Smyrna times., 1873-10-08
.MISceIIU 10 e o Us.
How 2

Perhaps | ana little too hasty, little too
ready to light up at minutes notice; but
there are some words that seem to me to carry
an especial grain of gunpowder in them, and
the above is one O the sort. To have per-
son, after you We been through long explana-
ton, put his fingers to his mental ears and
query you thus, or, worse still, iIaow 2? is
too exasperating for human nature to bear.
But that is what John Stringer did to me-
bending his head little nearer, and speaking
in an absent, aggravating manner that tanta-
lized me beyond words.
You see, John Stringer and were engaged ;
we'd been engaged for a long time, and per.
haps had got to be little too matter O. course
to each other.
We we're sitting there over the fire, after the
old folks had gone to bed, and | fell to telling
him about Sophie Mills wedding-her white
silk dress, her bride-cake, and her bridesmaids
frosted all over to match it, and | ended this
way:
people that love each other; all that's O. no
more account than last year S snow-drift. They
could be married i'll calico and homespun, with
their feet on rag carpet like this, and love
each other just as well
"How?" said John, absently. He was
watching the Goals flicker up and die out again,
and picking up stray chip now and then to
| fling on the embers-a fashion he had when
he was thinking.
Now | had had the headache all day, and ]
guess [ was rather more tindery than usual,
though l didn't think so them but when John
bent is great broad shoulders over, as If he
something better to occupy his mind, | Just
fired up, first, and then the blaze died down
into sulks, and when we parted that night j JOhI
| and had had our first and last quarrel
My heart did not mIsgive me that when
saw JohlI's great tall figure going out the door
il was the last time he d lift the latch for many
year; but so it was.
You see, held my head pretty high in thos,
days, and wouldn't show that was bit Gu
up about it, so paired OF with Mrs. Plum
ber's Jesse, likely, spruce young fellow
enough, but no more to be compared will
John than cockle-shell is to brigantine.
o, well, mother sighed and tried right hare
to bring us together again, but it wasn't to be
John was a powerful, muscular man, and
used to see him go up the road many a tim
when was out in the shed milking, and peep
; ing out at him through the chinks, L though
his broad shoulders stopped more than ever
and his figure was growing more stalky like
: Such an awkward fellow as John wasl cam
near rushing out on him once, in my sun bon
. net and with my sleeves relied up, and hingin
my arms rlRnI rOuuu HIS neckj DuC OOnn ike
to see folks tidy, and never did it.
Jesse Plumber was the beau o the village
dapper, neat, and dainty as you please; and q
: the girls thought had come to my sense
6 when ousted 'em O. jess. And by-and-by
was Jess that came sparkling nights, and SO
; owinter evenings over the embers, and he wa
!. so soft.spoken aud pleasant that even motht
+ forgot her vexation. (She always set store b
!. John, mother did, Well, in the spring "
Il were married, Jess and me, and had strin
e o'pearls and a real silk bridal dress, and fe
d kind o'lifted like when the girls crowded rouu
4! me and hoped I'd be happy. | hoped SO toe
4 | wasn't sure of it.
3. Remembering the days that came after,
q can t recall one hard word | ever heard fro
d Jess. We weren't near enough to each 9th
n to quarrel we Just laid apart like two oC
ar volumes; there wasn't any fire 'twixt u.s. NJ
ne any thing 'twixt us, either love or laughin
ID whereas John and / had always been bubblii
y over one way and another.
r. worked hard, for my silk dress and nee
tx lace were all had of riches and cut up h
n gown one day to make cloak for the tab
You see, couldn't give up my pride, and W