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Show I CY I WHTHAKERS I PLACE I By JOSEPH C. LINCOLN L Cf7rit 1966. fcr D. Appleton 6 Co. p flat fiiocDo perstca. HJ To sec whom," ibe asked "some HJ one you know, a friend of yours?" Hj Asaph turned red. Hj "Friend of mine!" lie snarled. "No. HJ sir, alio ain't no friend of mine, I'm HJ thankful to sny more a friend of HJ iBailey's here, If she's anybody's; one HJ of bis pets, she was, for a spell; a 8 Ptlcnt of his, you might sny any H how, ho prescribed for her. 'Twas that J deef Idiot. Dcbby Deaslcy, Cy; that's J Who 'twas. 11 cr name was Rrtggs H afore sho married Beasley, and she J fwas hired help for Emily Thayer when J 'Mary was born and until John died." H Captain Cy burst into a roar of lavghter. Bailey sprang out of bis H chair. H ' "Do-Debby Beasleyl" he slammcred. "Dcbby Beasleyl" I "She was that deef housekeeper I Bailey hired for me, teacher," explain e4 tho captntn. "I've told you about I her. no, ho! So that's the end of the mystery buntln'. Wo go gunnln' for I iHcman Atkins, and we bring down I Debbyl Well, Asc, goln' to seo the old lady?" I Mr. Tlddltt's retort was emphatic. I "Goln' to see bcr?" he repeated. "I I gsess notl Godfrey scissors! I told I Srth, says 1. 'I've had all the Debby 'Beasley I want, and I cal'late Cy I tWhlttaker feels the same way.' Go I to seo bcrl I wouldn't go to sec her I Is tho was up in paradise a-bollerin' I for me." " CnAPTElt XV. "fiTl RS "AN0S" 8ala the "chool- VI mistress ns If It wns tho most I ensual thing In tho world, "I ' ' want to borrow your husband hus-band tomorrow. I want blm all day, too,- because I'm thinking of driving over to Truniet, and I need a coachman. coach-man. You'll go, wou't you, Mr. Hangs?" Bailey, who had beju considering tho advisability of asking for a second dup of ten, brightened up nnd looked Dlcased. "Why, yes," ho answered, "I'll go." Mrs. Tripp ventured a hinted question ques-tion concerning tho teacher's errand at Trumet. Tho reply being noncom- w mlttnl, tho widow cheerfully prophc-I prophc-I fgL Bled that she guessed 'twas going to I P rain or enow next day. "It's nbout I tlmo for tho lino storm," she. added. I Dtit It did not storm, although n I brisk cold galo was blowing when aft- I cr brenlcfnst next morning tho "horse I and tciini," with Dalley In his Sunday I suit and overcoat nnd Miss Dawes on I the buggy sent besldo him, turned out I of the boarding house yard nnd start- I cd on tho twelvo mile Journey to Tru- I met. I In Trumet Center, which Is not much I of a center, Miss Dawes alighted from I the' buggy nud entered n building I bcnrlng a sign with tho words "Metro- I Iiolllnu Variety Store, Joshua Atwood, I Prop'r, Groceries, Coal, Dry (Joods. lu- I Biinuicc, Knots and Shoes. Garden I Seeds, Ktc." A smaller sign licuenth I this wns lettered "Justice of tho I Peace" and one belnw that read "Post- I olllcc." She emerged n moment Inter, fol-I fol-I lowed by nn elderly person In u red I canlignn Jacket and overalls. "Tnke the fust turnln' to the left, I inarm." he said, pointing. "It's pretty I nigh to Hast Trumet town hall. Fust m house this side of the blacksmith shop, I nbout two mile, I'd say. Windy day I for drlvln'. ain't It? That horse of I yours belongs In llnyport, I cal'late. H Looks to mo lllso Hello, Unlley!" 1 "Hello, Joshl" grunted Mr. Hangs, fl nddtng nn cxplnnntory nsldo to tho of- 1 feet that ho know Josh Atwood, tho fl latter having once lived In Bayport M "But, sny," ho nsked as they moved sf on onco moro, "hnvo wo got to go to I East Trumet? Jerushyl Tlmt'.s tho 1 placo whero tho wind comes from 1 Thoy rnlso It over there Anyhow. 1 they don't rnlso much else. Whoso houso you goln' to?" Ho hud naked tho satno question at m least ten times since leaving homo, and A each tlmo Miss Dawes bad evaded it m She did so now, saying that she was sure she should know the houso when I thoy got to It. B Tho two miles to East Trumet wero H worso thnn tho twelve which they had como. Thu wind fairly shrieked here, H for the mail pnnlleled the edge of 9 high hiiikI bluffs close by the shore, nnd the ruts and "thnnl: you-morum" K were trying to the temper Hiilloy's j was completely wrecked H "Ten'hnr." lie snapped ns they reach- t cd the crest of n long lilil and u quick B grab at Ills 'lint alone prevented lis M starting on a balloon ascension, "get D out a spell, will you? I've got to swear X or bust, and 'long's you're nlioard 1 9 cau't swear. What you Rtnndlu' still for, you?" bo bellowed at poor Henry, tbo horse, which had stopped to rest "I cnl'lato tho critter thinks thnt last cyclone must bnvo blowed mo sky high, and ho's waltln' to sec where I light, ait dnpl" "I guess 1 shall get out very soon now," panted Phoebe. "There's tho blacksmith shop orer there near the next bill, nnd this house In tho hollow must bo tho oue I'm looking for." They pulled up beside tbe houso lu the hollow. A little story and n half houso It was, and. Judging by tbe ucg-lected ucg-lected appearance of tbe weeds and bushes in tbe yard. It hnd been unoccupied unoc-cupied for some time. However, tbo blluds were now open, and a fow fowls about tbo back door seemed to promise thnt somo oue was living there. Ttiu wooden letter box by tbe gato bad a name stenciled upon It. Miss Dawes sprang from the buggy nnd looked at tbo box. "Yes," she said, "this Is tho placo. Will you come In. Mr. Bangs? You can put your horse In that barn, I'm sure, if you want to." But Bailey decllued to go lu. Ho declared be was going ou to tbo blacksmith's black-smith's shop to bare that wheel died, lie would not feel safe to start for home with It as It was. He drove off, and Miss Dawes, knowing from lifelong life-long experience thnt front doors nro merely for show, passed around the main body of the house and rapped ou tho door In the ell. The rap was not answered, though sbo could hear somo ono moving nbout within and a shrill volco singing "The Sweet By and By." So she nipped again nud again, but still no ono came to the door. At last she ventured to open It. A thlu woman with her head tied up In a colored cotton handkctchlef was In the room vigorously wielding a broom. She was singing In n high cracked voice. The opening of tho door let lu a gust of cold wind, which struck the singer lu the hack of the neck nnd caused her to turn around bnstlly. "Ucy!" she exclaimed. "I-nnd snkesl You scare n body to death! Shut that door qulckl I ain't linukerln' for In-fluenzy. In-fluenzy. Who are you? What do you want? Why didn't you knurl. V Where's my specs?" She took n pair of spectacles from tho mantelshelf mid set them on the bridge of her thin nose. "1 beg pardon for coming In!" shouted shout-ed Phoebe. "You are Mrs. Beasley, aren't you?" "1 don't want none." replied Dcbby, with emphasis, "So there's no use your wnstln' your breath." After some strenuous minutes the visitor managed to make It clear to Mrs. Beasley' wind thnt she was not a peddler. She tried to add a word of further explanation, but It was effort wasted. '"Taln't no use!" snapped Debby. "I can't hear you, you speak so faint Walt till I get my horn. It's In tho scttln' room.'.' Phoebe's wonder ns to what tho "horn" might be wns relieved by the widow's nppenrnneo a moment later with tho biggest car trumpet her cnllcr had ever seen. "There, now!" sho said, adjusting tho Instrument nnd thrusting the bell shaped end under the teacher's noso. "Talk Into that If you ain't a peddler, what he you sewln' machlue ngent?" Phncbo explained that sbo bad como , some distance ou purposo to seo Mrs. Beasley. Sho was Interested In tho Thnycrs, who used to live In Orharu, particularly In Mr. John Thayer, who died lu 1851. Sho hnd been told thnt Dcbby formerly lived with tho Thnycrs Thny-crs and could no doubt remember a great deal about them. Mrs. Beasley, her hearing now within with-in forty-flvo degrees of tho normal, grow Interested. Sho ushered her visitor vis-itor Into the adjoining room nnd proffered prof-fered her a chair. "What you so Interested In the Thayers for?" Inquired Debby. "Ono of the heirs, bo you? They didn't leave nothln'." No. the schoolmistress was not an heir, was not even a relative of tho . family But sho was was Interested ' Just thu same. A friend of hers wns n relatlvo and "What Is your friend," Inquired the Inquisitor "a man?" Thero was no reason why Miss Dawes should havo changed color, but, according to Dobby's subsequent testimony, tes-timony, she did; sho blushed, so the widow declnres. "No," she protested. "Oh, no! It's n -shu's a child, that's all n little girl." Mrs. Bensluy remembered many things, but uothlng at all concerning John Thayer's life In tho west "no never wroto homo but ouco or twlco nforo he died," sho said, "nnd when he did Emily, his wife, never told mo whnt wns In his letters. She always burnt em,l guess. I used to hunt around for em when sho was out, but she burnt 'cm to spite me, 1 cnl'lnte. Her nnd mo didn't get along any too well. Sho snldl talked too much to other folks nboTIt what wns none of their business. Now, unybody that knows mo knows thnt nln't ono of my fnllln's. I told her so; says I"- And so on for ten minutes. Then Phoebo ventured to repeat the words "out west," and her companion went off on n now tack, Sho had Just been west herself. She had been on a visit to her husbnnd's niece, who lived lu Arlzona-ln Blnzeton, Ariz. "It's tho nicest town ever you see," sho continued, contin-ued, "and the smartest, most up to dato placo. Talk nbout tho west boln' onclvlllzed! My land, you ought to seo that town electric lights and telephones tel-ephones nnd-nnd-l don't know whnt a II I" This wns hut the beginning It. was evident that Mrs, Uensley had tbot oughly enjoyed herself In Blnzeton nnd that tho sorrows of the bereaved Desire De-sire nigglns had been ohe of the prin cipal sorrows ot that enjoy menu Tba schoolmistress endeavored to turu the subject, but It mis useless. "1 fetched home it wholo pllo of them uewspitpcra," continued Dcbby. "They wns awful Inlerestln'; full 'of pictures of Blnzeton bulldln's nnd lendln' folks nnd all. And In somo of the back numbers wax tbe advertise-' ment iiIkmii Mr lllgglns I do wish I could show 'cm to you. but I lent 'em to Mrs Atwood, up to the Center. If 'twan't such n wnys I'd go nnd fetch 'em. Mrs. At wood's been awful nice to me. She took care of my trunks and things when I went west yes, and afore that when I went to Bayport to keep house for thnt mlsertle Oap'n Wblitaker. 1 nln't told you about that, but I will by and by. Them trunks had lots of things In Vin that I didn't want to loso or have anybody see. My diaries I've kept n diary since 1850 nnd" "Diaries?" Interrupted Phoebe, grasping grasp-ing at straws. "Did you keep a diary whllo you were nt the Thayers?" "Yes. Now, why didn't I think of thnt nforo? Mure 'n likely there'd be somcthln' In thnt to help you with that geographical tree. I used to put down everything thnt hnppened nnd Wbcro you goln'?" Miss Dawes hnd risen imd wns peering peer-ing out of the window "I wns looking to sec If my driver was unywhere nbout," she replied. "I thought perhnps he would drive over to Mrs. Atwood's nud get tho diary for you. But I don't see him." Just then, from nround tho corner of the house, peeped an agitated faco; an agitated forefinger beckoned. Dcbby Stepped to the window besldo bcr visitor, visi-tor, and the fnee nnd linger went out ef sight as If pulled by n string. Miss Phoebe smiled. "I think I'll go out and look for blm," sho said. "He must bo near here. I'll be right bnck, Mrs. Beasley." Beas-ley." Without stopping to put on her Jacket, Jack-et, she hurried through the dining room, out of the door nnd around tho corner. Thero she found Mr. Bangs In n highly nervous state. "Why didn't you tell mo 'twas Deb by Beusley jou was comln' to seo?" ho demnnded. "If you'd mentioned that deef Image's name you'd never I got mo to drlvo you, 1 tell you that!" "Yes," answered the tencher sweetly, sweet-ly, "I Imagined that That's why I didn't tell you, Mr. Bnngs. Now I wnnt you to do mo n fnvor. Will you drive over to Trumet Center nnd deliver de-liver a note nnd get n package for me? Then you cnu come bnck here, and I shall bo ready to start for home." "Drive drlvo nothln'l Tho blacksmith's black-smith's out and won't bo back for another an-other hour, nis boy's there, but he's a big enough lunkhead to try baltln' out a dory with a fork, and thnt buggy axlo Is bent so It's simply got to be Qxed. I'd no moro go homo to Kctury with thnt buggy ns 'tis thnn I'd Oh, my land of lovol" Tbo ejaculation was almost a groan. There, at tho corner, ear trumpet adjusted ad-justed nnd spectacles glistening, stood Debby Beasley. Bailey appeared to wilt under her gazo as If tho spcctnclcs wero twin suns. "IIow how d'ye do, .Mrs. Beasley?" faltered Mr. Bangs. "I hope you're smart." "Yes." she answered. "I'm pretty tolcr'ble. thnnk you. Whnt wns the mnttcr, Mr. Bnngs? Why didn't you como In? Do you usually mnke your calls round the corner?" Tho schoolmistress enmo to tho rescue res-cue "You mustn't hlnme Mr. Bangs. Mrs. Beasley," sho explained. "lie waa.i't responsible for whnt happened nt Captain Cap-tain Wlilttaker's. Ho Is the gentleman who drove mo over hero. I was going to send him to Mrs. Atwood's for the diary." "Who said I was blamlu' him?" queried the widow, "If ho wns that little Tlddltt thing I might feel differ- ifr $ "HOW HOW D'VK DO, II IIS. UKASMSV?' euL But, couslderlu' that I got this horn from Mr. Bangs, I'm wlllln' to let bygones be past. It helps my hcnrln' a lot. Them car flxln's was good while they lasted, hut they got out of kilter quick. I shan't bother Mr. Bnngs. If ho enn squnru his own consclcuco I'm satisfied." Bailey's consclcuco was not troubling him greatly, and ho seemed relieved Phoebo told of tho damaged buggy. "Humph!" grunted the widow. "Thu borso didn't get bent, loo, did ho?" Mr. Bangs Imllguniitly declared thnt tho horso wns nil right "Urn hum! Well, then, I guess I can supply n carriage My fust cousin Ezra that died used to be doctor here, and ho give mo his sulky when ho got a new ono. It's out In tho barn. Go fetch your horoo and harness hlra In. I'll bo ready time tho barnessln's done," "You?" gasped tho teacher. "You don't need to go, Mrs. Beasley. I wouldn't think of giving you that trouble," "No troublo at all. I wouldn't trust nobody olso with them trunks. And, besides, I always do enjoy rldln'. Ypu could go, too. Miss Dorcas, but tbo Bulky Bul-ky scat's too nnrrcr for tbrco. You can set In the scttln' room Ult wo get back. 'Twon't tnko us long. Don't say another word. I'm a-goln'." To Bo Continued. |