Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-06-13

declared that we had met before.
Isn't it funny?"
"Well," replied Mr.. Conrad, slow
ly, "not-so-funny- perhars-as
YOU think. I should like-may L?
Mollie, will you listen while tell
you a long story? 1 have longed to
utter it for days pas., but till now l
never dared"
"Certalnly," said Mollie, coloring.
He never called her Mollie before.
sIt was about young man," con-
tinued Mr.. Conrad-"a wild young
fellow, full of fun and frolic, who
never stopped at anything that
promised good joke.
SThere was young lady, too, as
it happcned-a sort of cousin of his
AS wild as himself. She was sent
for her sins, to boarding-school-a
very strict school. Itwas atP--,
not far from here"
"The convent" asked Mollie,
wondering.
Exactly. Well, my young lady
wrote home all sorts Of droll ac-
counts of her prison house. She
told all her trials and adventures,
and made pcn-and-ink caricatares
of the Lady Superior, whom she
dubbed 'Thc Dragon in short, SO
comical that her brothers and cous.
ins, and two or three young men
who were inmates of the house, and
so privileged, used to roar over the
letters, and look for their coming
as the best jokes. At last a ridicu-
lous plan was started between them.
Adele (that was the young LADY,
had detied them to insert even so
much as one of their noses into the
strictly. guarded domain. 1t was
decided that one Of them should 90
in disguise and attempt the expert
ment. They laid wager about it
and drew lots. The lot fell to the
cousin.
"Thc disguise he pitched upon
was that of a 'scissors-grinder.' No,
please don't speak" Mollic had
given little Jump; "Let me finish
my own way"
$50, carrying his wheel, this
young fellow started off up country.
Part of the bet was that he should
go on foot, and return the same way.
He had all sorts of odd experiences,
and about noon the second day
reached the convent.
Oils wheel and his Irish brogue
gained him admission at the gate.
Adele had been in a measure pre-
pared for his coming. She recog-
nized him at once, and considered
it the greatest fun in the world. So
the little witch ran around and col
lected all the knives and scissors in
the house, and gave her intimate
friends the cue, and pretty soon the
grinder was surrounded by q bevy
of girls, some in the secret, some not
but all catching the excitement with
a sort of freemasonry peculiar to
school. Leave had been asked of
the principal, of course, and OBJ
tanned without difficulty. Nobody
minds a scissors grinder, you knoww
Mollie's eyes laughed, but she
did not speak.
81 hope," went on Mr.. Conrad,
"that those scissors were well
sharpened, but l can't feel as sure
as sould like to. But l know
there never was droller hour than
that which this NEEDY knife-grinder'
had with those girls. The secret
got out and the whole school collec-
ted. The firts peeped out of the
windows, and made eyes; the de-
mure pretended not to understand;
the little ones danced and giggled.
When all the steel in the house had
been sharpened for dulled) the
witches ran to the Lady Superior,
and asked permission to give the
poor man. something to eat. IIe
looked SO ,ired-and worked so hard
Oh, if you could have seen him sol
emnly consuming sandwiches, with
those forty girls looking on, and the
head witch Adele assuming her
airs of hostess at q dinner party!
"Well, he got safely off and made
his way to Woodbury., where he
staid over night. The next morning
as he was passing down the street,
he caught sight of face at the
window of pretty country house.
1t may have been the facet may
have been the mischiefin him; any
way, he stopped and begged for
work, and pretty soon out Of the
front door stopped tigure-a little
figure in blue-ah, Mollie, needn't
90 on! You have guessed my rid
die. You know the little figure
proved a magnet to draw him again
to Woodbury., and keep him linger-
ing there in hopes the day might
come when, the story told, and the
disguise forgiven, the exscissors-
grinder might speak in his own
name, and ask if there was any
hope for him; any hope that the
little maid in blue could consent to
overlook spoiled shears and dull
carver, and make him happy for
life. Is there2 Won't You speak,
dear:"
After considerable hesitation,
Mollie said. little confused on
her own part:
"Do you know that was st. Valcn-
tines morning Oh which you came?
I had just repeated the old rhyme,
and put my head out of the window
to look for my future husband, when
saw you and your wheel far up
the road!'
"Oh, clever st. Valentine" laugh
ed Mr.. Conrad. $50, for once,
scissors didn't cut love, Mollie."
"No," said Mollie, blushing
sweetly. "There is prettier saying
than that about scissors, you know.
Their meaning is, we part to meet
again."
l leave the reader to imagine Mr..
Conrad's reply.
Why Aunt Sallie Mover Married.
"Now, Aunt Sallie, do please tell
us why you never got married. You