The Argosy — page 160: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Valentina. 145 If by chance the minister paid her a visit, that ill-conditioned bird was sure to seize on the occasion to scandalise his ears. Valentina sat on her perch in the cabin, twisting herself this way and that, and quarrelling with the windows, when there came a modest knock at the outer door. She turned her head in the act of listening, not being quite sure perhaps whether it was the door or not. The knock was repeated more loudly. ‘‘“Who’s there, who’s there?” called out Valentina. ‘Come in and take a chair.” Whereupon the visitor naturally tried the latch. But the door was locked, and the key was in Jessy’s pocket on its way to High Marten. The wind was making such an uproar, inside and out, that the appli- cant could only catch the sound of the words imperfectly, and never thought of the parrot. ‘Qh, come in, come in; don’t stand waiting in the cold; you'll catch your death,” repeated Valentina. Upon that, the door latch rattled again more violently ; at which Valentina laughed until she lost her hold upon the perch, and fluttered down to the floor. “Oh dear, I shall die! I shall die! Come in; come in, and take a chair,” she called out, laughing again in her idiotic fashion, as she climbed back. At this insult, the person outside, having found her out, walked away in anger, after asking Valentina through the keyhole whether she would like her neck wrung ; for he was in a hurry and had no time to waste. “Hang the men! they’re all alike; don’t trust ’em,” fired off Valentina as a parting shot; though indeed a fanciful hearer might have said the first word did not sound altogether like ‘‘ hang.” At that moment Miss Miranda Kettaway chanced to look out at her window opposite. She saw a light spring-cart drawn up; its white cover on it to-day, to shield from the wind the plants in pots and the choice vegetables it contained, and she saw its master turn- ing away from his fruitless call at the cabin door. He was a very tall, fine man, with a healthy, pleasant face, and bright brown eyes. “Susan! Susan! Docome here! There’s Adam Drake callirg there again! What can it possibly mean?—What can he want? This is the third time in a fortnight !” “Calling where?” placidly responded Miss Kettaway, her mouth too full of pins to stir from her chair. “Why at Jessy Moon’s. He has got into his cart now and is driving off. What on earth Drake the Carrier can want there is odd tome. Three times in a——” “Bother Drake the Carrier!” sensibly interrupted Miss Susan. “Don’t you see I am waiting for you to measure this skirt with me, Miranda ?” Adam Drake was popularly known as Drake the Carrier. Further COMIC OOO (CO)