American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-10-19

-
by flirting with him. 1t will be dull prob
!ablv.-hut-
''But it will be better than horrid teach
ing she reminds herself. She has M
more sense of moral responsibility con
corning what she is about to do than
child has of knocking down house o
cards.
"Fve altered my mind about the flowers
l gather tonight, Mr.. BoughtOn. They
must be for your study. Will you have
them?''
''Will not!''
His face is in the shade and looks very
well there. Minnie adjusts her head at 4
becoming angle, and makes another effort
:" Aunt Catherine, with that good, ser
| viccable, cOmmon-sensc of hers. would
jecr at me for being romantic if she heard
me say that if should like to take a tiny
bit of this stilc away to wear in lOcket rs
Il charm.''
He knows that she means him to think
that she loves the stilc because he is lean
| ing upon it with her. in what poet would
call the ''y!oaming.'' He knows all she
means; and he likes it.
| He takes Il knife out, and defrauds the
lord of tine manor by cuttings square inch
out of the stile. He would defraud twenty
lords of the manor of twenty times the
value of this square inch of stile, at this
| juncturc. to please Minnie Ward.
With rather shaky hand, he proceeds
to cut his initials, g f. b." on the little
bit of wood. He trims it, and smooths it;
| and then he looks at her.
She gives him one look; and he forgets
all his views as to the prOpriety of the
| clergy being a celibate body.
| 'sMay l cut yours here top he asks
and she bends down her head, and whis-
pers Eyes" and when she comes down
| from the stile she is engaged to him.
As she leans upon his arm she makes
him understand that life will be wilder
ness to her until she has the right and the
power to so lean always. He has his own
views about short engagements he disap-
proves OF them but he thinks that her
sweet soul trembles ut the prospect of
| ever so brief separation from him. And
he believes it,-good young priest rs lie
is.
''Then it had better be sOOn," he says
eagerly. Why he says it, he can't exactly
define but he gathers upimpressions that
| it had better be soon, and speaks from the
impulse they give him.
'sOh, if you wish it!''
OF course he wished it. Suddenly he
found himself wishing it very much, and
feeling that all his preconceived ideas on
the subject were utter folly and empty
humbug. Minnie would be Il crown of
Boughton, would crown himself rs soon
| as possible.
She is very full of pride of her own
success as she steps out from the shade of
the wood on to the open green. Her head
| settles back into n satisfied wobble as she
sees Aunt Catherine approaching them.
Miss Paulett comes towards the pair i'm
the dim light and as she comes on, it is
made manifest to her, even in the dim
| light, that something has happened.
| II.
For four DAYS Minnie has been very
happy and very amiable. Edward BOueh-
ton manages to make duty and inclina-
| ton agree wonderfully well. When he
goes abroad on missions of mercy, Minnie
| accompanies him.-a MISUNDERSTANDING
angel in different colored cambrics.
Her aunt, Kate Paulett, has been told
| the grea. news, and has been cordial and
| CHEEKY. His aunt, Miss Boughton. has been
told, and has been morOse and gloomy.
Minnie is not one bit disturbed by either
| wOman's state, or expression of feeling.
She merely remarks to Edward
'Y our aunt looks so sour about it that
one would think it was a crime to love
you: as if could help :"
Minnie means marriage as soon as pos
sible: and now, on the evening OF the
| fourth day of her engagement. she is feel
| ing Il uUtlc annoyed anu De-
cause the time is not definitely fixed yet.
| s'You might speak to him aunt Cathe-
| rine.''
| 'sAbout naming the day, No, my
dear: it's for him to speak to you about
| that
'sBut what's the good of waiting? What
are we waiting for?'' Minnie pouts.
minds her.
| mo; and l don't mean to wait long,
that's another thing: we shall not know
each other bit the better while he is
down here, and I'm going on with that
horrid, horrid teaching. don't see why
/ we need watt
sYou can hardly be the one to suggest
a speedy marriage" Kate says dryly
''but l have no doubt when Mr.. BOughton
realizes that you consider your present
one life of slavery, he will speedily res
cue you from it.
Minnie fiushes. 81 don't want him to
know anything about my present life, -
she says, with an effort to seem at ease.
Kate flashes up glance from the pre-
serving pan over which she has been bend
ing assiduously during the conversation.
"You don't mean to say that you
haven't told him? %
81 have not. Why should I? Men arc
quite apt enough to think they confer a
favor on q girl by proposing mar
L
knoD they confer favor by taking her
out of bondage"
''He ought to know it if you don't tell
him, WILL Kate says, skimming Off the
scum vigorously.
Don't be malicious and spiteful because
you have failed to get him yourself" says
Minnie.
"You'd serve your own ends U know
what they are, Minnie) better by telling
him truth that is honorable to you; but
rest assured that will never interfere be-
cruel specch.''
i 1t is settled between the lovers soon that
they are to marry in Il year. By that time
Minnie will he twenty-Onc, and he will
have Il suitable home to receive her in
This delay will enable him to settle his
aunt elsewhere. ''Shc broke up her home
to come down here with me, he explains
''Shc'll be desperately filssy about Il
house. | know she will keep you unset
tied as long as she can"
His greatest comfort Che is drcadfully
i'm love) when Minnie is gone, is to go to
her Aunt Kate, and talk about her. Kate
is merciful enough to let him maundcr on
uninterruptedly, as a rule; but one day
she does hint to him that Minnie is but
mortal.
.-Minnie can i'll bear stagna.ion and sus-
pcnse,' she says. IL shall be glad when
you can take your holiday, and go and
see her. You'll go soon, won't your
Something i'm her tone set him thinking
1t does not exactly alarm him, but il
startlcs him.
SIS she ill? Have you heard''-bul
Miss Paulctt interrupts him impatiently
before he can saNa word more.
III? Oh, no! If there were anything
the matter my sister would have, WRITER