Show J fair no exchange charge 10 she had her way by CLARISSA MACKIE I 1 can cant t why by you hang on to th tint it old ch ir peleg morse u ex claimed ills airs aneed pettishly any one would tefil 1 it was mas some lewis bulu fo debol ike chit judge lol sum SOW sets u bu h ato btu e by I 1 like that there hail for the same te fe son that 3 u v mt int it marid mori re I 1 in iri ed I 1 bleg w ith irritate g low ionn ness of speech gener ia I 1 putnam sat in that hail that fact if it should be true and I 1 don t believe I 1 w v ib eer eier in abebe pai par ts dou t mal 1 e the ch ir any more e argued mina I 1 want ant that chair be its a real windsor and exactly matches my oth er one I 1 lou on don dout t need it I 1 bleg morse I 1 should think you d be glad to let me die have hane it my aly sister sarah s it ought to go dire it to her said I 1 bleg i with ith beav heavy ni aliby thank you for a an othel other bi auit a laria once a month I 1 bleg moise voi se came and had bad guipel with alth the weed and as 18 the two tat bat there on either side of the daintily laid lound round table this matter of the ancient windsor chair ollied ow ned by heleg I 1 bleg morse bly came up for argument maila V eed had a mania for collect ing old furniture she bought and sold and traded back and forth until she had become a shrewd bai bargainer gainer she always g lined something by every and in that manner the method of liell livelihood hood solved itself I 1 through maria marla s fad I 1 shall never neier be happy till I 1 get it peleg belan maria once more as she poured out another cup of tea from the britannia bil tannia teapot get what maria asked peleg ab bently he ile was watching matching marias fresh comely face and thinking how perfectly the little woman filled that place at the head of the table the chair peleg of course bother the old chair grunted pe leg aroused arous cil to anger at last maria my weed eed you ve nagged me about that chair for the list me years N ahat bat if I 1 hai hive e retorted maria good I 1 want it id I 1 d like to have that bu tinnia tea pot of your grandmothers giand mother mothers s said peleg with a bat py I 1 si but I 1 wouldn t think of asking 3 oi 0 I 1 to bartt I 1 art with it I 1 aou a teapot te mused ma ala f ria looking it over and carefully meigh neighing ing its attraction attractions against the chair of peleg I 1 recollect f now that you alais did admire it some want to trade she ended y suddenly st trade what t your chair for my teapot 4 iou lou wouldn lit t do it maria tint that teapot belonged to your mother and your grandmother before her I 1 want the chair peleg peleg threw up despairing hands aa very lery well maria marla weed ion lou may o 0 have the chair and ou on can keep the too I 1 don t want it send the chair over in the morning ind now although I 1 ain aln t usually the unsociable kind thit that eats and runs amay a I 1 guess j III have to go along I 1 just recollect some important business matters that I 1 ve got to attend to tonight I 1 thank you for a very fine supper maria marla and jtb goodnight good night and all in one breath as it were pe y leg morse usually slow and difficult of speech uttered these remarks to his astonished hostess bushed back from the table took lis 1 is hat and overcoat f from the hall lack and creaked out of the side door and dow dom n the path while maria stared aghast at the suddenness maria going knitted alone by the fire when the dishes were mere done that night the t checkerboard remained undisturbed on or its shelf in n the walnut bookcase the pitcher of sweet cadei thit was to ac ff company crisp doughnuts later on would not be needed I 1 Iddle fiddlesticks sticks cried maria marla irritably at and knitted faster than acner e er im I 1 m v tiling milling to pay the inan man for the chair or trade it out I 1 might as well have it as for the dust to accumulate on it in hia his garret As for sarah penny want ing it everybody knows she never set any store by old fashioned things and it if I 1 wait till peleg morse dies and sa rah inherits it why I 1 might have to wait years the next morning a small boy trun died a large wheelbarrow unsteadily into maria marla s yard and from it he un loaded the chair that aradi tion said had once been sat upon by general putnam of revolutionary fame maria marla was out on the porch instant ly eager and excited so mr air morse sent it oler over did he she needlessly asked I 1 es in said the boy as he pocketed the nickel she gave him what 1 bat did mr morse say when he sent it pursued main maria curiously the boy looked embarrassed embarras qed I 1 don t know just what he said miss weed only it was ras swearing smearing of some kind Sw swearing caring why I 1 cinder platt bin aln t you ashamed to bay such a thing about peleg morse morsel him a deacon in the church too I 1 don t heie bellen e it its so insisted leander growing very red in the face I 1 heard him with ruy tars ars they musi must be bad ears to heal bear tl ii gs like that leander see 3 out ma ii it d tell her what stories you make mahe up scolded maria peleg moise morse Is a it rood good man mail i ma ala heard him too sold said leander stol adly I 1 ilum humph pill sniffed maria loudly 4 she said she was scandalized add ed leander as he picked up the bill ban dies of the wheelbarrow and departed mail maili i pushed the chair through the kitchen and dining room and straight to tl e place she had prepared for or it opposite her own windsor chair standing on either side of the wide hearth they looked very comfortable and inviting and together with the shining andirons on the beirth the tall clock in the corner and marh mariag a mahogany sewing stand they were in harmony and satisfied lisiria Al irlas s soul later I 1 iter in the morning st e spied lean der I 1 latt strolling past and called him in into his hands she gave the bri britannia tinnia teapot carefully wrapped in t assue paper take tale that to mr air peleg morse she said and then come back and I 1 will pay you for the errand I 1 e cinder inder hung bick it ain t no use for me to go down there he be protest ed ift morse he went away thia this morning W N ent cut away where did he go he ile went down to the city to visit his sister mrs airs penny I 1 saw him get ion on the stage and he told ma he was goil agolig g well I 1 never declared maria breall lessly and she hastily bestowed a doughnut on leander and sent him on his way I 1 d like to know what he means by that puzzled marli marla as she carefully set the teapot away amay in the parlor cup up baird iti it b the first time be bes s been away from home in five years and it a queer he nei neer er said a word to me about it last night maybe bell he 11 send me a postal card but pele 1 morse did not send maria a picture postal nor any other message although she heard rather indirectly from him through I 1 bander platt who had charge of peleg s flock of chickens chic kena during the deacon s absence I 1 guess be hes s having a good time slid leander one day he ile wrote ma bed hed been to the moving picture show fifteen times already good land commented maria un easily that s kind of unbecoming in a deacon III I 1 II 11 bedits bet it a fun retorted leander enviously so maria had the windsor chair but she was deprived of peleg morse morses company on oil those festal evenings for he remained in the city all winter maria mat it hid bid plenty of time in which to reflect upon her selfishness in de eriv ing peleg of the ancient chair which was the pride of his scanty collection for his sister sarah had had her choice of furniture when she married and the elderly bachelor had to be content with what was left and what he could buy I 1 don t know reflected maria one spring afternoon but somehow it U u as if I 1 d rather see ee peleg morse sitting here in the old willow rocket rocker th than thin in to see that empty windsor chali chair over there and that was a declaration for maria weed to make but she was mas subdued in many ways I ind one of the ways was that she rath i er lost her greediness for old furniture and another was that she learned that humin human companionship was more to hei her thin empty polished wood and that the society of peleg morse was most desirable of all 4 N hat a ninny I 1 waa was snapped mi ria at her reflection in the mirror that evening A half hour later a knock came upon the side door and when maria marla threw it open who should enter but peleg morse himself looking very fresh and rather dandified as to clothes for he wore more a new gray suit with a pink in his lapel and in his hand band he carried a ray felt hat well maria it seems good to get back again he said after they had bad exchanged a few commonplaces con berning his return indeed asked maria tartly I 1 en ell joyed those postal cards you sent pe biegl peleg blushed uncomfortably you know I 1 didn dian t t send any maria weed why didn t you oh I 1 guess I 1 was some put out on t about that chair hesitated peleg ey ing the windsor chair unfavorably wella XV ell I 1 you can take it home I 1 in tired and sick of the thing 1 I hate it qua quavered ered maria dabbing her knitting work into her eyes i so so breathed peleg astonished I 1 thought you wanted the chair ma ria I 1 1 I did but I 1 thought maybe you yond 4 come and sit in it sometimes retorted maria knitting furiously hum for a few seconds the room was very still then somehow peleg morse found courage to tiptoe over to maria and place a timid hand under her round chin see here maria he said awkwardly 4 1 I been staying away on purpose I 1 was mad about that chair I 1 knew you wanted it and I 1 had it stowed away because I 1 wanted to give it to you for a wedding present provided you d marry me but concern it all I 1 t get my dander up to ask you to have me and I 1 declare if you didn dian t nag it out of me before I 1 could propose to you honest that s the truth now what would you have said if I 1 bad had asked you to mirry marry m irry me I 1 might have slid s iid yea yes said maria bI bililly PIlly only you went off and left me and didn dian t say a word IN vel ell I 1 guess I 1 must hive have gone to pick out a good place to spend a honey moon explained peleg glibly and I 1 ie ie got it too maria well go to new I 1 lork ork and go to the mo moi ing picture show every night in la the weik week wee k what N hat saik say yes said maria a AL AL |