Show fm ra na iss 19 selina lue ue ifa AND TIIE THE soapbox soap box babies by maria thompson thomps 0 n daviess V I 1 illustrations by 1 magnus G kettner CoAy copyright right 1000 the dobbs bobbs merrill company Com panr continued from december ath 1 I dont think I 1 am hungry now she answered intent on getting the spoon between Cl emmies uncertain lips 1 I I 1 hope it will ie be all right I 1 never cooked that sort of dinner be fore hut but I 1 followed miss bliss selina lues directions so BO it must bo be the way you like it miss bliss cynthia was a lovely thing at all times limes hut but in that timid trustful mood and in such becomingly disheveled condition as she bent over her charges sho she was ravishing sir kent grasped wildly at it his big vanishing composure and murmured idiotically it if you cooked it I 1 am sure there w vout ont be enough nd matter how much you prepared ile he mentally kicked himself where were the things that ought to have sprung to his big brain to match the girl lie he went into the kitchen and sat down the very prospect of the dinner prepared by those white hands was as going to his head ho he felt safer with the table between them lie he sat however where he could feast his eyes and the inner man at the same time it was well that he approached his dinner in a mood of distraction for it was with mith difficulty that he restrained an exclamation at the first mouthful of eggs dut but across the bobbing heads of the oatmeal and ellk diners miss bliss cynthia raised trustful proud eyes to his Is it good she asked with bewildering mil dering solicitude good watch me and there with those eyes fastened on him in shining delight he swallowed all of 0 t the six incinerated eggs and devoured in gulps a of half raw sione stone cold nauseating potatoes halt way through the dose he paused should he leave any for her to agonize over or should he assume a reputation for abnormality of appetite better anything than that she should ever find out the truth and in a rush lie he finished the job it if by that time she had not been standing directly across the table lie he would have scraped the dishes but her nearness confused cont used him and lie he let her set aside a teaspoonful teaspoon tul of potatoes and a chip of egg she was beaming with satisfaction and at his hastily framed apologies for having cleared the table she bhe answered cheerily dont say a word about leaving me any I 1 RM am too hot to eat for hours those blessed babies are asleep already could they have fainted from exhaustion 1 I assure you they are safe and for at least two hours he laughed as lie he lose and stepped to the door lighting a cigar he be lingered tentatively hoping for some sign of invitation to remain the petunia drooped from his big buttonhole then lien she raised her eyes to his big and said said sweetly and directly wl with ili gratitude every accent thank you for helping me out with them YOU aou OU wont be far it if they wake up and get beyond me those eyes and that curly mouth mr air alan only realy really came to as miss bliss selina lue would have put it when seated by her side later on the steps in tact fact he lived through an hour or more of partial eclipse of mind and when the four boat whistle sounded to call him to the wharf to get a package brought down to hint him from the lock he be felt as it he be had been in a dream a beautiful dream not such as comes usually at the bidding of a digestion impaired by lobster a la a newberg or eggs fried As for miss bliss cynthia some evil fato fate or perhaps a sleepy chirp from clem ale the led her to the back bach regions of the grocery and while NN lillis there she idly tasted that spoonful of potato which had been left with misgivings A shred of egg followed and gone was all her compla complacency ency the fruit of mr air self sacrifice I 1 how how would she ever face him gain again after having literally forced such buch an all awful thing upon him her humiliation was complete liar hor one thought was a hope that she would never lay eyes on him again well well bliss cynthie honey did you over ever see such a day for or happenings as this has been to us ua all and miss bliss selina lue luc stood at the door beaming with delight CHAPTER VI 11 A pin vind and a proposal dont you know every is omans heart Is 13 soft towards whether in it or not miss selina lue good morning miss heliny lue I 1 jest run in to git some nutmeg a pound or of sugar und a quart of hero kerosene to make up tip bome apple pies for or mr fr Ken kennels kenneys supper lie he do love era cm sol so there never was such a hand as you ter fer pies mis ills kinney honey I 1 recommended you about it to miss bliss cynthie not a week ago I 1 told her I 1 would git you to show her how when well we was a talking that ove over last night me and mary blary ellen dobbs interrupted mrs airs kinney and we think it Is fine fer er miss figs cynthie ter marry him even if lie he is a painter cause when pictures Is dull ho he can git signs and sich to do to keep going when will it be miss hellny lue and she gathered the bundles in one arm and balanced the oilcan oil can in the other hand band ready to hurry on us as soon 00 n as she had extracted the morsel of news she had run upon why mis alls kinney I 1 never heard miss bliss selina lues eys ays were wide with astonishment well I 1 think it nas to say the least disrespectful in him and her not to have told you him a living in your own barn and sho she so appearing to be loving of you all the time lime I 1 hate bate to think ashes a deceitful girl but I 1 must say I 1 did mistrust that flower garden hat bat when 1 seen it the other day go by with ethel maud and bennie dobbs 1 I dont know what you mean mis min kinney by speaking so about miss cynthie Cynt bie they dont nothing in III this world hurt me like hearing one of my friends make light of another and miss selina lues irish eyes snapped law miss heliny lue I 1 mean no harm 1 I I 1 lest jest 1 I know you mis kinney honey but sometimes little criticize ings fly the track and run into somebody easy hurt said miss figs se lua lina lue well I 1 jest seen them setting here in the door yesterday when you was up the river with the dobbles and they was as thick as two peas in a pod her ter a laughing and him a n talking fer er all he were worth you may not know courting when you see it miss bliss heliny lue not having ever been mis kinney kanney child dont iou ou know every womans comans heart is soft towards courting whether abes in it or not and every mans too for or that matter though they tries hard to hide it it aint only on count of my pitiful ills history with Adon adoniram fram millsaps or yourn with mr kinney that we likes to watch the doings of young folks and talk em cm over its horned in women to hatch out aud and hover lovers and the clucking over em cm is part of tho the good times of life I 1 was jest a saying to miss heliny lue screamed den die from the dobbs front stoop come quick come quick ethel mauds caught her hair in the grapevine ands hanging by it sho she was eating em mas blas sick miss bliss selina lue luc burred with all the speed possible to the relief of the young absalom and mrs kinney called after her be sure and rub camphire on the roots whether of the vino vine or ethel mauds hair she did not say when she returned to the grocery half an hour later miss figs selina lue found miss bliss cynthia smiling at her from the back door miss Cynt hias approach had bad been juar guarded ded and instead of 0 coming down the public public street she had bad slipped through the garden and the chicken yard miss cynthia risked no encounters with her erstwhile victim and her movements were stealthy when approaching ills his haunts well if that aint plumb hant liko like to be thinking about you and then men turn round and find you a smiling at me exclaimed miss bliss selina lue luc delightedly light edly 1 I was sheered you was clear wore out with your snack of store keeping and baby tending but you put me in mind of that pink morning glory there always fresher and fresher every sunup sun up and you are the sweet warm sun that comes every morning to cheer up the little morning glory that droops until she sees you answered miss bliss cynthia with a smiling blush are you rested from your trip 5 that I 1 am houey honey bunch one drys tired never lasts me overnight I 1 set git up every morning feeling like I 1 hays have jest been cut offen the bolt you see aln im nil all muscle and a heap of 0 it but poor ills dobbs has to lift two hundred pounds out of bed every day before she can tell how she feels but she enjoyed the trip trill mightily tell rell nio me ill all about it said miss 1 cynthia as she sat down on per her tavor favor ite place on the steps with a cautious loua eye looking out for possible e invasion did you have a good time yes yea indeed we did answered alas selina luc happily and im a a looking fer results result in mr dobbs too course that kind of meeting was sor ter confusing con to me as aa was raised un 9 1 1 0 0 41 1 I dont know what you mean mis kinney by speaking so about miss cynthie 1 dor der the quiet of the tin creek circuit religion the drum and the horn and the with the rocking of the boat seemed a mite queer but it if it suits some folks to go marching along the narrow road to the tune of 0 a brass band why others can follow to their salvation q quieter bieter by a pipe organ its the right direction and the keeping going that counts to my mind salvation army Is a good na name me for fer them devoted people and I 1 dont hold it a ain agin in them that they sung hymns to some cladu sounding tunes you are not one hit bit strait laced miss bliss selina lif li said miss bliss cynthia with an appreciative smile dearle dearie me child theys a lot ot of trails ter heaven I 1 say but nho mho do you think we saw up on the river road horseback a you had to hurry home so yesterday after I 1 got back that I 1 git er chanat ter tell you it was that sweet child miss bliss evelyn evelin she J jumped often offen her horse and the hired man in top boots what was rid ing behind her to keep care held him while she come a running over to v where here we set on the hank bank waiting ter fer the down boat she were jest so glad to see and made us all BO 60 to home with laughing and joking with dennie and ethel maud we all had a good time for fer most a hour she let bennie ride her horse with ethel maud on in ia front of the man and mary ellen was tickled plumb to death with her honey she jest downright deserves to be your friend she Is so nice and sochul its a mighty good thing to pass one friend on to another and I 1 thank you right here fer passing that child ter me and im going to hold her to me tender well I 1 know it gave her the greatest pleasure to see you I 1 wish I 1 had been there we all wished fer you and we told her all the news about you then we told her about mr alan alaa and the pictures and I 1 invited her to come out tomorrow evening and see em cm and have mr air alan explain em to her we can have one of them kinder afternoon parties ter fer hor her I 1 thought about making up some buckets of lemonade and having some of mis alis Kin kidneys kinneys apple pies wont you be glad to see her miss figs selina lues delight was something wonderful to behold is as she unfolded her plan to the paralyzed young woman beside her what did she say miss cynthia at last managed to ask she said she would be delighted to come and she was sure you would be af 5 1 9 p 4 F re i 0 e 04 0 0 isk is re e aeo oeo v lips tip 1 40 0 a lew 0 6 0 0 N 1 I am sorry miss cooking turn out better glad to have her and miss bliss cynthie what do you think she knows mr alan got with him somewhere last winter now ow wont he be pleased to meet a old friend maybe shell invite him to a party over to her house I 1 am so afraid he gits ts lonely sometimes with jest us 1 I am sure she will be kind to him answered miss bliss Q cynthia with great self control evelyns merciless badinage already sounded in her cars why oh why had she withheld that information about the lair of the lion on tho the morning of 0 friday the th thirteenth T 1 I know she will too alias selina lue broke in on her criminations crimi nations of 0 herself cause we all give him at alch ch a good name sir mr dobbs was so some me mortified at first and got red and hardly answer when spoke poke to but he forgot himself when we was a talking about mr air alan and ho he told her how high thought of he Is among the men up here always ready to sit by the front doors and smoke a pipe with them of an evening ile ho said it he was to run for sheriff he would git the bluff votes to ft a man and he ha would mould too then what did she say miss cynthia was feverishly eager to get at the attitude of her friend on the discovery of the whereabouts of the hunted one well lets see oh she asked it if you saw hlyn much and I 1 told her yes indeed I 1 had left ou oil home with him to tend the store and mind the bable she said she was real pleased cause she was sure you enjoyed each other s company whatever Is the matter honey miss bliss selina lues exclamation of 0 solicitude was caused by an expression of 0 consternation on miss bliss Cynt hias face which was in turn caused by the sight of the artist coming from around the corner of the barn miss bliss selina lue was unconscious of bis big approach so BO it if miss bliss cynthia acted she must act quickly grasping the bow at the back of her waist she gasped A pin and vanished toward the rear of the grocery in my cushion child called miss bliss selina lue who thought a catastrophe threatened and she turned to speak to mr dobbs who was coming up the street with a tin till bucket in his hand evidently in quest of some sort of 0 provender ills errand attended attend cJ to miss hiss selina lue started back to the aid of 0 aliss cnthia hla when she was arrested by mr air remark that he had bad thought he had sean seen some one sitting on the steps with her miss bliss selina lues sense of propriety forbade any mention of miss bliss cynthia slid and the pin so she seated herself on the steps to await that ladys reappearance pea pe arance ranee was you sick last night she in quiren interestedly Igi ignoring oring his remark 1 I seen your light burning pretty late and I 1 hunted up the mint and camphire camph lre bottles before I 1 went to bed for I 1 kinder hinder looked fer you to be took down with a spell of ca colic lie seems as 1 if raw potatoes might swell in the I 1 am sorry miss aliss Cynt hies cool cooking cing turn out better but ot of course she meant for the best cooking dont always come to a woman young in life it has to be sorter lived to by experience miss selina lue spoke in an ordinary tone of voice for she was as under tinder the impress impression lon that miss figs cynthia had retired to tho the little bedroom and she could see that the door was shut in reality the culprit was wag seated on a box or of cans behind the molasses barrel well within range of the conversation why miss figs selina lue I 1 thought it was an uncommonly fine dinner I 1 am sure it was sweet of her to ta bother bout about me at all answered the victim loyally miss Cynt hias heart gave it a funny little start and then glowed la in an inexplicable way she had expected something different from him perhaps the situation was one that might have been treated humorously mr air alan I 1 am afraid it was miss Cynt cynthie life you was tasting instead of the dinner cause the looks of what was waa in the dish and hid away in the frying pan under tinder the stove was enough ter fer me bless her heart I 1 dont guess there was any dog handy hanay you could haven have thrower it to so you had to eat it up to save her feelings well my feelings were those of gratitude I 1 can assure you miss selina lue and it if you ever want 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