The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tempest and Sunshine by Mary J. Holmes

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Title: Tempest and Sunshine

Author: Mary J. Holmes

Release Date: 2005-12 [Ebook #17260]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TEMPEST AND SUNSHINE***

Tempest and Sunshine

By Mary J. Holmes
New York
J. H. Sears & Company
1909

CONTENTS

Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXV
Chapter XXVI

TEMPEST AND SUNSHINE

CHAPTER I

MR. WILMOT ARRIVES AT MR. MIDDLETON'S

It was the afternoon of a bright October day. The old town clock had just
tolled the hour of four, when the Lexington and Frankfort daily stage was
heard rattling over the stony pavement in the small town of V----, Kentucky.
In a few moments the four panting steeds were reined up before the door of
The Eagle, the principal hotel in the place. "Mine host," a middle-aged,
pleasant-looking man, came hustling out to inspect the newcomers, and
calculate how many would do justice to his beefsteaks, strong coffee,
sweet potatoes and corn cakes, which were being prepared in the kitchen by
Aunt Esther.

This good dame divided her time between squeezing the steaks, turning the
corn cakes, kicking the dogs and administering various cuffs to sundry
little black urchins, who were on the lookout to snatch a bit of the "hoe
cake" whenever they could elude the argus eyes of Aunt Esther. When the
rattling of the stage was heard, there ensued a general scrambling to
ascertain which would be first to see who had come. At length, by a series
of somersaults, helped on by Aunt Esther's brawny hand, the kitchen was
cleared and Aunt Esther was "monarch of all she surveyed."

The passengers this afternoon were few and far between, for there was but
one inside and one on the box with