Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-03-14

growled her surly lord. Innes recog-
nized the mood and shrank from the
ordeal ahead. 1t was the mood of
the Hardin in the rough, the son of
his frontier mother, the fruit of old
Jasper Gingg, whose smithy had been
the rendezvous for the widest roughs,
the fiercest cattlemen in Missouri.
"Pd let him see you knew what's
what. even If we do live like gipsies."
The answer to that was another
growl. Innes could hear him dragging
crt the process, grumbling over each
detail. That confounded laundry had
torn his shirt. He hadn't q decent
collar to his name. Where was his
black string tie? If Cert would keep
his things in the lowest drawerl Hang
that buttonl Gerty emerged from the
encounter, her face very red. Innes
could see her biting her lips to keep
the tears back as she put the last
touches to the table.
"She's tired out" thought the sister
of Tom Hardin. "She's probably
fused herself to death over this din
ner."
A few minutes later Richard ar
rived in sack suit of tweeds. Gerty's
greeting was a little distracted. How
could she make Innes understand to
tell Tom to change his coat? The
duty of a host, she suddenly remem-
bered, was to dress down rather than
up to the chances of his guest. She
regretted bitterly her insistence. Was
ever anyone so obtuse as Innes? Mr..
Rickard would see that they thought
1t big event. She was watching the
curtain where Tom would emerge,
And his coat was a style of several
seasons ago and absurdly Tight She
made an unintelligible excuse and
darted behind the portiere.
Toms face was apoplectic. He was
wrestling with a mussed tie; the col.
lar showed a desperate struggle.
Gerty made wild signals for him tc
change his clothes. She waved 6
hand indicating Richard; she pointed
to Toms sack suit lying on the fiool
where he had walked out of it.
what is it all about?'
"Ssh.' whispered his wife. Agar
the wild gestures.
"Well. aren't you satisfied? Dom
I look like a guy?"
He could be heard distinctly in tn,
next room. Gerty gave it up in de
spair. She dabbed some more powde
on her nose and went out looking lik,
a martyr-a very pretty martyr!
Rickard praised the miracles of tn
tent. Gerty's soft flush reminded In
mes of their old relation. exit Innes,
she was thinking, when Tom, red ant
perspiring, brought another elemen
of discomfort into the room.
Gerty ushered them Immediately t.
the table. She covered the first min
utes which might be awkward wit
her small chatter. Somewhere sh
had read that it was not well to max
apologies for lack of maid or fare
Besides Mr.. Rickard remembers
Lawrence That dreadful dinin
room, the ever-set table! How sh
had hated it, though she had no
known how fearful it was until sh
had escaped.
1--WE are simple folk here, Mr.. Ricl
: ard" she announced, as they too
their places around the pretty tabl,
That was her only allusion to deficier
cies, but it covered her noiseless move
: ments around the board betwee
courses, filled up the gaps when sh
made necessary dives into kitchen G
primitive ice chest, and set the Ike
f. for the LONELINESS of the meal itsel
: The dinner was a triumph of apparer
simplicity. Only Innes could CUES
. the time consumed in the perfectio
of detail, details dear to the hostes
, heart. The almonds she had blanche,
of course, herself; had dipped an
salted them. The cheese straws wei
: her own. She did not make the mi
! take of stringing out endless course
: An ifnprovised buffet near at han
! made the serving triumph.
E Rickard praised each dish; openl
t he was admiring her achievement
!. Innes, remembering the story Cert
r had told her in dots and dashes, ii
G story of the old rivalry, glanced co
!. ertly at Tom sulking at the head
!. his own table.
r Poor sulky Achilles" she though
Dear, honest old bearI"
o Times" cried Mrs. Hardin.
She turned to find that the que
was staring ut her. She had not heal
a his effort to include her in the co
4 tersatiOn.
r Mr.. Richard asked you if you lii
n II hereY"
I THANK you-why, of course ~ H.
d answer sounded pert to herself.
z Her sister-in-law hastened to az
e that Miss HardiE was very lonely, WI
# really all alone in the world that thu
n insisted on her making her home wi
70 them.
$ Innes had with difficulty restraint
9 denial. After nll what other hon
y had she? Still the truth had been d
). Elected. She recalled the sacrifice
had been to cut her college course
n order to make q home in the desc
II for the brother who had always
k gently fathered her, who had help
II her invest her small capital that
might spell a small income. She I
q called his resistance when she h;
q called in n mortgage; who could wat
Z that mad scapegoat of river playil
y pranks with desert homes and n
: rcarn to help? Not Il Hardin. S
u 'till glOried in remembering thut s
& had Mt least driven one pile into til
~c5ellious stream. even if when $
eft the valley it would be as Lrea