The Coolidge examiner., 1931-04-10

ANU L, duutu iltblli getting III
a word at last.
Jeems was tugging at the hand
of his rowing vagabOnd of an uncle,
who was his greatest hero in all
the world, and dragged him back to
get his gun.
AS they went, the happiness in
GATHERINGS face was clouded for
an instant.
Best keep good eyes on our
Jeems for a time. Henri" she
warned. "Hepsibah, you know very
well. is a singularly imprOvident
and thoughtless man overfilled
with foolish tricks and cOntriv-
ances most aIluring to boyish
minds. and of which, because of
Jeems. | am bit afraid"
But Henri only chuckled, for the
thought was in his mind that it was
fattening of ones good fortune to
be taught tricks by man like Hep
Sibah Adams.
Then Catherine saw that a film
of smoke was rising from the top
of the big stone chimney.
"Hepsibah has already started a
fire." she said.
Il was the aliveness of this fire.
place which had drawn the express
sion of surprise and pleasure from
Catherine-that and the aroma of
cooking things which greeted them.
Since GATHERINGS earliest memo
rieS, her brother had boaSted of his
excellence as cook, and most as
suredly he had been busy since his
unexpected arrival. Half dozen
chains were dropped from their
bolts in the thick oak lug-har of
the fireplace seven feet above the
fire, and from the pothOoks at the
end of these chains were suspended
many pots and kettles. steaming
and boiling and giving forth
cheerful sound of dancing pewter
lids against which the buhbling wa
ter was playing an animated and
pleasing melody. But to Henri WHO
always loved the sound of these
busy pots with their lively cheer
and promise of supper, a still more
delectable thing was the great
roast of venison which Hepsibah
had hung before the fire.
Catherine took off her cape and
hood and patted her hair more
properly into place before q mir
rOr hanging on the wall. Henri
knew how fast her heart was trip
ping as he took her hands and held
them for a moment and saw mist
of tears behind her lasheS. II had
been years since she had seen Hep
sibah, two years of yearning and
praying and hoping for this ire
sponsible brother, the last of her
close blood ties. who came and went
with the Inconsistency of the winds
and yet had never succeeded in
spelling her dream Of having him
some day as a permanent member
of her little family. Each time he
came to them. Hepsibah was full
of promise, swearing upon his soul
that he had made up his mind to
remain with them forever, as Cath
crime pleaded with him to do; and
then, some day or night. he would
disappear with all his belongings,
and no one would see or hear him
go, and it might be six months,
or year, or. as in this instance,
even longer before he returned,
ready to promise and swear upon
his soul all over again hut sure to
steal away in the end as before.
Each time that he came, he bore
a huge pack on his shoulders, as if
partly in penance, and the opening
of this pack and the distributing of
its contents had come to be the
biggest event in Jeems' life, and
also in his mothers in a slightly
less degree. But Jeems had no
trespassing thought Of the never
failing bundle as he went back for
his gun in the company of his be-
loved Uncle Hep. At the most
prOvidential of moments, his hero of
all heroes was at his side, and Sc
curing this mighty personage's
pledge of secrecy he lost no time
in telling him about the boy he
hated. Marking the grip of Jeems'
hand. and catching the telltale
tremble in his voice. Hepsibah sat
down upon the bag of ground corn
and did not leave until by shrewd
questioning and sympathetic inter-
est he had drawn from Jeems'
heart a large part of what II had
withheld from his parents. At
second loud blowing of Henri's din
ner horn they rose to their feet,
and as Hepsibah shOuldered the
corn, his round red face was like a
full moon of promise and cheer.
1T doesn't take size to win
fight, Jeemsy," he said, speaking in
a confidential way. Barring this
Dutchman at Albany. I've never
been rib-roasted by a big man yet,
and I'm only tOlerable sized. you
observe. I've always had reason
able preference for the big ones.
come as come can. for they are
slower to move and fall harder, and
nine out of ten of them carry fat.
This Paul Tache, nOw-I know by
your telling of him that you can cob
and comb him until he begs for
mercy. It's all what you've got
your mind made up to, Jeemsy-
nothing more and nothing less. And
you've got your mind made up to
warm him. so go and do it, | say"
Catherine came around the cor
ner of the cabin to meet the plot
tiers, and Hepsibah discreetly held 1
back further words as he winked