The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1920-03-01

FACE VALUE
BY LOUISE HOFFMAN.
~ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,

twenty" exclaimed Hannah Houehson
US Il Slrlll whistle rent the incoming
AR Beats an how time nNes. iii.
ram; amt that butter come yet?" she
rasped.
Il guess it'll come soon, now
draWled her tall. good-natured husband
patiently turning away at the huge bar
rel clurn.
We'll. you'd best give them cows
more SALT she advised, bustling about
win one eye on the station platform.
My! dlnnerll be late today. That but
ter mas got to go on the 1913. an
faint churned yet"
Hannah dropped her steel-rirlmed
spectacles down onto her angular nose
ana pcered out of the window. In the
~ years that she and Hiram had lived
IN the tiny cottage perched on Il hill
above the station she had never been
100 BUSY to stop and watch the few
passengers allght ut Cedarville.
Mercy" she criticized as her atten-
uon became conferred on a smartly
dressed couple with young baby
That woman don't act much like a
mother. She's lettin' the sun blaze
right into that poor babys eyes" Then,
after Il moments intent watching and
relief: There, she's shadin, it some
now"
Why, Uiram," she gaSped. there
they go in an automobile up the half
mile drive to the Appleby estate. They
must be the new people who have
| rented the place"
Cutters come" announced Hiram
triumphantly.
well. if they amt got baby. Sam
Corby told me he WANT gOin' to rent
to folks with children again. The last
family b;skcd 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 it SO much as TINT these
folks is gettin' this place under false
pretenSes. Last week l saw their fur
niture, and they had high chair an
" Ni.Ni' anu a So-tdIl, anu llON lUtI
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
riosity no longer and one pleasant aft
ernoon she ventured a 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, l suppose So" returned Han |
nah obviously. She rallied in a mo-
ment and came to the point Of her |
call at once. "IIow 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 baby she questioned. "There
must be some mistake. We have no
baby. You know, Mr.. Corby refused
to take tenants with children"
what, amt you got no baby?' ques-
toned Hannah blunt!. Then raising
her hands in horror: What's become
of it, then??"
The entrance of Mr. Gavey Mt this
moment caused Il happy Interruption
zone of our neighbors has come to
call" explained Mrs. Gavey, "and is
under the impression that we have q
baby"
why, you had cradle an high
chair an Il go-cart in your furniture"
asserted Hannah.
"Oh," laughed Mrs. Gavey, "the
high chair belonged to Mr.. Gavey
when he was a child. The cradle and
so-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
'ille," declared Hannah.
II had n baby when I came here?"
She echoed vaguely. Il don't remem-
'er," looking helplessly at her hus-
iand.
. Mr.. and Mrs. Gavey had made so
many trips that their first trip seem
"a to have blotted out of their minds
Mrs. Gavcy's face bright
ned. "Alicia's baby" she calculated.
That's it,"
In IA flash they saw how Simple S
Incident had created an air of mys
cry about them. "On the train" eX-
ained Mrs Garvey. I'VE met a
rlend who had just recovered from & -
erious illness. She was travelling with
err baby and a trained nurse. The
rip proved too much for her and she X
ecame i'll, requiring all the nurses
ttention. We took charge of the
hid and brought it to Cedarville with Il
s. We telephoned the father and he -
)lowed on the next train and he
)ok the child home that night"
Hannah never knew just how she
lade her exit.
Il gueSs-you-was right-about PC
ZEN folks" hesitatingly admitted e.
that night at supper as she So