Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-08-13

difficulty. Day after day be would
solemnly vow TO speak, and day
after day the night would find him
Just where the morning did.
He might have gone on all sum
mer; resolving and re.resOlving,
and failing every time, had not
the arrival Of q letter from the city,
urging his immediate retun, sud.
denly brought matters to a focus.
Fred rode over to the town and
got the letter, and spent the rest
Of the day taking himself severely
to task.
Miss Lucy, walking about in
calm unconsciousness, which was
TO say the least, extremely pro-
voking, wondered, what made
cousin Fed so stupid" and teased
and tormented him, and made her
self so bewitching that poor Fred's
task became ten times harder than
ever, at the very moment when it
must be done.
After supper he took himself
and his cigar out on the porch for
GOODNESS and consolidation. While
he was cogitatiDg there, q little
figure in blue muslin dress and a
black silk apron appeared in the
doorway, and q sweet, piquant
voice called through the twilight
ofthe porch.
"Cousin Fred, are you out
herey'
Il am here-come out and walk
with me-" replied that gentlemen,
pausing in his promenade, and
fiinging the stump Of his cigar
into the bushes.
Lucy came out and joined him.
What is the matter, FredT'
said she; you've been as mopish
as an old owl all day, and now here
you are walking up and down like
a sentinel on his beat. I declare
one would think you had deserted
your post, and were sentenced to
be court-martialed and shot to.
morrow morning"
Now that innocent little speech
Of Miss Lucy's was a whole reve.
!ation to Fred. He had called her
with q desperate, now or never
idea Of making the charge at once
and taking the present change as
the forlorn hope. But with her
words there flashed into his mind
n most brilliant idea-the plan oi
a road through which he should
march triumphantly to victory,
and an immediate rise in the
young gentlemans spirits was the
consequence.
Lucy did not accuse him oi
mopishness again that night, and
though he did leave her charming
society rather earlier than usual, il
was only that in the solitude oi
his own apartment, with the helr
Of mans most potent counsellor
his cigar, he might mature his
plans for the attack.
The dewy fragrance of early
morning hung over the scene when
our hero again appeared upon the
field-in other words, the porch.
But upon this occasion he took his
post upon q rustic settee at the
end Of the porch. This settce-
and well the willy Fred hnew that
was Lucy's favorite morning seat,
where she at sewing, with her lit
tie work basket beside her, and
her little thimble upon her finger.
In his hand he held a six. bar
relied revolver-certainly an odd
weapon to be carried by an ex-
pectant lover. However he quiet
ly laid it upon the settee, near
him, and occupied himself with n
reverie, the subject of which shall,
in these pages, be nameless.
Presently the pit.pat of little
slipper heels in the hall annouuc
cd the approach of the fairenemy.
Fred hastily caught up the deadly
weapon, and began, with com
mendable industry to polish the
shining tube with a bit of soft
leather.
Out marched Miss Lucy in all
the witchery of pink gingham and
shining braids, and walked
straighway into the trap prepared
for her unwary feet.
what are you doing, Cousin
Fred 7" setting her little basket
down on the scttee. whats that
old thing for!"
"Old thing! Why, Lucy, its
one of Colts best, spick-and.span
new at that"
What are yon doing with it,"
"oh, just going to fix it up a lit
tlc."
Going hunting:' pursued
Lucy, innocent.
"Well-yes perhaps l may,
Don't you want TO go with me ?
Can you shoot Z"
"Me, shoot! Oh, goodness, no
Fred! / wouldn't touch one OF the
things for a hundred dollars"
you're q little goose. 1t
wouldn't hurt you. Besides, half
tho iaIias phoot oou, q, ,lo,,c o,,I