Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-06-22
The Heir and the
Rabbit
By BEE MCDONALD

as.--......aeVaauHaFHNSyrtt
20. 1923. by Mcclure Newspaper syndieats.)
The town of Hillsboto was agog oyer
the coming Of Wilbur Otossby's
nephew. Wilbur had died suddenly
and now Dean, his nephew, heir to his
fortune. was coming to settle his I'M
cle's affairs. Crossby's lawyer had
given out no statement as to the ex-
tent Of his wealth, but limitations had
been sufficient to send every mother
with eligible daughters scurrying to
make them pretty before the nephew's
arrival.
"Going to make yourself smart for
the Crosby helr2" asked Mrs. Gates
Of Amy Phelps, the pretty school mis-
tress, who lived with her. you could
give the others hereabouts all kinds Of
handicaps when 1t comes to looks. Why
don't you doll up and 60 after him|
Amy's silvery laugh was tonic for
all who came within earshot Of 1t.
Mrs. Gates said 1t always made her
feel a few months younger every time
she heard It. doll up7" laughed the
girl. How silly It's my idea of no
way to win husband. Think of what
you lay out for yourself. Why-he'd
expect to see you looking like fash
ionsplate every time he came down to
dinner, and we know, don't we, Auntie
Gates, that 1t can't be DONE"
Maybe not" answered Mrs. Gates,
with twinkle In her eye; "hut there's
right smart Of mothers In Hlllsboro's
going to start their daughters out try
ing hard anyway. Mrs. Prentis says
she's counting on the heir for Sunday
dinner. What do you say to cutting
In ahead Of her and inviting him hereT'
mot on my account" Amy laughed
again. IF he isn't here there'll be
that much more chicken for me-"
MRS. Prentis Amt calculating to
have chicken. She says she's got
what newspapers call a scoop. She
remembers when the nephew was little
and Visited his uncle, and how he loved
baked rabbit, so she's counting on hay
ing that, II she can find one"
With no particular reason, Miss
Phelps thoughts reverted to Bobby
Raine, one of her pupils, and his pei
Rabbit How he did love 1t She re
called helping him remove Its foot
from a trap one day and the look OF
tenderness upon his face. That brought
her to a much mooted question In hel
own mind-some way to remove Bob
by from the unpleasant environment II
| he xnFtth n u IA
E called herself his aunt, but whom tn
G majority Of the natives believed was n
relation to him whatever.
\ After supper that evening as Am
was passing vacant lot on her wa
to the regular Monday night teachers
meeting, Bobby Raine jumping on
from behind clumr OF bushes
clutchesl. AZ hNy tsksrts abd whispered
.sWalk fiOwn TIM street with ma Mis-
phelps-I want 0 tall .Du,
r Had asa tp.. snf butW Of
= ,sagit A ,.gbeips would hive ept
- look OF tragedy In the upturned,
tear-wet eyes when Bobby looked at
her under the street lamp. AS II was,
the patti left by two vagrant tears
cOurslng their way through CRIME and
freckles aroused an inward chuckle in
stead She wouldn't have hurt the
boy by laughing outright.
ITS about Bunny" he told her
when they had reached spot little
more aloOf from the heart Of things
"Mrs Prents says to me this morning
that she wants to buy him for little
Sunday dinner, and | says he's not for
sale, and she says she'll see my aunt.
Aunt Sophy'll do anything for money,
you know, Miss Phelps, and rabbits IL
scarce now and Bunny's all got to
love since Aunt Sophy shot Shep cause
lie ate too much"
The child blinked and choked, his
plnched face trembling 50 pathetically.
Amy Phelps would have helped him,
even If she hadn't known the c0ndi-
tiOns I'll thought maybe you'd keep
him for me over to Miss Gates till
after Sunday-aunt'll think he's run
or" the boy went on.
"Of course I'll help you, Bobby. Run
back, now, and when you come to
school tomorrow I'll have plan"
Wilbur Crossby's nephew was due
to make his trlumphal entry into Hills
boro on Thursday, the following Sun
day being Faster, so there was need
for speed. Tuesday afternoon after
school Amy turned Elizabeth into the
highway and went ostensibly to make
sick calls on some Of her pupils. Eliz-
abetb was her trusty little runabout,
which she kert In Mrs Gates barn
and which had conveyed her on many
an erTand of mercy.
Today, strange TO say, her road lay
past Aunt Sophy's, where Bobby lived,
and still stranger to say, Bobbie was
waiting for her behind the big maple
tree with an old basket in his arms.
II was covered with a cloth and he
handed II lovingly to Miss Phelps as
she slowed down, muttering in an I'M
dertone: "Aunt Sophy's In the hen
house-keep him under the seat"
Then Miss Phelps rode on, enjoying
tile sharp tang In the spring air, out