Ethelyn's Mistake

All this time Andy had been standing with his back to the fire, his

coat-skirts taken up in his arms, his light, soft hat on his head, and

his ears taking in all that was transpiring. Andy regarded his stylish

sister-in-law as a very choice gem, which was not to be handled too

roughly, but he was not afraid of her; he was seldom afraid of anybody,

and when Richard was gone, he walked boldly up to Ethelyn and said: "I don't want to be meddlesome, but 'pears to me if you'd spoke out your

feelings to Dick, you'd said, 'Tell Melinda Jones I don't want to see

her, neither to-night nor any time.' Mebby I'm mistaken, but honest, do

you want to see Melinda?"

There was something so straightforward in his manner that, without being

the least offended, Ethelyn replied: "No, I do not. I am sure I should not like her if she at all resembles

her brother^ that terrible Timothy."

Andy did not know that there was anything so very terrible about Tim. He

liked him, because he gave him such nice chews of tobacco, and was

always so ready to lend a helping hand in hog-killing time, or when a

horse was sick; neither had he ever heard him called Timothy before, and

the name sounded oddly, but he classed it with the fine ways of his new

sister, who called him Anderson, though he so much wished she wouldn't.

It sounded as if she did not like him; but he said nothing on that

subject now--he merely adhered to the Jones question, and without

defending Tim, replied: "Gals are never much like their brothers, I reckon. They are softer, and

finer, and neater; leastways our Daisy was as different from us as

different could be, and Melinda is different from Tim. She's been to

Camden high-school, and has got a book that she talks French out of; and

didn't you ever see that piece she wrote about Mr. Baldwin's boy, who

fell from the top of the church when it was building, and was crushed to

death? It was printed, all in rhyme, in the Camden _Sentinel_, and Jim

has a copy of it in his wallet, 'long with a lock of Melinda's hair. I

tell you she's a team."

Andy was warming up with his subject, and finding Ethelyn a good

listener, he continued: "I want you to like her, and I b'lieve you orter, for if it hadn't been

for her this room wouldn't of been fixed up as 'tis. Melinda coaxed

mother to buy the carpet, and the curtings, and to put your bed in

there. Why, that was the meal room, where you be, and we used to keep

beans there, too; but Melinda stuck to it till mother moved the chest

and the bags, and then we got some paint, and me and the boys and

Melinda painted, and worked, hopin' all the time that you'd be pleased,

as I guess you be. We wanted to have you like us."