Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-28

ows with their baskets Of butter and
eggs on their broad knees and their
faces rcsplendent from much soap. Fac
Ing these was a tough and rough old
sinner who bantered them. in language
more proper to the stud and the farm
yard, on their late married lives and
the necessity of beginning on fresh ones.
The unvarnished gibes provoked loud
laughter from the other passengers, and
Eessie's laugh was loudest Of all. This
led to the widows looking round In her
direction, and presently, in the recov-
cred consciousness of her situation she
heard whispers Of Johnny Quail
trough and the 'Dempster' son" and
then turned back to her window and
cried.
There was no one to help her with her
luggage when she had to change at
Douglas. so she carried her tin box
across the platform to the Ramsey train.
The north going traffic was light ut that
hour, and, sitting in an empty compart-
ment she had time to think of home and
what might happen when she got there.
This was a vision Of Dan BaldrOmma
threatening. her mother pleading, her
self screaming and all the hurly burly
she had heard so often.
But even that did not altogether
frighten her now, for she had one source
of solace which she had never had be-
fore. She was wearing q big hat with
large red roses. q straw -colOred frOck
and openwOrk stockings, with shoes that
were much too thin for the OncOming
winter. And looking down at these
last and remembering she had bought
them out of her wages. expressly for
that walk with Alick Cell, she thought
of something that was immeasurably
more important in her mind than the
incident which had led to oil the
trouble--Alick had kissed her!
She vas still thinking Of this, and
tingling with the memory Of it, and
! telling herself how good she had been
not to say who her boy was when the
''big ones" questioned her, and how
she would never tell that, deed no,
never, no matter what might happen
to other people. when the train drew
up suddenly at the station that was her
destination and she saw her mother; a
weak eyed woman, with miserable
face. standing alone on the shingly
platform.
"Sakcs alive. girl, what have thou
been doitg now?' said Mrs. Collister,
as soon as the train had gone on.
Hadn't trouble enough with thy
father without this!' :.
But Bessie was in tears again by that
time, SO mother and daughter lifted the
tin box into taillcss market cart that
stood waiting in the road, climbed over
the wheel to the plank seat across 1t.
and turned their horses head toward
home.
Dan Baldromma's mill stood face to
the hiRhroad and back to the glen and the
mountains--a substantial structure with
thatched and whitewashed dwelling
house attached, few farm buildings
and patch of garden. which. though
warm and bright in summer under IT'S
mantle of gillic- flowers and fuchsia,
looked bleak enough now with its row
of decapitated cabbage stalks and the
straw roofs Of it's unprotected beehives.
As mother and daughter came up in
their springlcss cart they heard the
splash Of the millwhcel and the groan
OF the milestone, and by that they knew
that their lord and master was at work
within. So they stabbed their horse fol