The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-06-17

ion, when was called down stairs to Lefty
Walters. afaa lar
Lefty was the prettiest, think, of all my
friends, and certainly the liveliest. Tom
called her " the tonic" and used to laugh
heartily at her bright speeches. suppose
it was this made mother fix on Lefty as
his choice. When 1 came into the sitting
room found kind of cross-examination
going on. 1t was amusing to anybody in
the secret, as was, to watch mothers art
full way of continually bringing the CONVEX
sation round, as if by chance, to bear on
what she wanted to know. But it all
amounted to nothing, either because Lefty
was too good a fencer Or because or she
really had nothing to betray. But when
Tom came home mother took care to men,
tion that Lefty had called. ,t..,
"What, the tonic 9' said Tom. "Too
bad / missed her."
But for your choice being already
made" said mother, with covert scrutiny
of his face, =" / dare say you might have
as much of the tonic as you liked" ''
But go on the homeopathic principle,
you know" answered Tom, with twinkle
in his eye.
After that, mothers belief in Letty's
outlines wavered Her suspicious were
transferred from one to another of our ac-
quaintance, but always with the same un-
satisfactory result.
''It passes my comprehension" she said
to me, despairingly, one day. ~ am posi-
tive l could tell the right one by TOMS
face in minute, and yet have mentioned
everybody we know" .,,,0.,i.
I,e,i''' Perhaps it is somebody we don't
know" suggested; some friend of his
we have never seen."' ..,h..fi..g
What a perfect stranger ?'' said moth
er, sharply, Never talk to me, child
TOMS not capable of that p
was silent, for / did not want to wor-
ry her; but that was my opinion all the
same.
The same evening-it was rather more
than week since Tom had hurled that
thunderbolt. Of his at us-rnother began
about it openly. - '"!'i 20 o''AH '
"When are you going to introduce your
wife to us, Tom suppose you have come
to an understanding by this time 9''' 'd r
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 hesitation,
"there-- there's rival in the case. .'i'A
GA rival r' replied mother, with unfeel-
ing briskness. w. '''''"'e' ui 2'i 'f
ayes, young fellow-younger by a
good deal than am" and Toms face as
sumed an absurdly dolefuI look. #" He's
always there now. confess don't see
my way clear; Pm waiting for her to make
up her mind" ga "am 9'I 90 81
q" 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 enemy's game. $50 %.
"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.
g But the ways of my time are old-fash-
ioned 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, judge by the girls
l am in the habit of seeing; but If this one
is a stranger to me-" (here mother riv-
eted her eyes on Toms face--oh, dear, my
unfortunate words y "if she is an entire
stranger ! cannot pretend to form any opin-
ion of her course" la
"Of course, " repeated Tom, absently.
"Not that have any such idea," re-
sumed mother, growing warmer; "I have
said, and say again, that to bring per-
feet stranger under this roof is not my
opinion of you, Tom" III, Is
l felt mothers words like SO many pins
and needles; for Tom was looking medita-
lively across at me, and, though that was
just a way Of his, IL seemed now as II he
were reading in my face that the opinion
was mine and that had been meddling in
what did not concern me, felt myself, for
very vexation, getting redder every mo-
ment, TIL It grew intolerable.
z" 1t Is SO warm here" said, for an ex-
cuse, turning toward the French window.
81 am going to get a breath Of air." ! 1T
went out into our little strip Of garden
ground; Tom followed. ,@s's' i
thought should never have better
opportunity 70 say what / had in my mind
TO say, so ! waited for him by the bench
under the old pear tree. !" ~ ~