Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-01-31
DEFERRED EXCUSE
BY A. w. PEACH
20 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)

breakfast. His hOusekeeper had been
suddenly called away and he was, as
the expression has it, ION his own"
On his ascent from the cellar way
he found the kitchen door had blown
open, and wintry gusts of snow were
casca ding in. He closed the door and
went about his labors, when an I'M
mistakable meow warned him that
he had visitor. A scouting expedi
ton revealed the visitor in his study
kitten, decorated with crimson
ribbon. Evidently she had slipped in
when the kitchen door blew open.
After some skillful stalking, which
did not make his werld any the hap
pier, he cornered the kitten. He had
reason to believe it belonged next
door. so he decided to drop it over the
fence. He performed this act with
due ceremony and retreated to his be-
lated breakfast. AS he entered the
kitchen his doorbell rang and he has
tened through the bungalow.
mine o'clock and breakfast twenty
miles away" he groaned.
He opened the door and found him
self facing a slight figure mufiled in
a fur coat.
Il wonder if you have seen my kit
temp" a sweet voice quered,
II just deposited n feline of the de-
scriptiOn over the backyard fence"
he replied with some coldness as beft-
ting the time of the year, the subject,
and breakfastless man.
"Oh, you did !" the sweet voice said
with increasing chill. Il thank you
But, if I am not mistaken. just saw
the kitten back of your
He started to say impossible"
but remarked that nothing seemed to
be impossible that morning; and it
certainly was probable that the kitten,
dropped over the fence, had found
some familiar hole and tagged him
straight into the house again.
He looked around, exploded a mild
expletive in his mind, snatched the
kitten from under a davenport, sus-
pended it by the nape OF it's neck and
extended it to its mistress
Nov, If that kitten should come
again I'll have an excuse for going
over, and perhaps l can make better
impression than I did this morning.
he thought to himself.
He made his usual morning trip to
| the post Office and returned by way
| of the street on which the pretty own
| er Of the kitten lived. Her home was
| attractive, there was no doubt about
that He wondered If he could catch
a glimpse of her.
The effort to do so was fatal. The
deceptive snow sheltered an icy
stretch made more icy by the sliding
| feet of schoolbOys, and John cascaded
| down the walk In front of her house
with more speed than grace.
| Once more in his snug and comfort
able study he set himself to work, but
| It was of little use. In front OF the
| page he saw brown eyes so deep his
| glance could not fathom them; the
| curve of rosy cheeks and the hint of
heavy coils of brown hair under the
fur cap.
II am gone-there's no doubt Of it !,
Now, if that blasted kitten would only
appear again." he communed with
himself. He even made, to his dis
grace, a number of trips to the kitch-
en- door. but no kitten appeared.
The afternoon wore on to evening.
He prepared and made way with a
very satisfactory repast and was
smoking pleasing cigar when his
heart jumped. AT the kitchen door
there sounded an unmistakable
Meow He rushed to the door and
gathered to himself the kitten that
was to be his furred excuse.
He donned the proper gnrb and
started, He walked briskly until he
paused, remembering In the shadows
he saw something dark, stretched
across the walk where he had fallen.
He dropped the kitten and bent over.
1t was the girl, unconscious from the
force of her fall on the snOw-covered,
icy walk. He gathered her In his
arms. thrilled at the sense of the
firm slight figure in his arms: then
he went to the house
Her father came to the door. There
was excitement and confusion for a
time, but fifteen minutes later the
troubled waters were quiet and John
was looking into brown eyes that re-
garded him oddly.
Il saw you tumble out there this
afternoon and l was amused-thsre
was so much of you" she laughed
"And then I had to do it, too. 1t
serves me right for being so disagree
able to you this morning"
I'm afraid should. apologize I
was trying to get my own breakfast ="
he said.
She smiled. "That explains 1t; you
are forgiven and I suppose"-her
brown. musing eyes were upon hln,.-