The north Mississippi herald., 1920-06-18
asked the new citizen of his qLAstion-

SOul.
Bob, If you've turned that female
grenadier down on her checker game,
you've shown more nerve than any of
u.s."
You see" said Mcpherson, earnest
ly. tits put-up job. She don't want
her good-looking niece to have COM
pany."
1T Is cruel" murmured Compton,
sympathetically. Suppose you defy
her"
That's just what I'm going to do"
said Mcpherson, boldly.
The manly course was unanimously
lndorsed, and Martha's emancipation
was then and there proclaimed by
some half dozen loyal hearts and
true"
The next day business called Comp
ton away from Prairie Valley, and he
was detained a couple of weeks. Not
long after he returned he called at
the Trueman home, and was led in by
a most indignant maiden. He saw the
time of day and started to back out.
Come in; I've something to tell
you" said Miss Martha, in a voice
indicating strong effort at control.
"While you were away Aunt Naomi
was grossly insulted by four of your
friends" exclaimed Miss Martha.
Compton started and then looked at
her in amaZement.
"They surely DIDN'T"
"But they did," she said. impetuous-
ly. "They came out here to see US,
and when Aunt Naomi was good
enough to invite them to play checkers
with her they declined-positively de-
clined!"
There are fully twenty to come yet,
and I'm satisfied all are going to act
in the same ungentlemanly way. It's
conspiracy-thats what it is !"
"As many as that?" he hazarded.
"Yes, as many as that; there were
twentyfour before"
'Twenty-four what?
He felt safe there, but when he
saw the red blood mounting to her
temples he knew he had put his foot
in 1t.
Don't you know what 1 mean"
"Er-you don't mean"
"Yes do!" she admitted as prompt
ly as if he had said admirers" And
the whole thing will have to be gone
all over again!'
"Y-e-S."
II don't believe you understand me
at ALL" she said, in some disdain.
Miss Martha" he said, "to be can
did with you, | don't know what trou
ble's ahead of you, but if you'll tell
me, and 1 can help you out any I'll
do it If it ruins me ~
Il don't know what you can do"
she remarked, dsscouragedly; II
guess they'll all come and the little
farce will be played with each one.
There's no help for it."
You mean there's twenty to come
YETI"
II know way to fix that" with ex-
cessive confidence.
She looked inquiringly.
Yes, do" he said, approaching her.
'I'll see Aunt Naomi and ask her to
let us get married"
He was very, very close to her now,
and she wasn't trying to get away.
AS he took her hands she looked up at
him with mischievous smile.
you forget-you wouldn't play
checkers with Aunt Naomi, either, sir"
but l will I'll play with her morn
ing, noon and night. If that won't do,
III shut down the works and play be-
tween times"
That's good of you, Robert" whis-
pered Martha, fluttering the white flag
of surrender 'but the truth is, Aunt
Naomi don't care much for checkers,
and it was only at my urgence she
agreed to play with them when they
made me tired"
"Then you're the-ah-the--"
stammering over the astounding dis
closure.
1.-THE sinner" she said, demurely.
ing something, he added, distruStfully:
"She wanted me to play the first
night"
She shrved him with q pair of
warm, tremulous lips.
1T was all a mistake, Robert" she
said "when they weary me ! cough
and auntie gets out her checker-board.
The night you came, got up to stir
the fire, and the smoke-1 tried so hard
to keep from it, but auntie heard me
and like the good old soul she is she
understood the time had come to re-
lieve me, and she went about 1t in the
usual way"
When the details got around to the
club, Mcpherson offered d resolution.
which was unanimously adopted:
"Resolved, That appearances are al
ways misleading ard deceptive, and we
hereby retract all the mean things
we've said and thought about Aunt
Naomi these years past, and wish to
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