The Republican journal., 1874-11-26
Making Love in the Dark

Wont some one mark my lines for
me, please My quilting looks very much
| like Mrs. Partingtons turpentlne walks,
and Mary Norris raised a pretty. laughing
face to the assembled company. which
consisted of the elite OF Brownsville, with
some of the lower strata. The little village
boasted not of its numbers as it did of its
pretty girls, and Mrs. Goodwin was re-
solved to have her quilt finished by fair
means on foul. and, being desperate had
scraped Brownsville for her quilting bee.
The usual gossip was at its height when
it was interrupted by the appeal of Mary
! Norris to Mrs. Goodwin, whose interest it
was to have every line perfect, and to
keep the social machine in running order.
50 she hustled and soon got Mary to work
again.
II wonder" said Jennie Haskin-, ''it
Mary Frazier is coming to-day
"Goodncss knows. She is terrible
fashionable and aristocratic," returned
one of the lower set.
"Oh, she is coming" interrupted the
hostess; she promised me not to fail, she
is such Il quiet, undemonstrative little
thing that she will accomplish q great deal
even if she does come late
..She wouldn't be fashionable and like
city people if she came as early as the
rest" put In another of the lower strata.
For my part. wish she would stay en-
tirely. We can live without such stuck
up
The sentence remained unfinished, for
at that moment the lovely face of Miss
Frazier looked in upon them with pleas
ant smile In her quiet manner she had
Il; 10 Il bnj
and gloves without disturbing the hostess.
and then surprised them Mrs. Goodwin
greeted her warmly, and as usual, with
much fuss and hustle. she was seated at
the quilt, where her slight, deft fingers, as
Mrs Goodwin had predicted, soon began
to trace line after line in her exquisite and
neat fashion, and to outdo many who had
come earlier.
Al the people who could be pick ed into
pieces We're and Brownsville had to pass
through the social femme mangled custom
ary upon such occasions. and yet strange
to say, survived After tea the gathering
of the rustic swains began. Among them
came handsome DIR. Collins and his old
bachelor friend DR.. Peters. OF course the
entire unmarried portion OF the other sex
We're setting their caps for the handsome
Young physician, and We're doing all they
could to increase his vanity and spoil him
generally Upon the present occasion he
Joined right merrily in the country games,
romped with Mary Norris, and paid more
than one forfeit upon her red poutlng lips
indeed, he seemed to revel in sweets, tor
the most of the girls though making show
of resentment when he kissed them, eyi-
IDENTIFY sought or challenged such liber-
ties-all but quiet, little Mary Frazier.
She stole into ut-of-the-way corners, and
more than once slipped out OF the hands
of those who sought to drag her into their
plays. 1t was whispered again that she
was too aristocratic to mingle with the
common herd, though in truth, from hav-
ing been reared i'll the city, she was un-
prepared to permit such liberties Her
extremely delicate nature shrunk from be-
coming public property. Her lips We're
reserved for him who should win her love.
and were not to be desecrated. But that
she had also cast longing eyes upon the
handsome Young physician was not to be
denied Yet, even the most careful OBJ
server had not been able TO detect the fact
a higher color or sudden bounding of
| the heart at the sound of his voice, when
he addressed her in tones always deteren-
! tial and polite. as il he was awed by her
manner.
Mirth reigned fast and furious as the
evening waned Chairs were overturned
in the boisterous game of blindman's buff,
while dresses and sashes suffered sadly.
The doctor, seeing Mary Norris dash out
of the front door, followed her, resolving
(upon the spur of the momenD to seize
the time to disclose his love. Such an
event had been one of the future, if at all.
Until now he had not given much thought
to it, but her saucy black eyes, and sweet,
warm kisses had completed his enthral-
ment. Out under the vine-covered porch
Of the Goodwin cottage, where he could
distinctly trace the soft outlines of his love
in her fleecy white dress. he followed, and
gaining her side whispered:
F'Mary, l must leave now. | have a
patient to visit yet tonight, but cannot
tear myself away without telling you how
much love you"
One little hand was clinging to the trel-
lis as he spoke, and dimly tracing the
coveted member. he forcibly possessed
himself of it, while his other arm stole
around her slender waist. With an air OF
timd surprise, all unlike the usual spon-
taneous demonstratiyeness of Mary Nor
ris, the young girl dropped her head and
murmured:
.tI-I-did not think
You did not think loved you! Is that
it, my sweet girl? Well, do most sincere
ly. Eut, Mary, | am no adept at love-
making. and am not very brusque. let
will you be my wife?"
s'Surely you cannot mean it. You have
never shown me the slightest preference,
was whispered back, as her head dropped
still lower
ssNever shown the slightest preference
Is it possible that under my careless an(
light exterior you did not detect the slight
est meaningp But ! am awaiting my
answer and he bent down to catch tht
"Yesn
!, The night was moonless and dark-st
much that the doctor could not see, as b,
| longed to do, the blushing face of hi
Mary. He asked at random, and being
determined to leave the seal of betrotha
on her lip, kissed first her forehead ant
then her cheek, and after meandering al
, about at last settled upon her sweet lips
5 which were turned temptingly upward.
: "God bless you !" he whispered. 'To
morrow evening may come and see you
and then we can adjust our happy future ?
g Just then the shouts of some lasses VIII
: had been chased out the back door an
around the graveled walks by their rusti
admirers, startled the lovers. DR.. Collin
: kissed his affianced again, land dashed ava
Il before he was discovered. Of course h
f "walked upon air." and it is quite likel
g his prescription for the invalid was littl
F.; mixed. But after he had gained the quie
!, OF his own room he lay awake for Ion
n time rejecting upon the stupendous ste
e he had taken. Somehow he half regre
It ted that he had been SO hasty, as he con
It muned with himself.
4 81 am afraid" he thought. that my mott