The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1873-05-16


every day." said my sister, Struggling
her plump little shoulders. Mamma,
I wish you'd speak to him."
But my mother, bless her wise old
soul, knew better than that. She
only looked at me over the rims of he,
spectacles, and went on darning stock.
ings.
Paul is worried with business mat.
ters, I suppose" she said, apologetical.
ly. Paul will do well enough, if you
only let him alone"
I went up to my room after dinner,
and made an elaborate toilet I; but all the
pains 1 bestowed upon it served only to
heighten the general effect of awkward
ness.
"Tve two minds to wait till to-mor.
row." quoth I to myself, abruptly stop
ping, with my crayat half tied. q
No, I might be a coward, but I was
not such a poltroon as that. I had be-
gun the enterprise, and would carry il
through. Moreover, I had had an in
spiration. An entirely new and original
method of putting the momentous query
had occurred to me. 0-sz II.
!" Hang Fitzhugh Trefoill" ex-
claimed, gleefully, half aloud, though
there was no ear to hear my ejaculation.
"I'll win the dark-eyed treasure yet, in
spite of him." H'' DIE -'ai''h 41.' 'ii
/ II opened my writing case, and care
fully took out d little carte de visite
wrapped in tissue paper, and tenderly
laid it away with a pink silk perfumed
satchel that Minnie had made for me
once. 1t was Cecilia's picture she had
allowed me to steal it away from her,
with scarcely a remonstrance, a week be-
fore. Then was the time ought to
have proposed but, like the timorous,
doubling moon-calf that was, had let
the golden tide of opportunity slip away
from me- NAE1&1 4 }$E4kA I
I drew Bessie Armitage's vacant, doll
like face from its envelope, and COM
pared the two with thrill Of triumph in
my heart Ersr.- 1r,sI.tgy -
"Colorless water beside crimson,
sparkling champagne! pale violet in
the shadow of a royal rose pearls
ecGpsed by the fiery fash of diamonds!'
1 exclaimed. "Henry Wallis taste may
be correct and classical, but give me my
radiant brunette These bleached- out
heauties don't correspond with my ideal
of perfection"
1t was a lovely spring evening as !
entered the white graveled path
that led up to the broad porch
of the old-fashioned Vernon mansion.
Squire Vernon sat there smoking his
meerschaum. W}-& a..
"Won't you sit down and have q
smoke ?" he demanded, Hospitality.
"It's real luxury to be able to take
Whit out of doors, after being shut
up in the house all the winter. o.
may be you'd prefer going in to see
Cecil? ?" ttI.--
Sensible old gentleman he had moi
forgotten his own young days. I init.
mated that the special object of my visit
had been to {" see Cecil"
"Well, she is in the parlor, all by
herself" said the Squire, good-humored-
ly. "Walk in-walk in"
Cecilia Vernon was sitting in the par.
lor alone, as her father had said, the
bright center of a cheerful circle oI
lamplight. A bit of crochet work was
lying in her lap, and an open volume Of
poems-poems I had sent her-was on
the table.
4 Cecilia Vernon was always fair to
look upon in my sight; tonight, how.
ever, she seemed more than ordinarily
beautiful. b. etat..s. -.
i I sat down, and began hesitatingly
upon the never-failing topic of the
weather. A proposal had seemed the
easiest thing in the world as walked
along the dewy edges of the peaceful,
star-hghted road, contemplating. it from
afar of; but now that was facing it,
Z Alps upon Alps of difficulty and per,
plexity seemed 10 surround its &C.
complishment. I would have given al
that I was worth to postpone, the
evil day but twenty-four hours-all
4 but my self-respect, and that was i'm.
periled now.
Cecilia tried her best to keep the ball
of conversation in motion; she intro
duced new subjects, asked leading
questions, and feigned deep interest m
the most abstruse of topics. But ever
i Cecilia couldn't talk on forever, and
presently, with little sigh of despair,
she subsided into silence. @g
Now was the eyentful moment of my
destiny. sS.-o s9s3i
Il Cecilia T. / said, softly.
! She raised the liquid brown eyes to
mine.
AZ want to confde in you tonight
have your permission to speak p
Certainly, Mr.. Markham.
at am very much in love, Cecilia
in fact. my heart has long ago gone
out Of my own possession into that
Of"
Istopped with the fatal husky feel
ing in my throat. Cecilia was blush