Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-02-01

lGET5! so surcharged with half sup
80 pressed hilarity At first her
father merely scow1ed at Barbara's in
termittent little gurgles. which refused
to stay entirely pent up. He frowned 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
CLEAN in Caleb's eyes. He took note OF
Miss Sarah illuminated face and gave
way to a burst of querulousness not all
stimulation.
What is the joker he demanded in
a voice that set them all to rocking in
their chairs. Let me in on it, let me
laughing at. Cal, 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 Calebs and Sa-
rah's faces bafiled him. He waited.
Tuning.
'Just before you and Uncle Cal came
in we've were talking about the
weather." the girl gursled. Mr.. O'Mara
predicted it would rain soon. and | just
wanted to ask him what made him
think So
1t was very quiet for a moment.
Steve sat, little red Of face himself,
gazing across into the girls starry eyes.
a gasp.
Then his lips began to curl until a
smile OverSpread his face and half
closed his eyes. He leaned back and
raised obediently a quantity solemn,
quantity boyish treble
Il want guessin'," he averred sober
~, "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 a hand on either of the boys
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!
Well, I'm blankedr
They talked no more business at
table that morning, and Allison found
scant opportunity to make himself
heard at all. Even the reticence which
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.
1t was minutes before Allison could
wedge in a single remark, longer than
that before he stopped frowning to
himself in q fashion which made Caleb
remember that moment Of ineXplicable
vehemence outside on the veranda.
They had retrogressed as far as the
''injine"-the "steam mime AL
ison finally made himself heard
"What I can't remember is just why
you left us so suddenly. know it was
some sort of rumpus, with Barbara
in it-there's always woman. Of
course-but l can't recall"-
He paused to ponder-paused and be-
came aware Immediately of Barbara's
swift silence and Steve's hint of self
consciousness. Then it all returned to
him with a rush He had his turn.
ooh, but I do remember" he
draWled. "Why, Of cOurse-of course!
1t was q matter Of knight errantry and
ladies fair, But who was it whose
choice conhicted with your own"
; He cooked his head on one side, mock
thoughtful; then he fell to pounding
his knee and roared with laughter.
"Archie Wickershamw he shouted.
"Archie Wickersham-Oh, Lord. new
er 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 / may be par
doned the idiom, allow me to assure
you that it was some battler'
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 cpl
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
the town, she, too, declared her inten-
ton of accompanying them, as though
it 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 a short time in sNnce,
their eyes upon the slender figure in
short skirt and woody sweater beside