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Show I Miss Doahe's If I Mealer IP BrJLHarWw ji mmSim,Hi, wum mwmMpmn pin. gesakraltoeae was oat la kcr Nat yard watlig ber Shirley pop." fataa aad atektec tketr alatott la Iflarta variety. l-Mlia two at than aeeaa to be exactly ste' mom tint, aad X Barer bad such a let ( tbem oat at oaa time before," aaM Mm Semlra. She loved flowers Mi aearly every foot of ber email, fcaat yard waa laid oat 1b bedi aad aNfade. There waa aot a weed to be paaa, and ber plants looked thrifty. aad bore evidence of care. The little White house back of the flower garden; 'Hi planta In the two front windows, B climbing vlnea completely covered email, green lattice-work porch aver the front door. All of the flowers aad plants were of the old-fashioned varieties. Miss Semlra did not care fer floral "novelties." She liked her foar-o'clocks and ragged robins and iady-ln-the-green and bleeding hearts perter than any "others" she had ever Miss Semlra was so small and fragile looking, with such delicately Bated pink cheeks, and such fluffy yel-iw yel-iw hair that she looked quite like a Sower herself as she moved about In her little garden In a blue lawn dress with little white flowers In It, and ber lace-trimmed snowy white apron In sjMcb there was neither spot nor wrinkle.' wrin-kle.' She was stooping over picking a dead leaf' or two from one of ber Baniums when a shrill, rasping voice rtled her by saying. ? Bow nice your flowers do look, Miss fTarira; an' how aweet they smell. I eaa smell them clean over to my' hease when It's still or when the wind la Mowtn' In that direction. You alius have such good lock with 'em. Flow-era Flow-era 'grow better 'for some folka than fartathers." ''Mas Semlra looked np and saw a taM,' gaant woman In a chocolate-col- seed calico dress and green and white cheeked gingham apron standing at mt : gate. A red and white tennis cap Kerched on oaa aide of her Iron-gray Mil geva the woman a grotesque Wy, Mrs. Sampson, Is It you said aaja Semlra. "Come In, won't your (Wo, It ain't wath while little time is I've got to stay. Then I've left pome ginger bread in the oven. I want to know if you wouldn't be willing to take a mealcr." 1"A mealer, Mrs. Sampson J" t,Tet, Yob see I've got a chance to let 'my "big front room upstairs If I can find a place for the person that wants it to '.take their .meals. I can't aadertake to. give anyone their meals with my rheumatic pesterln' me the wayU does, an'. Sampson having, It when I' don't: Then" r ain't no cook, anyhow. But I do want to let that big front room, an' this person will 1 take It If I can And a mealln' place sear by, an' here you are right acrost th read an Uvln' all alone, an' you as amch of a born cook as you are a born flower raiser, An' I've heard you say, that. you sometime got dreadful tired a'takla' yer meals all by yourself." "Who is' it wants your room r Well, It's a .gentleman but there, yew needn't look so scalrt Mlsa S'mira, i for.lt ain't a young gentleman nor a middle-aged gentleman, but a real nice, fath'erly-lookln" old gentleman that tbere'd never be a mite o' talk 'bout i. rev givla' his meals to. He must be Did enough to be your father, an' I loa't.know when I've seen a nicer ap- earln' man. I'd a sight rather have ilm around than nine out o' ten fus fcy. fault-flndlh' wlmmen. Don't you ay no until you think It all over." - I 'Miss, Semlra thought It all over .with tberesult that two dnys later Mr. Bared Lyster found himself seated at Mlsa Doane'a daintily set table. Miss eatfra bad often been beard to soy: In don't; tplnd any part of living one so much as I mind eating my sals all by myself. If I Just had meone that was --Interesting and Heasant to talk to at meal-time I ,Buldn't mind the rest. I would take Bpienler If I got a good chance." Mm. Sampson had gone a trifle be- td the truth when she had said thai, ' Bared Lyster was a "real fatherly ting old gentleman." Miss Semlra's Bntal comment when sho suw blm BBBBk 'Shy, I don't believe that he Is a :Spr flfty-flve." BVrs Scmlra's own years numbered Bw-flve. Sho had expected her meal-o meal-o be a man of at least sixty-five possibly seventy years of age, but H did not voice her surprise to Mrs. Bbpsoii. She accepted the situation BB maimer that manifested her good BBe, and she said to herself: Where's nothing for people to talk By t It he isn't as old as I thought he BB I have llyed In thistovn too H for anyone to goBsl.' .. me. certainly Is a very well-favored, jBWemanly person, and there's noth-BBln noth-BBln mo giving htm his meals that Bid set any one's tongue to wag-bbbk" wag-bbbk" Bred Lyster was n childless wld-BB wld-BB who had purchased a small store BBJe town. He was a quiet, gentle-BBfe gentle-BBfe man of domestic taste who, It BBj be confessed, had bo Intention of BBj, through life homeless. Like most J8Bk"- men he had a fondness for good meals well served and be liked to live In an atmosphere of cleanliness and order. He found this atmosphere In Semlrr Doane's pretty and well kept Uttlt home, and the meals she served wera to his entire satisfaction. Miss Semlra, oa the other hand, found the society of, Jared Lyster to be more agreeable than she would have dared confess. She would aot acknowledge ac-knowledge even to herself how much she valued his presence when he had been ber "mealer" for three aoatha, Bat aba foaad herself atadylac-hla taetaa aad cooking the dishes aba kaew; be Ufced. She feaad.heraelt alae Batting Bat-ting a red ribbon bow la" her halfaear-ly halfaear-ly every day after he had casually re marked'tbat red was his favorite color and that be liked to aaa tha little bow of red In ber hair. She found herself her-self watching for his coming aad ha did aot know that aba often stood behind be-hind the lattice work an her Uttle porch watching him out of sight Nor did she know what bis thoughts were as be walked away. He did aot know bow tumultously ber heart throbbed one evening at the sea table when he aald as he slowly and carefully folded bis napkin back Into Its original "Well', Miss Semlra, I tblak that I must tell you that I have decided to make a change." "In your business?" she asked with ber eyes fixed on ber plate. "Well, yes; the change I have In mind will give me a partner In my business. But what I was going to speak to you about was a change In regard to my meals. It isn't altogether convenient having my room In one place and taking my meals In another. Moreover, I do not quite like being a mealer." "Of course, If you wish to make a change you are at liberty to do so. I could not-promise you any better meals than I have been giving you even If you stayed with me." "I wouldn't want any better meals any place." "O, thank you." "The meals are all right, but I never before was what they call In this town a 'mealer' and I don't like It I would enjoy my meals a good deal more If they were served by well, by my wife. There I Semlra, don't look so fright enedl It Is what I have been wanting to aay .for a long time, almost from the first meal I ate with .you I Let ma stop being a 'mealer' and let me be your husbsnd instead." He had reached across the little table and taken her by both hands and was looking Into her face with shining eyes. Her eyes met his In a moment and he must have seen something of hope and encouragement for blm In them, for he was by her side In n moment mo-ment with-bis ana around her waist and his cheek to hers. The next day Miss Doane received a call from Mrs. Sampson! who said: "Well, S'mira, Its turned out Just the way Sampson an' me have been sayln for two months that It would turn out, an' I'm glad of it even If I have lost a roomer. Anyhow, you gained a mealer for life. I wish you Joy, I really do." |