The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-10-23
decision, when / was called down
stairs To I,ettv Waltars

decision, when / was called dow
stairs to Lefty Walters.
Lefty was the prettiest, I think, o
all my friends, and certainly, tn,
liveliest. Tom called her sthe tonic,
! and used to laugh heartily at he
bright speeches. Isuppose it wa
this that made mother fix on Lett,
as his choice. When / came int!
the sitting.room, l found kind o
i cross examination going on. 1t wa
amusing to anybody in the secret, a
l was, to watch mothers artfui wa,
of continually bringing the conver
sation round as if by chance, to bea
on what she wanted to know. Blu
it all amounted to nothing, either
because Lefty was too good feneer
or because she really had nothing to
betray. But, when Tom came home
mother took care to mention tha
Lefty had called.
what, the tonic p said Tom
TOO bad / missed her.
| But for your choice being already
made,' said mother, with q cover,
scrutiny of his face, Il dare say you
might have as much of the tonic al
you liked
'But l go on the homeopathic
principle, you know answered Tom,
with twinkle in his eye.
After that, mother belief in Letty's
guiltiness wavered. Her suspicious
were transferred from one to another
Of our acquaintance, but always with
the same unsatisfactory result.
1T passed my comprehension,
she said to me, despairingly one day
Il am positive l 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 suggested: Some friend OF
his we have never seem
'What! perfect stranger?' said
mother, sharply. 'Never talk to me,
child TOMS not capable of that
| | was silent, for | did not want to
worry her; but that was my opinion
all the same.
The same evening-it was rather
more than a week since Tom had
hurled that thunderbolt of his at
us-mother began about it open,
ly.
'When are you going to introduce
your wife to US, Tom ? / suppose
you have come to an understanding
by this time?'
'Oh, there's no hurry Tom said,
as he had said before; but this time
he did not speak quite SO cheerful y.
'The fact is,' he continued, with a
little hesitation, There 's-thpre's a
rival in the case
"A rival p repeated mother, with
unfeeling hriskness.
yes, young fellow-younger by
a good deal than am, and Toms
face assumed an absurdly dolefl,l
look. He is always there now. l
confess don't see my way clear !;
Pm waiting for her to make up her
mind
'And she's waiting, most likely,
for you 10 make up yours said mo,
ther, forgetting, in her propensity to
right matters, that she was playing
the enemy's game.
There's something in that that
never occurred to me- said Tom,
his face Frightening. Mother saw
her mistake, and made counter
move at once.
But the ways Of my time are old
fashioned now; young ladies, nova
days, take matters in their own
hands. II she cared for you, you
may be pretty sure she wouldn't
have waited till this time to let you
know it-that is, l judge by the girls
l am in the habit of seeing; but il
this one is a stranger to me- there
mother riveted her eyes on Tom.
face; oh, dear, my unfortunate
words y 'lf she is an entire stranger
cannot pretend to form any opinion
of her, of course
| sOf course repeated Tom, absent
ly.
Not that have any such idea,
resumed mother, growing warmer
Il have said, and l say again, that to
bring a perfect stranger under this
roof is not my opinion of you
Tom
| l felt my mothers words like 80
| ,>,no opl panlIap. fnr FCo.,,
was looking meditatively across al
me, and, though that was just a way
of his, it seemed now az if he were
reading in my face that the opinion
was mine, and that l had been med
ding in what did not concern me.
felt myself, for very vexation, getting
redder every moment, till it grew
lntolerable.
'It's SO warm here,' | said, for an
excuse, turning toward the French
window. Il am going to get a breath
of fresh air.
l went ont into our little strip OF
garden-gro Tom followed. ]
thought | should never .iave better
opportunity to say what / had it in
ny mind to say, so waited for him
by the beach under the old pear
tree. sit down here, Tem,' l said
Tve something to say to YOU
Have your said Tom: sthat's
odd, for well, never mind that
just yet. What is it, May?'
'Tom,' | said, still surer now he
had misjudged me, and more resolv
ed to set him right, i want 9
place.
"A place? p repeated Tom, puzzled
az we'll he might be, by this sudden
and indefinite announcement; what
kind of place p
Il don't know I'said, for, indeed
my ideas were of the vaguest. q
thought you might, being in the way
of those things. Now, pray, Tom,
I went on quickly. don't fancy an
discontented, or-or anything O
that sort: the truth is, ever since
left off school l have wanted some
thing to do, and had It in my mind tt
speak to you about it,
With this looked at Tom, fearing
he might be vexed but he did no
look vexed. only pre-occupied.
Il do know of a place as it hap
pens,' he said, after a while, soni,
I'm not sure how it would suit YOU.