The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-06-18
You Haven't Asked me TO.

| lou udYCu u hNhOu ulO ~
It was cloudy afternoon in July
The early morning had been pro
phetic of a pleasant day but like
great many prophecies of the
present time, had proved utterly
false. Yet a Sunday-School hac
determinedly shut it's eyes to the
threatening look of the sky, anc
gone on picnic thirty miles from
home. But the heavy drops O.
rain. which fell about the middle Of
the day, drove them from theil
original place OF destination, the
famous Lion Creek Bridge gorge
and sent them on some five miles
more to the pleasant town of Hor'
wich.
The excellent music discoursed
by the band which accompanied
the excursionists, as we'll as the
Inherent curiosity of man to look
upon strangers, attracted many
of the residents Of Horwich "down
to the grove" where the picnickers
were. Jack Haviland was one OF
the many who could not resist the
temptation-Jack and his friend
Marion. Down they went to the
grove, with one umbrella between
them.
Can anv one hope to describe
the feelings of a lonesome young
man who wanders through a bevy
of young girls, any one and every
one of whom. he desires to know
Jack was overfowing with that in
expressible feeling. And who can
blame him, or who can blame him.
or who would expect him to feel
otherwise &? He had been shut up
for six long months, pcring over
"Parsons on Contracts"-a book
so suggestive of love dreame-
"Kent's Commentaries" Claw
Glossary" and "Tomlin's Law
Dictionary" till his nightly dreams
presented a ghostly. troublesome
phalanx of agents and principals
of persons who could and who
would not make contracts of cesfu'
que trust and non compos mrnt's;
while above them all lowered Hugo
Grotius, conversing in stately Latin
iure beM etpacis, and Of the laws OF
nations, Can any one cenanre
Jack for feeling a longing desire
for a little human sympathy and
human contact? He listlessl v lean:
ed against pine tree and looked
around him.
Just then two Young ladies came
into the field of his vision. One
Jack knew. the other was a stran-
GER. and the other was the one
lack Immediately began to admire.
She was of medium height. dressed
simply. yet tastefn1lv; white Gar:
;haldi waist-T believe Jack found
out afterward that was the name OF
iit-helted in BY a broad ribbon, q
a dark skirt, ever which was loon.
ed another striped black and white,
and out from under which peened
two pretty feet. incased in thick
Ibut neat boots; classical head
though Jack confessed to me. that
Iif the fcnre-head which formed
the frontispiece Of the Jliad, anc
which was held ont to innocent
freshment as that of the blind colo
man elonuent." ia classical. WHY. he
didn't think hers was-with great
mass of hair. real, brown, living
hair. twisted into a grand coil he
hind, but not so firmly bnt tha
stray little curls had managed tf
creep out here and there to give
themselves airing az the wind fut
tered around her face; and it wa
such a sweet, comelv face, withal
that Jack, most heartily enviet
the wind; and, crowning all, wa
a tasteful bit of head-gear, such a
lis worn nowadays.
Jack stood under the pine tre'
and lost his heart. But he Nigh
Just as well have lost it. to the will
-wllisp, a sprite, or some othe
fearful deception, for what posslbl1
: ity was there of his ever gettini
,, acquainted with his suddenly Get u
: divinity, much less of-well, Jac]
hadn't as yet exactly defined it i
his own mind .
But nature is a matchmaker. /
rather broad statement, do you say
my gentle reader? Does not tn
s old couplet,
. "There's divinity that tshapes our end
Rough-hew them as you will"
apply to matchmaking as much 6
to any other course of life e? An
do Won want anv better authority