The Dolores star., 1919-05-16
BY
IRVING BACHELLER
Copyright, by Irving Bachellerl
CHAPTER xvII-continued.

In from the twenty-acre lot with
lead Of hay. Aunt Deel stood on the
front steps looking down the road.
Now and then her waving handker-
chief went to her eyes. Uncle Pea
body came down the standard off his
4 load and walked toward me.
"Say, stranger. have you seen any
thing of feller by the name O. Bart
4 Baynes?" he demanded.
"Have you?" 1 asked.
\ mo, sir, I amt. Gosh almighty!
Say! what have ye done with that boy
s of our'n?"
"What have you done to our house?"
4 1 asked again.
81 Built on an addition"
"Thats what I've done to your boy"
4 answered.
i Thunder an lightnin'! How you've
raised the roof" he exclaimed as he
4 grabbed my satchel. Dressed like a
statesman an bigger'n a bullmoose.
Il I can't 'rastle with you no more. Bat,
4 say. I'll run ye race. 1 can beat ye
an carry the satchel, too.'
We ran pell-mell up the lane to the
steps like pair Of children.
j Aunt Deel did not speak. She Just
Il put her arms around me and laid her
I Gear old head upon my breast Uncle
q Peabody turned away. Then what
silence! OF in the edge of the wood
d land l heard the fairy flute of wood
q thrush,
"Purvis, you drive that load on the
& floor an put up the hosses," Uncle
Il Peabody shouted in moment. "If
you don't like 1t you can hire mother
81 man. l won't do no more till after
s. dinner. This slave business is played
4 out"
"All right" Purvis answered.
4 "You bet it's all right. I'm fer abo-
lition an I've stood your domineerin',
nigger-driver ways long enough fer
one mornin'. If you don't like it you
can look for another man."
Aunt Deel and l began to laugh at
Il this good-natured, make-believe scold-
q Ing of Uncle Peabody and the emo
a tional strain was over. They led me
Il into the house. where delightful sur
prise awaited me, for the rooms had
4 been decorated with balsam boughs
i and sweet ferns. A glowing mass of
violets, framed in moss, occupied the
center of the table. The house was
4 filled with the odors of the forest,
which, as they knew, were dear to me.
had written that they might expect
n me some time before noon, but /
begged them not to meet me In Can
4 ton, us l wished to walk home after
4 my long ride. So they were ready for
4 me.
4 remember how they felt the cloth
on my back and how proudly they sur
veyed it.
Couldn't buy them goods round
these parts" said Uncle Peabody.
Nor nOthin' like 'em-no, SIR"
Feels leetle bit like the butternut
trousers" said Aunt Deel as she felt
my coat.
Ayes, but them butternut trousers
amt what they used to be when they
was young and limber," Uncle Peabody
remarked. Seems so they was get
tin kind o. wrinkled an baldheaded-
like, Specially where I set down."
Ayes! Wal 1 guess u man can't
grow old without his pants CROWN
old, too-ayes!" said Aunt Deel.
IF yer legs are in 'em ev'ry Sunday
they ketch 1t of ye," my uncle an
swered. Long sermons are hard on
pants, seems to me-"
AN the longer the legs the harder
the sermons-in them little seats over
t the choOlhouse-ayes! |" Aunt Deel
added by way of justifying his COM
plaint "There wouldn't be so much
wear in ten-mile walk-nov
N ph olynn II, kol.
Strawberries were ready for the short
cake.
I've been wallerin' since the dew
was Off gittin' them berries an vi
lets-ayes" said Aunt Deel, now busy
with her work at the stove.
Aunt, you look as young as ever" I
remarked.
She slapped my arm and said with
mock severity:
Stop that! w'yl You know better
ayes" |"
How vigorously she stirred the fire
then.
i can't return the complimentary
eoui now you've changed-ayes |" she
remarked.
Il hope you amt flt no more, Bart.
: can't bear to think o you flynn at
iolks an pOundln' of 'em. Don't seem
right-no. 1t don't!"
why, Aunt Deel. what in the world
10 you mean?" I asked.
It's Purvis' brain that does the
ppuhdin', n l guess" said my uncle.
~ Kind O. got the habit. It's reg
IN, beetle brain. To hear him talk
yeo mink he an you could clean out
ane null Mexican natlon-barrin' accl-
.en.s' .s Why anybody would suppose
4'"' yer enemies 60 to climbin' trees