The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-06-08
TIFFIN. OHIO. THURSDAY

"COme straight from heaven, mol
I like" said /.
g "Bah get out your banjo, and sin
a solo. None of your sentimentals
me-" and Tom lit fresh figaro.
! sang, "Kiss me Through the Ga
den Fence" Tom Joined his splendi
= baritone to the chOrOus. Just as "
r. were ending the song, and the accom-
, paniment was swelling, rich and lou
- on the final ID chord, / saw the gil
again stand close TO the window, as
= listening to our music.
: "There she j. again, the little Witch
y 7 half whispered 10 Tom.
"Well, she's not going to hurt any
- body" he ans wered .Let's sing Lit
= tie Nell for her benefit"
= So we sang the song, and severa
others. Finally, our little beauty dis
appeared entirely, and we saw her n
!, more that evening.
Pm afraid you cant, fully understant
Just how matters stood betwiXt Ton
and me. We'd ha' died for each 9th
! er; that's just it, and no doubt of it
a Tom would joke. He was better on
: joke than l was; though, for tina
matter, I wasn't slow. / have neve
seen Toms equal for friendship. H,
e. ha' cut off his head to do me favor
so he would.
Well, after that we saw our girl a
the window most every day. 1 owl
that watched for her pr ;tty constant
I ly. AS for Tom, he whistled and
grunted, and made as if he didn't care
: whether he saw her or not. / stood
it Just as long as 1 could, and finally ]
! stepped over to Mrs. MalOne's, one
evening and managed to get an intro.
ductiOn to Miss Victorine Saunders
the young lady's name, sir; pretty
name, too.
I don't think it would be prudent to
try to describe my feelings when for
the first time l took a seat face to
face with that wee fairy of a girl. NV
heart Just gallOped about loose in nv
breast. Once it got into my throat
and staid there some time just a roll
ing over and over. think my face
must have changed color fifty times
I'm minute.
Can't remember what I said nor
what she said, but / had a pleasant
sort of time TOR the hour / staid.-
Miss Saunders was a niece of Mrs.
Malone. She was q chatty little thing,
with the most expressive face in the
world, but r0guish, bless my life =
Why, sir, her eyes just danced in her
] head.
"Call again, Mr.. Duncan" she said,
as she rose 10 bid me good evening. /
left that house feeling lighter than a
cork and sweeter than sugar. Music
! hummed in my ears-jOy leaped
through my veins.
On the steps thatled up to our rooms
I met Tom. / looked right straight
into his eyes, and there / saw lust
little bit of a cloud, just little CLEAN
of displeasure.
We ran up stairs side by side, our
| feet spatting sharply on the steps.
When We reached our room Tom sat
down and hauled out a newspaper to
Which for half an hOnr he paid strict
attention. / got out my banjo and
sang "Kiss me Quick"
Presently Tom leaned back in his
chair and laughed loud and long, and
then he read aloud the auecdOte that
had so tickled him. For my part l
did not think it was funny at all.
Next morning 1 proposed a fishing.
Tom said he had big headache, so
I went alone, leaving him smelling
vigorously Ofa camphOr bottle In my
life I had never before known him to
have the headache.
Pshaw! such fishing as had. Not
a nibble did | get. The brook bubbled
lazily, and the wind hummed sIeepi-
ly away up in the white sycamore
trees. A little bit of bird with vel
low wings and a red throat sat on a
swinging branch and sung "Chip-a-
rec, Victorine" all the time, and
tiny nest was hard by, just chuck full
of young ones.
l staid by the brook an hour, think
ing how happy it would be to have a
nest like that little bird, with some
one to sing around it like a bee around
a flower. Then wound up my line
and walked toward town, while faint |
er and fainter grew the voice of the !
red throat, "Chip-a-ree, VictOrinel" |
When / reached the foot of the stair |
,s,oIr 70 onr attic 7 ulnncad ovaE to-
Malone. Some one came out OF the I
door. 1t was Tom. l saw by the |
smile on his face that his headache |
was not so severe as it had been.
I ran up to our room put away my
fishing rod, and was singing. "Bury
me under pile of straw" when Tom
came in. I did not look up, but just
picked away at those strings with
might and main, the banjo fairly
talking.
HUmph % satd Tom, taking cigar
and raking a match on the wall.
"Catch any fish?'
"No,u saidI Did you ?"
Tom sucked away at his cigar as if
he did not hear me.
!fHow's your headache ?' l added.
He looked at me sharply ror a sec
Ond. Then wagging his head dolor-
ously, replied.
"Did ache awfGlly. Like toa burst
ed"
Well, time ran on slowly and de-
liciously: but somehow didn't enjoy
it lust as ought to. Tom and / play
ed funny game. 1t was laughable.
Whenever my back was turned Tom
was over at Mrs. MalOne's. When
e yer Toms back was turned l was
there.
Now, then, loved Tom. pda died
for him. Good old Tom. I'll never
have another such friend. No, sir,
his likes not to be found at all.
Well, day after day, Tom went over
TO talk with VictOrine, and day after
day went to talk with her. Day
after day she grew sweeter and pret-
tier, day after day Toms face grew
sallower, and day after day my face
grew thinner.
Down in my heart Ipitied Tom, and
Just as deeply as 1 pitied myself.
Sometimes the good spirit in my heart
plead with me to give way and let
Tom have VictOrine, but how could L ?
| He had saved my life more than once,
/ but what was life before I saw her?
Filled with conflicting emotions, l
sat one evening alone 10 our room.
/ Tom, knew was over at Mrs.
| Malone's. Stronger than ever my
good spirit was arguing with me. |
was thinking how happy Tom and /
had been together since our bOyhOOd.
Must | make him wretched now?
While was thinking Tom came
in.-His face was as yellow as saffron.
Med" said he, taking my hand in
both his, AZ have been talking with
| Victorine, and have told her that she
must not think of ME any more. For
your sake, Ned, have done this. Go
to her Ned, aud may you and she be
happy
Toms voice was hollow and strange
like.
Nv heart leaped into my mouth. ]
couldn't say word. 1 just wrung
Toms hand like fury. I loved him
more than ever-noble generous Tom
I hardly knew anything till 1 was
knocking at Mrs. Malone's door. Vic
toriAe opened it herself, and it was
her own sweet voice that said "come
i'm
AS I followed that little fairy into
the parlor, something said to me
sTom, Tom; poor Tom W
Suddenly a resolve entered my
breast l would be generous. l wOulC
return Toms sacrifice. 1 would pleaC
for him.