's pom derous raillery served one end. It re- moved any sentimental awkwardness which might have attached to the epi- sode, and yet the girl rather resented It's being so completely reduced to terms of farce comedy. When the men rose. after breakfast, to go down into ehe town, she, too, declared her inten- ton of accompanying them, as though 1t were the expected thing. She cross ed the lawn at Steve's side, ahead of her father and Caleb, with Miss Sarah watching from the door. Both men walked for short time in silence, their eyes upon the slender figure in short skirt and wooly sweater beside the taller one in blue flannel before