The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1919-10-10
FACE VALUE
BY LOUISE HOFFMAN.

as q shrill whistle rent the morning
air. Beats all how time flies, HI
ram; amt that butter come YETI" she
rasped.
II guess it'll come soon, now"
drawled her tall, good-natured husband
patiently turning away at the huge bar.
rel churn.
swell, you'd best give them cows
more SALT" she advised, bustling about
with one eye on the station platform.
My dinner'll be late today. That but
ter has got to go on the 3:15, an
faint churned yet"
Hannah dropped her steel-rimmed
spectacles down onto her angular nose
and peered out of the window. In the
80 years that she and Hiram had lived
In the tiny cottage perched on a hill
above the station she had never been
too busy to stop and watch the few
passengers alight at Cedarville.
"Mercy!" she criticized as her atten-
ton became centered on a smartly
dressed couple with a young baby.
'"That woman don't act much like a
mother. She's lettin' the sun blaze
right into that poor baby's eyes" Then.
after moments intent watching and
relief: "There, she's shadin, 1t some
now"
why, Hiram" she gasped, there
they go In an automobile up the half
mile drive to the Appleby estate. They
y.h
rented the place"
Buffers come" announced Hiram
triumphantly.
swell, II they amt got baby. Sam
COrby told me he want goin' to rent
to folks with children again. The last
family barked off all the sittin' room
paint"
'It'll be long time fore that baby
barks off much paint" reflected HI
ram, skimming out the golden Jumps
of butter onto the working board.
'That amt 1t so much as that these
folks Is gettin' this place under false
pretenses. Last week l saw their fur
niture, and they had high chair an
a cradle and go-cart, and now they
got the baby, all right"
ITS none Of our business what they
got" broke In Hiram. Let Sam take
care Of that end of It."
Finally, she could restrain her Gu
rlosity no longer and one pleasant aft
ernoon she ventured call on the
queer people"
Now, Mrs. Gavey," she began after
Introducing herself, I'm afraid you'll
think the neighbors amt very sociable.
( hope you amt lonely"
Mrs Gavey smiled We've been SO
busy we haven't had time" she re-
piled. "And then, we have plenty Of
resources within ourselves"
Yes, suppose So" returned Han
nah obviously. She rallied in mo-
ment and came to the point Of her
call at once. How Is the baby" she
inquired solicitously. "The poor little
thing must be pretty peaked shet up
SO much"
Mrs. Gavey stared at her visitor in
polite amazement.
"The babyT" she questioned. "There
must be some mistake. We have no
oaby. You know. Mr.. Corby refused
to take tenants with children"
"What, amt you got no babyT" ques-
,loned Hannah blunty. Then raising
her hands in horror: whats become
Of 1t. then??"
The entrance of Mr.. Gavey at this
moment caused happy interruption.
zone Of our neighbors has come to
CALL" explained Mrs. Gavey, "and is
under the impression that we have a
baby"
"Why, you had a cradle an high
hair an go-cart in your furniture"
asserted Hannah.
"Oh," laughed Mrs. Gavey, "the
high chair belonged to Mr.. Gavey
when he was child. The cradle and
go-cart are presents and we have them
packed and ready to ship to my broth
er tomorrow"
But you had baby In your arms
the first day you arrived In Cedar
ville." declared Hannah.
II had baby when l came here?"
she echoed vaguely. II don't remem-
ber," looking helplessly at her hus-
band.
Mr.. and Mrs. Gavey had made so
many trips that their first trip SEEM
ed to have blotted out Of their minds.
Suddenly Mrs. Gavey's face bright
ened. "Alicla's baby!" she calculated.
That's It."
In flash they saw how simple
Incident had created an air Of mys-
terry about them. ION the. train,Y ex-
planned Mrs. Garvey, I'VE met a
friend who had just recovered from n
serious Illness. She was travelling with
her baby and trained nurse. The
trip proved too much FOR her and she
became i'll. requiring all the nurses
attention. We took charge Of the
child and brought 1t to Cedarville with
us. We telephoned the father and he
followed on the next train and he
took the child home that night"
Hannah never knew just how she
made her exit.
II guess--you--was rIght--about
them folks" hesltatingly admitted
Hannah that night at supper as she
confessed her blunder to Hiram. "You
"a ne holloyo half what Won coo md