Show HER SISTER NELL When Tom Norton orton and his wife wie camo from tho North to the tho of Southwestern Louisiana Louisiana to try rico I farming they brou brought t each cacti their most I cherished possessions Toms Tom's consisted for the tho most part part of a a varied and Interesting collection of ot theories Ho 10 brought also also a very ve- respectable blo ble financial backing backlog and a fund Iund of good gooi practical common sense Those saved him from collapse when he ho saw sav hi his theories knocked out by t tao e hard facts of his new life leMIs le Mrs Mis MIs MI's E rule hate ale brought her etchings her water colors colors her jars jars vases vasos vasos rugs and dr draperies perio She had a rather worse timo arranging those in a aCadian a Cadian bouse than Tom had with his theories which is deaL which saying a good deal Both succeeded fairly well however and at tho the beginning of ot tho the second summer their house bouse had become th tho rendezvous of ot the boys a n lot tot of c young younA fellows from various Northern states states most of them them like Iko Tom rico i planters Their homo home was as at present presenta a board shanty set sot in tho the midst of of stretching far rice rico fold fields where they I kept bouso bonse for lor themselves after aCter the tho manner of men unwatched of women I Small Smal wonder they found lound at Tom Tomb a n pleasant pleasant respite John McRae whoso whose rico rice flat fat was I over on Bayou Dayon Pique camo caine calo often- often est and stayed longest Ho lie lo was older olde than tItan the rest rest and quieter Ho lie had hind dined with i i them them ono one s noon and afterward crossed crossed crossed cross cross- ed to tho the parlor which Kate had a atrick atrick I trick of keeping cool and shady hady in inthe inthe the tho hottest weather Kate filled fled the pipe Toni took Jook the sofa sofa and Mac lost chair chah p- p J I e t V l If w. w l. l co len t r ti n isn't exactly calculated to ma nae Jno oD over enthusiastic oer o'er Bt Jim's Jims c Jirs hous hou kEepin keeping tw i This included the dinner din ner just oaten aten the cool shade of tho the pleasant room rOom and Kate herself hersel in a a most becoming gown Iown L Well then then why dont don't you do as asI asI I did did marry your best girl and bring her bel jer down hero here to look after you queried Tom Tons o 1 i Mac ac pulled puffed away away awhile before he ha answered I 1 haven't any best bost girl I had bad one once once once-a a a nice sensible girl I Irl I 1 hate bate nice sensible girls t interrupted in In- Kate Kale but Mao went c calmly on a. a Father died when I was just out of or school and left me with mother four children and a mortgage to look after I laid tho the case plainly before my g girt l. told her there thor was bound to tobe tobe tobe be hard work but that I knew I could pull pul through h and anti if i she sho wanted to take hold and help all aU right If I not say so and so-and and bye Goodbye sweet sweet- heart She oho wrote mo me the tho nicest kind of a n letter said she couldn't think of ol coming between mo me and my duty to tomy tomy toray my ray family but she should hould always etc But it I was bye Gool all al right enough I told you she was sensible sensible t tho ho he exclaimed exclaimed Here Here- ato Kate sniffed contemptuously But oven Avon that failed to interrupt the even tenor of Macs Mac's tale talo taloo So o Sol I went to work volk alone alone and by S GeorAe George how I did slid work world But I pulled through at last lat as I 1 know I S would paid the mortgage o educated the tho children and provided for mother All Al this was delivered between be be- S tween tho the puffs puls of Macs Mac's pipe in his I usual quiet tone without a trace of ol emotion on his thin face facO and from Crom first to last his amused smile smie did not frt lie lo io refilled his pipe and anti concluded as Is if it i done dono with with the subject My ly folks folka havo have got out of the tho habit of f thinking of me as a a D marrying man and I reckon as they say say here horo hero they're about right That was all al right so 50 long as at a I there thero was as the mort mortgage age tho the mother mother and the child ran to bo considered but but and land Kate I now now- paused suggest ively But now said Mae Mac Maa rising Ive Iveno Ive I no O can call to be dawdling hero here Carter S t told ld mo me this morning that tho twin vin I levees levec were seeping badly ive i've Ivo got gotto gotto S to hold up all al my water if i I make m a S crop crop so I 1 came into the tho Magnolia saloon for something to t sharpen up ut a the shovels shovels t tle He lie le paused by ono one of the tables and took up a a s picture which lay there J It t was WIS a n faced bright girl with an nn air nil of spirited self sel Now that's a n nice girl Mao ln answered after a a moments moment's examination examina examina- tion ton of the picture picture Sho just just is said Kate emphatic ally ully Its my sister NelL Nell She's but bur not nice ice and sensible like your stick of a n girl Think not and Mac continued to give the picture the tho same care careful Cui scrutiny he ho was wont vont to upon n seeping levee or a clo sd clogg-sd g d pump No o Indeed replied Kate 1 If I tb re was wa hard work to be done dono Nell Nel would go at nt it i with wih all al tho the energy she sho devotes nowadays to having a n good time t t r That w would ul Knock a l q r i ii than yours youn amy stYly Mac and nod Tom lau laughed hec WelL WaIL If dont don't believe 1 you yota beleve mo 00 e. e just co go eo and see my mv sister NelL Mr John MacRae J said Kale with great dJ dig dig- X That hat sounds alluring but Im I'm too t 1 t a aged ed to run tun any risks Before I do anything 1 must be b assured of several seera things Macs Mao's eyes twinkled twinkled but he spoke quite quie as a if i Kate Kato were wore an agent for a anew anew anew new pump or 01 a n grading plow What What for lor instance F Fates Kate's tone was was- wa crisp enough to havo have warned Tom row Tom but Mac went wont on calmly Well ho said h said meditatively and this and again his gesture Included In in eluded the arrangement of the room tind nd the tho dinners youre you're always giving giving ing log us us and the tho way you havo of most meat l og Tom In a n pretty gown when he c cornea come in hot and anti tired tireo Urea But I dont don't dont don't p w want ant to t bo be too grasping 1 wouldn't i Insist ut at at first anyway anyway on on sitting w with ith her in tho the dusk 1 in n a hammock hamrock a as s I saw you and Tom doing the other othel j n J Wouldn't you asked Kate Kato with wih S' S c calm alm derision Mac Mao laid down do tho j p picture rose and shook himself himsel Well Well Voll bo be furious if i Im I'm n not back by supper time timo Good Good- Good Goodbye bye t Ho lie 10 came back however howe er out out of the tho S j g glaring sunlight to say 4 T r fear leal I must insist upon another another t thing hing Im I'm Im not proud proud but but there's theres a n alook look ook l about abut Toms Tom's clothes that drie drives j m mo 00 c to despair when I contemplate j m my y own raiment raiment Better Heter set sot up a clothes brush its it's is i's much cheaper than than any any other arrangement arrangement ar ar- r U Kate ae Tom Toni groaned an emphatic assent to t this his proposition and 1110 finally Hy fn j mounted his pony and took tonic his hs a way across j a cross the hot prairie to wards to tho distant dis dis- t tant aut timber lino Une which marked the c course ourse of the Nez Pique lique o This was ns in early June Juna and the tho I ortons saw V SI no more moro of him during t the lao month Carter CarterIa's Ma Mao's Maos s tore foreman man whom Tom Lom saw V B tw in fn town town reported Mr 11 John sho aba sho girino Aino to beat his- his s solf sH plumb out do dOwar way hes he's gwine on l Hes He's at den dera tt ar at pumps and levees e early arly an late late Say if i de do hull hul rico rice fi flat fat at alma atu flooded by b. b de vie Foth loth o 0 July a te le te himself rno e be bo to pay I It was wa in the tho dusk of ono of the tho fi first July days that Mac MaC r rode rOche de to their g gate ate te S Good Goodbye Good bye ho called caled without dis dis- mounting S They left be the porch and came do down dow 5 t the ue moonlighted walk for explanations t which tons ions which ho did not at once ofer offer What is that ho asked at l leuth respectfully indicating with wih his whis r the fleecy affair in which Kate l had wrapped rapped herself herscH nga against tho the r Gul z j 4 bo n i l a VIS ugly checked things 3 Mac com as t m and then abr abruptly pt rm l' l going N North to see mother seo-mother seo mother and the boys boys I There was a n curious pause in this announcement announcement as asif if i its Is had been reconsidered Macs Mac's acs ac's usual quiet seem seemed d reinforced to night to-night by an added added ad ad- ded constraint constraint and anti after alter a n mUG little ho he rodo roio away into inLo tho the soft radiance of the tho Southern moonlight The part of the week Kate her het usual letter leter Iron from her sister sister NelL NolL Tho The week after there was none none nor nor the week altos after that Her vexation was becoming serious solicitude when Tom brought her bet the following leter letter Mr DEAn DEU KATE V Were Weve VO been ben so busy buy sin since c Mr cams caB there hasn't baen bau a moment moment to write letters It I was as awfully nice of you to sugg suggest st his stopping off ot to tosco see sc us Ho no talks laUra to father by tho the hour about tho country and to mother about abut you you Ho lie le doesn't talk to t mo me much but watches me rue as a If I I were vere something unusual un usual 4 Father and mother seem to like him but butI I don't dont dont much Ill I'll write more next time lies He's going to Love to Tom NELL Nana P. P S S. He's Hes tho strangest man Ive I've ever sien sami Yesterday I left him discoursing to father ou on red rice and high lift pumps and nil all the tho rest of it and betook myself to the hammock under the old ap- ap plo tree treo S Presently he followed mo me with a plan of your house hed he'd drawn for mother There wasn't any place to sit except in the hammock hammock ham ham- mock or on the tho grass nod and you know how I loathe bugs and worms so I made room for him m in the hammock But before ho lie sat eat down he leaned against the tho apple tree and laughed and laughed till I felt like a a fool Ho lie tried to make it up with ma af after after- tor- tor ward by saying he ho remembered something you jou said to him once about swinging in a hammock It must have havo bon ben very funny I dont don't think I like him at all N. N P P. SI s S. S S. Air M M couldn't scam to re remember ae member any closets in your house I him whore you hid things Ho said It must be on top of the What's nn an S Kate had barely time timo to catch her breath before Nells Nell's promised loiter letter came as follows S Mr DEAR Dean KATE Mr McRae didn't go today after all but ho he is really going to to- morrow And is coming back in November Novem bar ber And were we're going to bo be married then Tom dont don't you let Kato Kate writs to know how howit it au all happened for I dont don't know myself yet only mother has always said some of ofus ofus us ought to go down there to keep Kate company and you know how self lug ing I have always been i lust just told John I was s-aa writing to you Id give ha If my rico rice crop ho he said to see Mrs Kates Kate's face when she sho rea s your letter Gooi- Gooi bye NELL p P. P S s-i s 1 think I do like him after all all all-a. a little N. N Now Orleans Times Democrat S |