The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-10-10

me the home-life | liked best, and fel
myself best suited for; but-wouId it an
swer in other respects? / overcast tn
long seam was sewing twice over,
was so busy trying to make up m.
mind whether l liked VIII Broomle.
well enough to pass my whole life witt
him; and even then l had not come L
any decision, vixen I was called dowl
st'il r. Te+-J Walters.
Lefty was she ',rerie-t, think, o
all my friends, 4iid certainiy the i've
liest. Tom called her .le tonic" anC
used to laugh heartily at her brigh
speeches. suppose it was this made
mother fix on Lefty as his choice. Wher
/ came into the sitting room, l found +;
kind Of cross-examination going on. L
was amusing to nybody in the secret, al
/ was, to watch mothers artful way o.
continually bringing the conversation
round, as if by chance, to bear on whai
she wanted to know. But it all amoun
ted to nothing, either because Lefty was
too good fencer, or because she really
had nothing to betray. But when Tom
came home, mother took care to mention
that Lefty had called.
What, the tonic?" said Tom. 'Toc
bad / missed her"
"But for your choice being already
made" said mother, with covert scruti-
ny of his face, 81 dare say you might
have as much of the tonic as you lik-
ed"
"But I go on the homeopathic princi-
ciple, you know" answered Tom, with
a twinkle in his eye.
After that, mothers belief in Letty's
outlines wavered. Her suspicious
were transferred from one to another OF
our acquaintance, but always with the
same unsatisfao result.
at passes my comprehension" she
said to me, despairingly, one day. 81
am positive 1 could tell the right one
by Toms face in a minute, and yet /
have mentioned everybody We know.
perhaps it is somebody we don't
know" I suggested; "some friend of his
we have never seen"
"What a perfect Stranger" said
mother, sharply. "Never talk to me,
child; Toms not capable of that!'
/ was silent, for did not want to wor-
ry her; but that was my opinion all the
same.
The same evening was rather n ore
than week since Tom had hurled that
thunderbolt of his at us-mother began
about it openly.
"When are you going to introduce
your wife to us, Tom? I suppose you
have come TO an understanding by this
timer"
ooh, there's no hurry" Tom said, as
he had said before; but this time he did
not speak quite so cheerfully. "The
fact is" he continued, with little hesi-
tation, "there-there's rival in the case. 4"
"a rival? repeated mother, with un-
feeling briskness.
Yes, q vcHr@ fellow-~ounger by a
good deal ,hau am, and Toms face
assumed an absurdly doleful look. He
is always there now. I confess / don't
see my way clear; I'm waiting for her to
make up her mind"
"And she's waiting, most likely, for
you to make up yours" said mother,
forgetting, in her propensity to right
matters, that she was playing the enc
my's game.
"There's something in that that never
occurred to me-" said Tom, his face
Frightening Mother saw her mistake,
and made countermove at once.
"But the ways of my time are old
fashioned now; young ladies, nowadays,
take matters into their own hands. If
she cared for you, you may be pretty
sure she wouldn't have waited till this
time to let you know it-that is, I judge
by the girls am in the habit of seeing;
but if this one is stranger to me"
there mother riveted her eyes on Toms
face; oh, dear, my unfortunate words!)
eff she is an entire stranger, I cannot
pretend to form any opinion of her, of
course"
"Of course" repeated Tom, absently.
'tNot that | have any such idea," re-
sumed mother growing warmer; 'T
have said, and I say again, that to bring
perfect stranger under this roof is not
my opinion of you, Tom"
felt mothers words like so many
pins and needles; for Tom was looking
meditatively across at me, and though
that was just way of his, it seemed
now as if ne were reading in my face
that the opinion was mine, and that I
had been meddling in what did not con-
cern me. I felt myself, for very vexta-
tion, getting redder every moment, till
it grew intolerable.
cit is SO warm here" said, for an
excuse, turning toward the French win
dow. "I am going to get breath of
air."
/ went out into our little strip of gar
den-ground; Tom followed.
I thought I should never have a bet
ter opportunity to say what I had it in
my mind to say, so I waited for him by
the bench under the old pear tree. "Sit
down here, Tom," SAID, Give some
thing to say to you."
"Have your" said Tom; "that's odd,
for We'll, never mind that, just yet.
What is it, May?"
"Tom," I said, still surer now he had
mis-judged me, and more resolved to
set him right, 81 want place"
ga placer" repeated Tom, puzzled, as
well he might be, by this sudden and
indefinite announcement; "what kind of
a placer"
81 don't know" l said, for, indeed,
my ideas were of the vaguest. 81
thought you might, being IN the way of
those things. Now, pray, Tom," went
on quickly, don't fancy l am distcon-
tented, or-or anything of that sort;
the truth is, ever since left off school,