Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-03-30


You? If Horace Franklin should kill
me, you would de .lare with your last
breath that did it myself in fit of
temper. ! am sure, Dorothy, that |
didn't want to quarrel. You remember,
! suppose, that last evening he was TO
come for me to 90 and spend the even
ing at the village; and you remember,
probably, that | waited with my duds
on from seven o'clock till nine. | do,
if you do not; and very distinctly, too
Well, at nine o clock hc walked in, look
ing as cheap Us possible
"Cheap!' interrupted Dorothy.
Well, never mind, call it what YOU
plcase-ashamed f it suits you better
He looked to me Just as if he had been
about something lie knew was wrong.
and didn't dare to own up. After he
| had warmed his hands It minute or two
he turned, and. in an absent sort OF
way, said:
"Mabel, have you been waiting for
me with your things on all this while :?
50 Ies, of course | have. Didn't you
tell me you would be here at seven pre-.
cisely?' | replied.
80 Yes, [ did, SAID he, but circum-
stances over which | had no control,
and which | cannot explain, prevented
me from keeping my engagement.
| Now. hope Mabel will be a good little
girj. and not ask me any questions, and
we will let the evening, with its disap-
pontments, drop entirely out of our
| memories
THE idea, Dorothy, of his treating
me like Il baby, and closing my mouth
in that style. Don't you think | had II
right to know where he had been, and
what be had been about?"
"And YOU kept ut it, | suppose, and
| finally drove him out of the house with
your inqustiveness p
g persisted in NV determination to
| discover his sccret-of course | did.
| What else was there that could doY'
"Y on could have let him alone, and
| believed in him--that's what. Mabel
| hymn, since your mother died, and
| came to this house to take charge of at
| fairs, YOU have hurt my feelings two or
| three times with your willtulness; but
| this is the cruclest blow of all. You'll
live to re; ent this behavior, or Pm no
| prophet;' and Dorothy, after giving Il
| final twitch to her apron strings. plunged
into The savory dressing of bread and
| butter and sweet herbs, which was to
take the place of the original stomachs
of the fat turkeys on the table before
| her.
Just then Farmer Lynn entered, and
| Mabel looked up into his face, di5may
written all over her fair young counte-
nance.
He's heard something! Horace has
been complaining to him-that's very
surc!" muttercd Mabel, under her
breath, us the old gentleman carefully
wiped the snow rom his feet, closed
the door, and advanced to the stove.
What's the matter, father?' in
quired Mabel. You're not sick, |
hope? Sit right down here, and get
nice and warm before you 90 out again.
Its awful cold, isn't it?'
"Tho minx!' muttered Dorothy. stop
ping second from the filling process,
long enough, though to note Mabels
hcad tucked down on her fathers neck,
while the old man slowly rubbed his
hands over the bright fire, once in q
while stopping TO caress the tender
check living SO close to his own. "Thats
the way she comes round everybody
il over him, I'll bet dollar; but she
can t fool me with her blarney y
"lve heard some bad news at the
village" said Farmer Lynn, in this way
answering his daughters questions. at
isn't so dreadful bad, to be sure; but,
then, was in hopes that boy had sown
the last of his wild oats, and would be
able to leave college without being
turned out the back door,"
What boy?' inquired Mabel. "You
don mean Lause, iather?'
Lansing was Mabel's only brother,
very bright and precocious young man,
but of generous impulses, therefore
easily led, and consequently little fast
occasionally.
Who else. child? OF course Lpnse.
Last night being Christmas Eve, some
of the young blades concluded to have
a little fun, SO they started for the vii
lage, and fetched up at the tavern.
There they got pretty well set up, and
Lansing and his roommate then took Il
notion TO come home and make a call.
Horace got wind of it somehow lit seems
he was gong up after his horses) and
he managed to get into the sleigh with
the boys, take hold of the reins, and
instead of driving them here where they
expected to come, he turned another
way, and before they knew it Horace
stopped at their boarding house with
them. 1t seems they were both too
drunk to walk, and Horace tried to fix
things so that the professors wouldn't
find it out; but they got wind of it
some way, and all the students who
were OFT on this lark are suspended un-
| til the affair is examined into, and-oh,
| dear! after all the pains | have taken
| with that boy, and his education, to have
him turn ont SO! don't know but il
will kill me-"
"Who told you of this, father?" asked
| Mabel.
"Why, Lanse, of course; you know
he always owns up. met him on his
way to the tavern to pay for some glasses
the crowd broke. That Lanse is just rs
good hearted II boy as ever lived in this
world. | am inclined to think, May, il
we have little more patience, that he'll
| turn out all right in the end"
Il have always thought So" replied
Mabel. "Then you haven't seen Hor-
ace this morning?"
"No, not yet; but here is the boy
now" as quick, elastic step was heard
coming down the long hallway toward
the kitchen. Mabel ran into the closet
and closed the door.
Dorothv cbucl,lad and eIan,n,ed tba