The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Some Say", by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

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Title: "Some Say"
Neighbours in Cyrus

Author: Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

Release Date: November 13, 2008 [EBook #27251]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: (cover)]

[Illustration: (frontispiece)]

"SOME SAY"

NEIGHBOURS IN CYRUS

BY

LAURA E. RICHARDS

Author of "Captain January," "Melody," "Queen Hildegarde,"
"Five-Minute Stories," "When I Was Your Age,"
"Narcissa," "Marie," "Nautilus," etc.

TWELFTH THOUSAND

[Illustration]

BOSTON
DANA ESTES & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

_Copyright, 1896_,

BY ESTES & LAURIAT

_All rights reserved_

Colonial Press:

C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

Electrotyped by Geo. C. Scott & Sons

"SOME SAY"

TO MY
Dear Sister,
FLORENCE HOWE HALL,
THIS VOLUME
IS AFFECTIONATELY
DEDICATED

* * * * *

"SOME SAY."

Part I.

"And some say, she expects to get him married to Rose Ellen before the
year's out!"

"I want to know if she does!"

"Her sister married a minister, and her father was a deacon, so mebbe
she thinks she's got a master-key to the Kingdom. But I don't feel so
sure of her gettin' this minister for Rose Ellen. Some say he's so
wropped up in his garden truck that he don't know a gal from a
gooseberry bush. He! he!"

The shrill cackle was answered by a slow, unctuous chuckle, as of a
fat and wheezy person; then a door was closed, and silence fell.

The minister looked up apprehensively; his fair face was flushed, and
his mild, blue eyes looked troubled. He gazed at the broad back of his
landlady, as she stood dusting, with minute care, the china ornaments
on the mantelpiece; but her back gave no sign. He coughed once or
twice; he said, "Mrs. Mellen!" tentatively, first low, then in his
ordinary voice, but there was no reply. Was Mrs. Mellen deaf? he had
not noticed it before. He pondered distress