Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1919-01-02

something like that they'd put you up
for mayor and--well, you can see
what Il lot you might do to keep things
going" Lacy sighed, and somehow
her concern amused Mr.. Pell more
than 9aythng she bad done before.
! She had already proved immensely
diverting.
Then one day Mr.. Pell called at the
Sentinel Office To see Lucy, and that
was enough to keep Pellton tongues
wagging for a few days. He told her
he wanted her to tell him exactly what
sort Of thing he might do for the old
town Lucy that afternoon had been
reporting a picnic given by the en-
pl0yees of one of the local factories.
/ The place chosen for it was part Of
the old Pel estate. and because of
bubbing spring Of water that flowed
out from the shale there it had proved
a favorite spot for picnlcs for some
years past; and Mr. PelI had never OBJ
| jected, in spite Of his reputation for
miserliness. Children, too, from all
over the neighborhood came with pals
and bottles TO get this water, which
seemed to be more quenchng than or
! binary water, and it was a favorite
spot for pedestrians on hot Sundays,
who came there with little folding
cups to quench their thirst at the
miser's spring, as it was sometimes
called.
Lucy had seen the plcllnickers
drinking at the spring that afternoon.
and she was ready with her sugges-
ton. The thing to do was to give this
tract of land as a picnic ground and
to put up a sort Of fountain of rough
hewn rocks from the neghborhood
/ around the spring so that thirsty folks
might always quench their thirst there
And there should be drain so that
the water when ii ran OFF should not
make a bed of mud around the spring
Mr.. Pell may have had some questions
concerning this, but he agreed, and
within few days he and Lucy were
meeting occasionally in secluded
woodland path TO discuss designs for
the fountain and to plan the presenta-
ton. And all the time Lucy had visions
of the big writeup 1t was going to
make for the Sentinel and the surprise
that people would feel when they
learned about it, And Francis PelI-
well, he still watched the eager work
ing of Lucy's lips and the color as 1t
came quickly when she became espe-
cially interested in the plans under
way, and sometimes he laughed at her.
too. but she had ceased to be nettled
by that
The eve Of the day when the an
nouncement of the plans was TO be
made came at last, and Lucy had the
first big story ready to send TO the lit
tie Sentinel press. There was even to
be a cut showing 'the design for the
fountain. And it had all been kept
secret between Mr.. Pell and Lucy,
though people were beginning to won
der why there had been surveyors and
workmen on the old picnic grounds of
late.
The Sentinel was just going to press
and Lucy was putting the last flour
ishes on the great announcement In
the dingy little office long after other
good Peltonites had retired for the
night. The owner-editor, an errand
boy, the other exporter and a handful
of compositors and pressmen consti-
tuted the entire staff, and they were
too preoccupied with their tasks to no
tice the figure of Francis Pell as ii
passed quickly across the floor TO
Lucy's desk. He sat down beside her.
laid nervous hand on the copy she
was still working on. There's hitch
In our plans. l can't tell you now. But
trust me. You mustn't make the an
nouncement now" Then he went, tell.
ing Lucy he would wait for her out.
side the little Office and tell her more
as he escorted her home as soon as she
had finished her work.
ITS this way" he began. "Men
from the water department have been
feeling around lately. and today I got
a notice from headquarters. That
spring isn't spring at ALL It's a leak
from the main. That water is just the
same water every one has piped into
their houses, and now they send me
formal word that in future I'll have to
have ii metered and pay for il at regu,
lar rates I don't mind paying the few
hundred dollars it would cost a year
but no one would care about the foun.
tain II 1t was plain city water, and
they're likely to have the Joke on the
old miSer So wen have to think of
something else to do" They walked
along in silence for few minutes
Luey'S pretty lips working overtime
trying to bold back the tears of disap-
pointment Two or three times Mr.
Pell tried TO brgin his next speech be
fore he succeeded.
II was thinking" he said. lin fact
I've thought 1t for a long time-eveI
since q little while after you came to
nae that first time-that | couldn't give
the Pelltonites and the boys ut tbs
front from Pelltou much more of
surprise than to get married. That
would be a real piece of news
wouldn't it2'
siN,r hue nuJ ~. rtr~ A.