The Nazareth Item

              Item.
AN  nfDBPBNDBNT  FAMILY  NBWiPAPBK,  DBVOTBD  TO   LITERATURE.   LOCAL   AND   QENERAL   INTBLUGE .«CB.
Vol. XXVI.
NAZARETH, PA., FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 27,1917
NoL84.
.'¦n n IIH BWiMffttiinnnntwiii 11 iittft<
SEA SHORE SAITD
for Children. The
Trumbower Co.
NAZARETH, PA.
Branch Office No. 18 Belvidere Street.
Telephone Connections.
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South Bethlehem Business College, |
PIDGIN ISLAND
By HAROLD NacGRATH
CopjFright by Frank A. Mtmaey Co.
Third and New Streets,
South Bethlehem, Pa.
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FUNERAL    DmBOTOR 8o. Main StrMt,      NAZARBTH, PA.
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II
July Reduction 5ale
Only a few more days to take advantage of our Stun» mer Reductions. Don't delay. Come now. These are values which will never again be otfered.
$20 aad $22.00 Suits  |16.00 18.00 Suits        •        15.00
15.00 Raincoats
$15.00 Suits $12.00 Suits
•3.95.
•12.00 9.50
Palm Beech. Cool Cloth and Flannel Tropical Suite
$6.00 to 112.00
Childrens Washable Suit Crath. Linen and Kakhi Knickers at Boys' Straight Pante at Childrens Rompers
55c and up.
SOc to 75c.
25c.
BOc and 50c.
$1.00 to $6.00 Panama Hats, special            - $2.95.
$1.50 to $2.00 Straw Hats Sennits. Splits Etc •     9Sc.
SOc Boys' Straw Hats                         .           . 35c.
$1.00 Outing Caps             •             -             • 75c.
Also Special Reductions in
Shirts, Underwear, Neckwear, Etc.
He became Just the lenst bit nfrakl that she vrould provo to bo that blue¬ stocking Mlnem-a, for Dlnim never bothered her head about the caro of aoals.   Diana.
"I have a curlou.s idea thnt perhapn you aro called Ulaiiii."
The spoou [lol.sod for a uioiiient.
"Yes, that Is tny name. Hut do not confuse iiio with the uijlholot^ciil god¬ dess, ple.'iso; I am mortal, verj' mor¬ tal indeed."
"Pardon me. I did not me.m to bo impertinent."
"It is as J said. Wo return to siu- ples. What l.s moro direct, what ia simpler than askhij,' mo my given name? I almost .said Christian! .Vnd I nin Ju.st as much a papm as m.v uame Implies. Your nami; ia .lolai. i'nck' Billy has lioon shigUii: your i'.*i< s since the first day \vo wont out. i waf, l>eginnlnjr to hate you. Tlu> t;recaiori: and tho melons won; delicious. Thank.-;. I nm as much in your debt as you are In mhie. And thero you have the truth of it Friendship shouid always bal¬ ance evenly. Weigh obligation against obligation, or, better still, seo that tbere are no obligations. Uld and trite as the bills, isn't it?"
"May I be counted as a friend?" he aslced eagerly.
She rose, spun tbe melon rind into tbe water, stooped quickly and cast a atone after It with amazing accuracy.
"Why not—up here? If we ever meet elsewhere it will be from behind hedges, and we'll tiave to play the game—silly, I think It—of having some one to Introduce us properly."
Another stone flew out and caught the melon ou the rim, spinning it It overbalanced and sank. "What made yoa ask me if my nnme was Diana?"
"That," readily, pointing to the spot where the melon bad been floating. "Who but Diuna coukl have thrown a Btone like that?"
"Not a very brilliant Invention."
I'here was lu her glance neither em¬ barrassment nor coquetry, nor curios¬ ity—nothing that -ho recognized as feminine. Yet It seemed to draw the truth out of him as easily as the bucket comes up from the well.
"When you came into the boathouse Diana sprung into my mind. The Im¬ perturbability"— '
"Ah!" mockingly.
—"witb which you accepted the at¬ mospheric conditions"—
"Fiddle-dee-dee!"
—"struck me as being unlike any¬ thing I hnd ever seen in womnn."
"I like the way you flnished that sentence. It shows tenacity of pur¬ pose.   Am I a freak?"
"No."
lie held his hand toward her.
"All this is verj- unusual," she said, eying the hand musingly, but making no effort to take it
•        ••••••
Crauford's boat was atKMit twenty feet beyond the girl's.
Suddenly she saw him strike, and right from under Uncle Billy's port oor leaped tbe big fellow. Tbe mr¬ priaed girl started l>ack and, to save herself from going overboard, dropped her rod.
Fortunately tt strack tbe gtmwalo evenly and balanced. Bhe pounced upon It, laughing.
"I couldn't have acted mnj sUUer if some one had shouted moneer'
"Jee-boBsl-pbat!" murmured Uncle Billy aa tlie bass cleared tha water
TAMtaOH, CLOTMim^a HATtS A/19rUtt/H^HiMOS
112 South Main St..        .        NAZAREIH, PA.
Our store closes like all other Nasareth Storea. every Wednesday at 13 noon daring Jaly and Aogast,
hm«m>m!nmS£nnnmSn^^
He made a megaphone of his benda and shouted to Cranford. "It'e bim!"
Cranford sent back a happy langb.
Tbe girl watched him, faacinated. He did not aeem to care on* way or the otber whether he lost tbe flsh or brought him aboard.
Once the bass turned a complete cir¬ cle around the boat, and to this ma¬ neuver Cranford danced a hornpipe fh>m stern to bow and back again, witb Lester ducking madly and shift¬ ing this oar and thut
Everjbody was laughing excitedly and offering advioo. l^nelo BUly stood up and shouted, und tho girl murmured "Ahs!" aud "Ohs!" after the inunnor of children witnessing fireworks.
Once tho black feilow decided to test the strength of Uie lino by tauglln^' It up lu the screw.
My, what a time! Cranford iii'imedi ately culled for lioi[>. Leftter crept for¬ ward, struddUHl tlie stern and deftly worked out tho snarl. Not nn inch of slack did -Mr. Bass get for his cunning.
.V glorious battle, a sui>erb coutist; skill and intellect ut ouo end, fear nuil strength und cunning at the other.' tho connecting link a thread of silk.
It was fourteen minutes by the girl's watcb when Cranford called for tho lu't.
Tbe girl's palms were wet and little beads of persplrntlon stood out upon her forehead. Sbe bad gune tbrougU the bnttle as If sbe herself bad fouglit erery turn und phase ot tt
"HI, Mtss Wynne, reel's bUEzbi'!" ¦ang out Uncle Billy, diving for tbo oara. "Mebby it'a th' mate. Tbey run tn pairs."
Sbe caught up tbe rod Just as the flnal turn of tbe reel brongbt tbe slip¬ knot tnto view; flfty yards offline out I
One chance In a bundred I Bho thrust tbe rod outwkrd and (ook three or four
lams or rne reei. uareu sne stnEer Away beyond Cranford's t)ont the flsii broke.
Lester, realizing what had happened, came about and headed for the shore to give the girl all the r>lay she needed. . "Mate to ours," he said to Cranford.
"A golliwhopper!" gurgled Uncle nilly. "Don't y' git fussed. Miss Wynne. He's swnllored th' hook, 'r I don't know nUthln' 'bout bass."
"Uncle Billy. I shnll cry tf I lose htm!"
"Took the bait ofTn tb' bottom! Whut d'y' know 'Iwut thnt? An' don't this knock ol' Pidgin galley west? Huh ?"
"There he breaks again!"
Lester weighed Cmnford's catch and laid It tenderly In the box. so ns not ta Injure tho fins.
"chapter   Vll. A Chip of the Old Block.
AMiariTY    thumping    followed this act of tlie aellgliled  Un¬ cle   Hilly.     Hero  was   a   fish Worth mounting.    "Four and tlireo-'iuartens."
But Cranford did not hoar him.
Uo was watching tlio ulrl, the f^irl oi his idle dreams, lho girl lie liad ahvay.s known to bo somewhere among thu millions, mate for lilm, lioliJn),eet Ui sorrow, comrade In joy, wife. Vounj4 and strong and bnxvo; .scarlet liiniod. brown eyed, litho.
Till this spectuculur moment he h:i,d not known; but now ho knew tbat when she had enter(;d Uncle Billy's boathouse tbat stormy morning but teu days ago she had also entered Ids IUe, never to go out of it
iJianal Who she really was did not matter. Where sho had come from. Btlll loss,   ilo loved hor.
Day aftor day tlio perfect Septem¬ ber weather had held; day after day tliey had lished aud hunted and eaten shore dinnor together, and day after day somo now charm, some fresli angle of beauty, had beeu disclosed to him. Romance!
"I can't budge hlm!" she panted. Snubbing did no good.
Presently the tish concluded thnt he could possibly get rid of the torment by dashing in the direction from which tt seemed to cmanata A mile a min¬ ute!
She chokcHl back the hysterical sobs which caught at lier throat Never hnd sbe known n buss so strong. Betweeu Horseshoe and Liong isiand runs a gut, nine or ten feet deep. The bass kept to this.
He came toward the boat, passed tt and continued straight on toward Kingston, some few miles away, no atop over evidently. His destination was Kingston. The line began to slug again and the girl's Augers stung.
"Hold him now!" shouted Cranford, more excited than be had ever been before. "Make Mm flght you. Don't let him run ugaln—uh!"
The tiger broke, shaking the line sav- ogely and twisting in mid air.
Four times ho cio^-e the water, and then he began to come In on hia nose, as they sny, flghting wildly every inch of the wuy, for life and liberty, may¬ hap for his wifo and family, for he is the only fresh water flsh who hns a family and who protects Ills young valiantly, even ferociously- no scoun¬ drelly cannibal liko tlie brook trout
The girl's throat ached, hor eyes, hor arms.
When the Ush tnmpd over on his elde she put tlic net under htm, but she had not tho power to lift him into tho boat Uncle Lilly had to bring lUm in, and proceeded to do so with n "Ua, ha!" and a "Uo, ho!" ond a "Wbut d'y' know 'bout that?"
"Oh!" murmured tbe girl, closinH ber eyes for a moment
"Well done!" cried the tutppy Cron- ford, "It's half after la-tlme for Innch."
Uncle Billy hauled out tils drawer aeat and pawed about for the scales. Tbe great black fellow heaved to and fro on tbe book.
"Oreat Jee-bossl-ptuitl Wrm pound. two ounces!" be announced.
"Splendldr'
Til mount 'em both," declared Dncle Billy. "An' mebbe tb' boya back at tb' vtllago won't squint some wben they sees 'em!   Oh, my!"
In tbe very center of Horseshoe is¬ land tbere ties a circular shallow pond. wttb tbe inlet at the bend.
Out of the magic channel tbe two t>oats   flew,   skirting   the   island   and
"Hold him nowl    fHaltm hkn flgM reu."
presently cntertfig the haven—pines and maples and a beaotiftally pebbled beach, upon wbkb tbe vleton were landed.
Anrt What was more natural tnan thnt thoy should ask to see the flsh placed side by side?
"A groat world, isn't tt?" said Cran¬ ford, holding out his hnnd.
"Somotlnios," she answered. She ac¬ ceptel the handclasp, but sho avoided Ills eyos.    Why?
"I've li.shed twenty years up hero, but 1 never saw two bass llko that in line day."
"Crave!"    She was sorry now.
"Ner me, neither," put in Uncle Lilly. "I never s<'e a Ijass light lianlor 'r longer. Sho's got yourn, .Mr. Cnin¬ ford—th' ono y' lost two year ago. 1 thought at first you'd hooked 'bn. Uut that's him!"
"I havo a pUia." Crnnford snid. "I'll tell you what   It will Ik; like flying In
the face of I'I¦o^•idenco to lish any more today. .Vfter lunch wo'll tako a jaunt over to Kingston and prowl about for melons. Wo can como back by the way of tho canal and iiut a dui.k, maybu a teal or twa"
"Kingston?"
Bho sprang up, animated, tho vital reason .for her bobig hero at ail commg to lifo again. "Good! I've been want¬ ing to seo tho quaint oki towu. IIow loug will It tako us'.-"
"Ualf uu hour."
"And cau I bring buck a [lalr of shoe¬ strings V
"Surely, Uncie Sam will uot mind that"
Cranford luughod. then grew sober.
What would she say when she learn- ed his desplcablo business V Verj' soou ho would havo to toll her—would bavo to teil her, for tho siiuplo reason that a mau ought to havo no secrets from tho Woman who i.s to be his «ife.
A groat tlamo seemed burning lu hia heart—primordial, had he but knowu it—to fond off lho wi;rld from her. to batUo for her, to conquer sumething for her. Diana Wynne. It miglit or might not bo her twime.
No mutter. Uo had his own namo, and he could give hor that .Vud tho marvei of it all was, ton days ago ho had uot knowu of her exLstonce.
Aftor luuch Lester carofully wrapi>od the big Ush iu the napkius, piled tho excess luggugo iuto his boat and, with a cheerful wuvo of his hat set off for home.
Billy's bont was larger. Cranford sat with bi« back to tho old guido aud never looked at anything but tho girl's exquisite face; Uilkod without lieing able to recollect one word of tho con¬ versation, henrd the sound of bis voice detaciiedly, as If tt belonged to some oue else.
"This ono day," thought sbe, "I'm go¬ ing to forget everything and Just be happy."
"And a fortnight ago I didn't know ber!" thought he.
At a quarter to 3 the Navarre bumped into the Jetty, luid ttie two jvuug peo¬ ple Jumped ashore.
"We shunt be gono more thau aa hour, Lilly," suid Cranford. "Got u crate of meloua, if you caa flud auy good ones." Cranford una Misa Wynne proceeded up tho maiu street
"Uow quiet theso inland towns .are," the girl .said.    "I'eople go about ^Uy —no rush,  no hurry, as if somo one was always trying to got somewhere liefore some ono else.    Somo duy  I'm gobig to bury my.solf in a small \ illage aud never go away again." "Uow about winter, when"— Uo stop[)od abruptly, his gaze leveled across tho stnH>t "Wlmt Is ifi" she uskeil. "A man I think I kaow just entered the hotol over the way. \\"\\\ you pleaso Btuud here for a moment?    I wouldu't miss scviiig idm  for nuytbing iu this world," grimly.
"Go,  by all means.     You  will  flnd
me In tho bookshop next door here."
Cranford  run swiftly  to  the hotel.
The man was nowhere In sight   Tho
bar also was deserted.
Cranford sought the billiard room to flnd onJy a sleepy attendant
He liad seeu Smend rise from the T<eranda chair and hobble into tbe ho¬ tel. And what was Smead doing up here?
He swung on bis heel and made for the bookshop. Smead. Ue was sure of It Tho owner of tiie dark eyes stroked a scarred chin, rose and strolled into the bur from l>ehhid which a big man tn gray tluunels was Just emerging, his face writhed In a grimace of pain.
"Old frieud of mine, eh?   Uh, there you ai», Don.    Where'd the fool go?" "Bookshop over the way." Smead limped out to the elevator nnd the   two   of   them   went   up   to   the fonner's room.
"You've (lone it now, all right" snarled I)on. "Uc would hi!\e been as blind a'< an owl. Ue waa ju-;t [lence- fully lishing, and now tho sight of yeu h.is [ait a l>oc in his bniinet- This isn't the kind of a Iiealtli resort for your stylo, and he'll reiilze it aud watch and pry and nose .ibmit till ho stunibles uihio soniothbi^'. I'm going over on tomorrow's boat uiiN Fagln."
"There   w.'is   a    wmuan   with    Ulm," rumbled Smeaii. "l>lii you set' her face'.'" "No.    NVhat art" you going to do?"' "I'ut   v'ranford   where   he   will   uot bother Jiny   one.     Oh,   i   shan't   hurt him; just lihle hliu Mil  we aro out of the way.    I told you at the start that so lon^' as ho saw no familiar face ho wouldn't suspect a^.^lhing.    1 told you to stay lu Now Vork." "Who's running this ailalrV" "I  am," aiLsworod  the other ctiitly. "I'm not gi>hig to sit still and aee jou mnke a hjjsh of tbe gariie.    Oh. I get your view.    Vou don't trust your duti¬ ful son.    No more do 1 trust you.   itut this ts my game, uiul I'm going to play tt out my wny.    IX>n't leuve the nwm till   after  dinner.     He'll   be  gone   by that time." A rumble from 8m(M\d. "Don't    waste   your   breath,   pn[m. Wben this deal Is off the board we'll split and ao our wavs.    All rou am
reaiiy go.>' ror is iiamuojznng inu cliajis who como into your rouletlu rooms. Stick to that You're a markicj man now."
"Vou're an Insolvent puppyT'
"Chip of the old block. .N'ow I'm going to keep an eyo on him till lu' gets into Ills motorboat. I want to miiko sure that ho gets away."
Later ho saw Cranford aud the girl como out of the lx>oksbop.
.V.S Cranfonl gavo the girl tiis tiaiid to the boat the young man with thu scarred chin s,'iw her face In full. Clever as be was, alert always, wntch ful, iron non-ed. tho unoxiiocted sight of that faco shocked lilm Into uttorln'.: an ej«iculation.
The girl turned hor ho.id. Their eye* met
Post*! Laws that anbserlptloaa paid ipt omptly. A Mae pencil mark im iA'x.Xm meana yonr scription la dne, mmA we wtll thank yon tor a   prompt   raroMmmima.
F
CHAPTER    Vlll. Just   Friends,   That's  All.
OUIi   elderly    dames,    three   of
whom  sat  primly   in   tile  cano
Ijoitomed   chairs;   tlic   fourtii,
shusiJiiig   her   faco   witb   her
aprou, knelt Ixu'orc; Ijie oven aud drew
out from tbe  witJi.'rlng blast of boat
four bnnvu loaves of ".salt risings."
Thon she sot tho loa\<>s uii.s.ide do^ii on the deal l^iliIe .uid willed her por- spu-lng fui o.
A tnto pVrtnre, tdll old; iu uearly ev¬ ery art gallery bi the world you will soo It. and few urtLsts have over had tlie c(ninigo to name il, anything huPBh- er than "Gossip."
Nothing good over emanab'S fnim these aft(Tn-<Km (juartots; tho .trail of the s<'riieiit Is over It all; you- will find a trail ol' L<jrgi:i [lastios, too, beauti¬ fully frirstwl outside und wonderfully poisoned within—slow ixjison.
Merc.-: tlK'y don't mean any harm; tlK'y wtuldn't hurt a Uy—eo Uioy say when coiifDmtiil with somo of tbeU' irreparable damage. The devil fluds a-plenty for i<lle hands to do, but his main businoss is tbe culture of idle tongues; aud from the very bottom of his soul—jKirdon the auaclironism—ho loathes the deuf and dumb.
In a country village tbe Urst topic for gossip is the liehavlor of the rival par¬ son's wifo; then, i«-rhaps, the little mil¬ liner, the little dressmaker, and Uually any now arrival who minds his or ber own busiiuss.
An uncommuulcattvo iierson is al¬ ways a.n olije<'t lit suspicion; Uiey bavo Bometliing to <'cinceal; or, if one talks and talks and talks it's au effort to throw ono off the track.   .\o lioiie.
So thi'se four had discus.sed und dis¬ sected tho rlv.ai imrsou's wife, tbo go¬ ings on of the mllUiior and the dross- maker, and •'-^o on, down to tho strange aloof young wnman who was staying out at the farm. "Sho's one o' them uctn's.ses." "An' the airs thoy jait ou 'mong de- ceut folks!"
"Why, Bill hasn't said anything about her bein' an actress," mildly protested Uncle Lilly's wife, mindful of the ;Jti the day.
"Th.it's like  u  man, alius  hllnd'a  a but" "She seems uice sjiokeit" "It's their businoss to be.   Actresses are   th'   (in'y   wnmiu   wlio   go  gaddin' alKiut wiihout tlieir .husbands,  wlio're alius ;.'ittin'  cihuixed.     Vou  never see a newspa[ior without readin' sometliui' ubout tlieir uToin's on.    She's Ix-'u here muro'n a wt'ek an' hasn't be'n to eitber church.   An' sbe did not attend th' ici' • cream .siKiabio -th'  last n'  tli'  sedson toa     Uusii't   tieon   iu   th'   village   but three   times,   an'   nowr   speaks   t'   Ui>- buddy." ".Vctress, IW) deul>t of if "Who's an actres-;'/'"  iKPOinod u male voice from  the  kitchen iloorway,  ami Vncle  Lilly  niarclied in. There was a liut tor. nothuig more. The  four  women  wero  rather spoll- bouud ovor tile suddoimess of his up- pearauee.
"Are you talklu' 'Uiut Mlaa Wynne. w1k> I'm Ushiu"; Woll, ru have y' know, now 'u' hereai'tor siit' alu't uo actress."
"Uow'd you kuow sho ain't'/" asked his wife.
"Uow'd I kuow? Alu't I got eyes'u ears? Sho alu't uo actress. She dou t do no self advertisin'. an' self ad\or- tlsin' 's meat 'n drink t' all tb' actors 1 ever see. Keep your meddllu' tongues ofl"u Jliss Wynne. Tbat's all I've got t' say."
He fluug Ills e.ip savagely into a corner.
The three visitors rose, settleii their bonnets dlgiiiiiodly, smoothed thoir gowns and stalked out not. however, missing the opiiortuuily of e.vtending a commisoniting glaucv at rude Lilly's better half.
"Now loiik what you wont an' done!" —on the verge of tours.
"Whut   I   went  an'   douel    Dodgiist tt!    Them husyl-odios"— "Willyum;"
"I lell y' i won't have om in my kitchen "
"Yonr kitchen;"—for the benefit of tile three who 'Were Just pas.-'iug the Window.
'".My hou.-e, then, 'f that'll suit y' bet¬ ter. Buzziu' away doceid folks's reiii- tatious Them three mako more trou¬ ble 'n a sturgeon lu a luist o' bu.ss oggs. Tell every thing tbey heur, 'u ball it all up when they loll it They drove two ministers out o' th' village already with their t\i-l-<tin' tongues. .Vn' whut riUs me Is, ,\ou let 'om iu here t' bulldoze you hit' belle\ in' all they say."
He yanked his suppir .>iT the back oi tho stove and ate it with a deal ol ban^Jing and rattling and rumbling.
"I'm .sun> i dou't usk em t' come iK'tT with thi'ir tales," snre that ttio trio Were ii"W out of eurslnit
".MeblK-; but I notice y' dim't stuff your ears none." Ue got up frimi the kitclien lalile. ""I" anybody wants luo I'm out t' th' boattiKuse; got t' overhaul th' diiiLieii en^riiie. 'F I was rich I'd throw 111' blame loony ol' sputteror lut' th' niiddlo o' the' lake!"
Ue worked by lantern. Ilo hud the tops of the cylinders off whou Cranford camo in.
"Hilly, do you want to make ?irj'/" "Ten?  \\ei\, uow!" "1 want you to take mo over to Klng- Iton right away." "Whut—t'niL'ht?" "Ves."
"Can't lie done, .\rr. Cranford. Do it fer nuthin' in a niinute 'f I couhl. First place, I'm Uikin' th' ouglno apart; sec¬ ond Iilace, tl;oy ain't uo oil, not till t'niorrnw mornin' .\n' whut th' dick¬ ens y' want f g I f Kingston fer?"
"I want vi-ry much to see a man thoit?."
"Sakes .alike, why didn't y' see him this afternoon?"
"Didn't want to keep .Miss Wynne, Ivho was tired. Can't possilily go, .hon?"
"No(H,'.    Xickltsh   job,  anyhow,  goln'
over hi th' dark. Snitils wlr.'lv. Taki th' bf^at in th' luorniu'."
"Anyliody olso I (.-ould getr
"Ni.1111'. No oii anywheres. Tank wa.sn't fllled this (iftoruixiu. Goin' out t' LWgln t'morrow'"
"Uajig I'idt-'in! Mark my words, Billy, you'll get caught oat there onj of these days ami caught hard."'
"But I ain't hungry fer Pidgin," pro¬ tested I'ncle Billy.
"You ought to bi> ubl<' to fake up some o.^rcuse."
"Not with Miss W.Mine listonlu'."
Cranford ehowe<l tho stem of hia pipe.
"I suppose I'll h;n'e to gi\o up tho idea of going ovor to Khigston. In¬ stead I'll go out to thl' f.ariH nnd glvn MLss Wynne a lecture and try to con¬ vince ber of the real danger this tlmo of the year. .V big blow Ls due. You retnember when we hit Galoo."
"I ain't fereittin' it none. Say, ifl MfHB Wynne an actress'/"
"A what? Good Lord, no! What put that idea Into your bead'/"
"I dunno," UIU :isiiy.
"I'm familiar wilh the faces of all the well  known women of the stage.
"I want you to take me over to  King¬ ston right away.*"
and -Miss Wynne's is uot among them. But it wouldn't matter u lot if It was." "Wouldnt';"
"No; of course uot What tho deuce ta ou your mind'/"
"Well," began i'ncle Hilly diltideutly, twiddling the screw of the wrench in his hand nnd eying it severely—"well, some o' th' dinged females vo be'n gfuttln' UV missus that Miss Wynne's an actress. I told 'om she wasn't"
"Would it make any difforeiK-e If she was'/"
"Not t' me.    Lut them kind o' folki* alu't thought much of bi th' vlUuga" "Why ?"
"Lonl, 1 dunno why!" "Lilly," .said Cranford when he had done lauchlug, "tho real actress theso days is a personage and nearly always a well bred gentlewoman The rot your females liave 'lecn rending about actresses icerns the chorus ludy Sho is treu:i.  - 'lue."
"1 didn't know they was nny dilfer- ence. i^'otiple o' years agt) some ai'- tresses stiiyed up at th' hotol an' cut ui> high Jinks. Hut. dbig It actress r uot. Miss Wynne's tli' finest lady 1 ever see." And he UnmqxMl the nearest cyt tnder to emphasizo tiie declaration.
"Lut I wish y' ¦would git bor out o' this ridgin idee. 1 dunno 'wliut 'tis, but .seeiiis t' me tbey's suuiplu' more'u flsh out thero. Vou know, 'n' I know th' game is tishiu' all th' known places, trybi' your luck ovorywboros. T'day was th' tir?t tlnio she's fl.sliwi any wberoH hut I'idgui. .Vu' by golly, that makes your uucle tliink! i got t' fl.v them liass this very night .Vui't she sonu? tlsliermau, tliough'; Mebbo that flve pounder %vasu't u wrustlln' inntch! Oh, my! .Vll in when slie got th' net untler Ini. I had t' hist 'Im In myself. A perfok tish. .Knyh-'W, you come out t' i'ldgiu, too, it'll be safer nil around. Don't tell her, but my ol' bones 'r' wlilsiierbi' there's golu' t' bo a blow liefnre moniln'."
"So much the. bolter. I'U follow tf tt takes me out lo i>uck taltuid."
It wa» a milo and a balf out to the farm. Cranford covered bbe grouud with the swiugtug atrlde Ot a man who knew bow to walk.
(Vo Aa OnotlBwi)
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