The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 11, 1903, Page 5

declare, Rando T where MR e Aleesen come v poor Nan take the s the wonder of a . . he e s = s he had ol that the vitality of the be jigged ef I & ttle forrin om ?"’ Sanders. strength? at ki f a cape a laugh ut you will say never hear t o Well, ay say what ase; she's a e womar e ever seer Valicombe.” / COPYRIGHT BY JOEL CHANDLER 4 ashamed of supposin’ a' took the r you to y, in the name u ketch her by the had been I couldn’t er on the pa’m of ain’t biggern’ a ‘Whyn't easons,” re- e is that she was within is, that she nds before I had she was 1 reason why I away 1s, that ht with & wo- at child is as shy ler than old r buggy,” was a ‘Do you h he went on, biggern a replied Dor- and the best e 18 no doubt hat she saved the ilves of y HARRIS C ch shoemaker ne would fall far was & . shor » took it for granted at she wa ' shape a to relieve him f back to life, and he accordingly. N passed that he d ot Dale to see her. He ietly that Mr. Sav went about me far f ber father 4 gone away from home, and how had come away to find him. ay, £he said, sh 1d be able New Orleans rs, as Frenchmen New Orl Wher, greet e blood hon glad to see 2 tell me that you about as soon as you got esthouse. Well, I'm e's been Iph knows what ved it mo & what is that to him?" some show of in- e have it, I won't take nless She paused and o a swift glance. or Nan want me to go older woman regarded Zepherine with a curious emile, and she continued to smile after the girl had 'gone for her idery frame. atever the smile may have meant, it hed no effect on Zepherine, for whenever Dorrington came to Shady Dale, which was often, the young woman promptly disappeared, and was seen no more until after his departure. More than once he had made inquiries about her, and on one occasion he said he wanted to see her for the purpose of apologizing for his rude- Why, I hope you haven't been rude to Randolph,” remarked Sarah hen he mentioned the matter. thinks that ehe was rude to you Well, only properly so. I was Irritat- ed when she came Into that house, but not for long. I soon found that she knows more about the treatment of small- pox I do. She threw my medicine out of the window and refused positivel to f w my directions; and yet Na tells me she's the timidest, gentiest littic thing in the world. I'm sure I don’t un- derstand her at all.” Later, when Sarah Clopton informed Zephering that the doc- tor had made Inquiries for her, she raised her eyeb: in asto hment. or me?” she cried. Yes: he sald he wanted to apologlz d the older woman dryly. ologize to me!” exclaimed Zepher- Well, poor man; If he know nothing of smalipox and know not who should spclogize he must have a deep trouble somewhere, 1 am quite sorrowful for him.” Whereupon Sarah Clopton renewed the dry smile with which she had regard- ed Zepherine on a former occasfon. This time, however, Zepherine saw it and seemed to divine its import. “Oh, now are laughing at me!” she criei, ng violently. “I am very fooll not tell why your Dr. Randolp! cause me to be so out of temper all the time, day and nigh “Why, he's not nearly so important as that,” replied Sarah Clopton; “he’s noth- ing but a great, big, blundering, good-na~ tured men.” Zepherine tossed her head and her eyes flashed. “Well, I wish I could see some Y ZEPHERINE: y AMND THE DOCTOR AT BEDSIDE. of that great good-nature,” thinking you'll have plenty of opportunities,” the older “‘After a while you'll come to the conclusion that Randolph is not fmportant enough for you to jump up and run away every time you hear his the gravel outside. been coming here regularly many years, but I've never taken to distinguish bis footstep from that of other people.” “‘Oh, but if you were in my place,” sald “if you had heard him walking as 1 did, all through the long night while Nan was so {ll—-well, I think you would know his step when you heard nd 1 know Nan's. I is so hard to know the step of those you—oh, I mean those you : do you think s6?" 1 suppose not,” repiled Sarah woman suggested. the trouble to try I know yours, don’t think it ke or disifk Zepnerine was eufy %oo gied of an ex- cuse to get away from this friend, who had suddenly developed a desirs to tease, 80 she ran off to meet Nan, As soon as Nan saw Zepherine she threw up her hands with a shrill scream of de- light. She had the most delicious mys- tery and she just knew it wou.u turn out to be a real and truly true romance. She had gone around to Mr. Valicombe's shop to find out why he didn’t come to Shady Dale any more, and one of the men thers —he had two now—had told her that Mr. Valicombe was not in town at all; that he had gone to New Orleans and that he didn’t propose to return until—at this point she olaced both hands over her mouth and gave Zepherine a wild look. ““What, then, is the matter with you? Why do you begin to tell something and then pause In that way?” inquired the thoroughly puzzled Miss Johns. “Oh, I want to tell you, but I mustn’t. Oh. Mr. Sunders would never forgive me. Indeed, he wouldn’t; he told me so. It is the most perfectly lovely idea I ever heard of.” “But what can it be? Is it ahout me? As she spoke Miss Johns began to blush even as she had blushed before Sarah Clopton. Nan paid no attention to the blushes. She simply placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head. When she did speak she pretended to be angry. ‘“You know I am just dying to tell you. Oh, if you knew how wild I am you wouldn’t dare to ask me!” “Dare! It s something terrible, then sald Miss Johns, her face becoming pa “Oh, if you care for me please tell me Nan setzed her in a furlous embrace “Ok, you sweet goose! Oh, you dearest! Don’t drive me crazy. I could tell you but for Mr. Sanders. When he saw me coming from the shoema be calied rie and asked me how much I knew about somebody, and 1 pretended to know a great deal, and I kept or hinting and asking him how much he knew. And oh, it's the most wonderful thing:" Up went the hand to the mouth again, and nothing Miss Johns could sav or do had the effect of inducing Nan to tell what she knew. The fall drifted into winter without producing any change in the seas The roses bloomed, the birde sang. and the apple trees, mistaking the portents began to clothe themselves with blos. roms. The sun shone with the warmth of spring, and the dalicately crisp breezes were laden with the odors of the season of flowers. Well, {t was upen the balmy wings of this perfect season that the days drifted toward Christmas; and when that day ‘HE PUMBLED AWKWARDLY FOR HIS HAMDKER CHIEF Savine L BEG YOU PAE.DOM ) THAT BEES MY LI GIRL) THAT EES i Y ErY. CHILD .7 1 VI Wity ‘was near the word went arormd that Mr. Valicombe, the shoemaker, had returned to the village. He had not come upon the stage coach. No, he had not been a pas- senger on the stage coach. In Malvern he had hired a conveyance and had timed his start from that city so as to arrive at Harmony Grove after nightfall; and the driver, who had his supper at the tavern, declared that Mr. Valicombe had brought a companion with him. This driver further deciared that the two pas- sengers talked outlandish; they talked all the way, and he couldn’t understand a word they said, The day after his return Mr. Valicombe appeared to be in very high spirits. He saw Mr, Sanders on the street and called to him, and after the two had talked to- gether for a few minutes they went to Mr. Valicombe’s shop, and there they had another consuitation, which lasted an hour or two. After that they went to the tavern, where Mr. Sanders made a very pecullar inquiry. He asked if any- body had seen Nan Dorrington. Well, of course, somebody had seen her, but no- body knew where she was at that par- ticular moment. Home was the last pla to look for Nan, but she happened to be there when the two men went by on their way to Shady Dale. They called for her, and then the three went on their way. Mrs. Abraham Goodlett, housekeeper, watched from h saw the three plotters stop i all of a sudden she saw Nan ju shoemaker and throw her arms about him. This done, the child seized Mr. Sanders by both hands and tried to swing him around in a wild dance. Owin to circumstances, Mr. Sanders was n swingable. He simply turned on ht and allowed Nan to whirl arou and when she had finished this se gyrations she threw her arms around h rotund figure apd gave him a good squeezing. And certainly Nan secemed to be very well pleased this time, for when she had her companlons reached Shady Dale she rushed at Miss Johns and smothering her with hugs and ki she repeated the same performance with Sarah ( on *“Nan, > 1! you are smothering me!™ cried Barah Clopton, and laughtng. “What does it mean?” “Oh, @on't you kmow?" exclaimed N ‘it's only two days to Christmas. “Nonny e for Mrs. Absalom—was saving t'other day that if this spell of weather ke up wi ve ripe peaches en April foois' day and figs in May This being a matter beyond dispute, Nan's small audisnce could only laugh at her enthusinsm. However, when no one else was looking, Mr. Sanders winked and Mr. Valicombe shrugged his shoulders, after the manner of his people. And th how it wes done no one seemed to know—Nan inveigied Miss Johns into tak- irg a walk; whereupon Mr. Banders, inforced and supported by Mr. Val combe’s eloquent shoulders and hands, gave Sarsh Clopton to understand that it was the desire of certain influential in- dividuals to set out a Christmas tree for the epecial pleasure of Mise Johns. “'Are you deserting Nan?” the lady her pet na asked “By no manner of means,” replied Mr. Banders. ‘‘Nan is to be the ringmaster, an’ me an’ Peter will be the trick ciowns, as you may say. Anyhow, Sarah, you're likely to I'arn something from this tree. The fruit it'll b'ar will surprise you might'ly.” ‘Well, what kind of present will you give the child?’ Sarah Clopton inquired. “I bave a number of things to give her, and I've been trying to think of some way to surprise her pleasantly. I con- fess I like the old way best. I'm a great believer in Santa Claus, old as I am, and I once tock it for granted that all girls are allke in that respect. But it is so0. Zepherine tells me that among her pecple Christmas is a religious celebra- ticr ard that the giving of presents is served for Néw Year's, when the y people come from fgr and near to 1 before their parents and ask their bless- ing. “Yes, yes! that {s so,” sald Mr. Vall- combe. “It is the old, the very old hab- tude. “Well, it's mighty different re- marked Mr. Sanders. “In this ate an’ sectlon, even the half-grown children give their parients a biessin' out any day In the year; an’ they are so superior to them that raised 'em that they seem to git along mighty well wi'out a blessin’ of any kird. But that's a gray hoss of another color. This is a case whar we can’t hang up stcckin's, an’ even bags is barred. One of the presents we'll have the honor to give the young lady has got so many harp ends and corners that it can't be shoved into anything less'n a hogshead. Havin’ no hogshead, we'll have to stand it up by the tree.” . And so the matter was arranged. That afternoon the tree, a lusty young holly, with a rank growth of follage, was brought in from the woods and concealed in the carriage house. The next day there were various mysterious consulta- tions going on. Miss Johns was with Nan, and if she observed anything out of the ordinary she gave no sign. But the day before Christmas she could hardly fail to note that something extraordinary was on foot. Nan was not when Miss Johns would play o she found the parlor door pausing a moment h mysterfous sounds urned awa he parlor door. Was I he could do, she 1ld finish a p ace 8: 80 she took her work and sat out doors in the pleasan been set t » at the win- Christmas morning dawned bright and beautiful. There was not a cloud in the sky or a hint ¢ t cking-b! and the bl a gray squirrel An early breakf; Dale, and Christm: ton made her ap- és were soon in s intended for hem; and not one was forgot Following this eam justly famous Christmas-tree. Mr. Sanders threw open the door of the parlor he room prese ed a very be: heavy red curt gether to ex 1 nation ca dlesticks that had done ton family for many ge: Christmas-tree, also, bore a burdea of small candles attached to its boughs, and was furthermore loaded with packages of various shapes and sizes. It made & very brave show, indeed. It was placed at one arge room, being flanked on by c s which completely concealed the corners. From behind one of thess curtaing came Peter Vallcombe, who sald that every- ¥ urning to M e sa in F ch: “Mademolselle, will you please play for us one of the songs you heard when a child, one that your good father taught you?" Zepherine hesitated, her hands clasped together. “But w he asked; and then, w t ting for an answer, she went to irew a deep breath and began a lil melody that her father € It was very those who were nce. He moved tow g. His hair was white as snow, but his e was that of a man in the prime of fe. His features wers at omce fine and strong, and eyes were drilliant. how b " exclalmed the im- pulsive Nan ne thought enraptured by selody, but N no lon listening to the piano. some reason or other which he rd the plano, smil- could exy f, Randolph Dor rington ard and took the stranger 1 and led him nearer As Flavian Dion listened to his own musie, 1 by ghter who had been all to roke down; the tears began to his face. He fumbled awkwar r his handkerchief saying: “I beg you' par W' girl; that ees my I a. seen her, oh, not for mar ong urned around the first thing she saw was Randolph Derrington holding the hand of— Hee thotal B what Is that ees m no farther. “Oh d. But there was Continued on Page Fourteen.