Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-09-23
THE BASHFUL LOVER.

| HE LIZ
Iobn Patterson was driving his venera-
tle horse slowly homeward from the lit
H. village of Briarton. They were pass
inc the low-lying farm of Nathan Wynne,
nd John, without daring for the life of
lin to turn his head, rolled his great
Ilack eyes toward the substantial stone
farmhouse in the hope of catching a
glimpse of Kitty, the farmers comedy
laughter. But, though John kept his
ewes turned in their sockets till his head
sched fearfully, he saw nothing of Kitty.
John was desperately in love with Kitty
Wynne and had been for many day, and
Vel dared not tell her so. Tell her that
he loved her and ask her to marry him.
WHY. he would not so much as look at
her when there was any danger of his
icing caught at it for the world, and sim
nv because he could not, for it was
Johns misfortune to be excessively bash
hi. He generally made out to bow to
her when he met her, but even that al
wsys brought great lump into his throat
| and turned his face the color of peony
As John passed over little knoll and
out of sight of the house, the farmers
gfeat orchard-the trees ready to break
DOWN under their weight of ripe fruit
was before him.
aWhat while that miller kept me
Waiting for my grist. Pm as hungry as a
YEAR. / must have pocketful OF those
nlIow beauties to eat on my way home. "
And with this John drew rein on his
Drse, scaled the fence and struck out in
sbee line for his favorite tree.
He knew as well as Farmer Wynne did,
and in fact every man and boy around
Knew. just where the best apples were to
Ne found, for Nathan was not one of those
men whom large and small boys of preda-
tory habits designate as. stingy Old
hunks His fruit was as free to all as
The water i'm the little brook which d.
ydedfhe orchard by its never-ceasing
few.
John had filled his pockets, and was
about to retrace his steps TO the wagon
when he caught the fiutter Of pink dress
through cluster OF ounce trees, and
heard Ktty's merry voice in conversation
with some one. Stealing hasty glance
through the trees John recognized kitty's
companion 70 be her cousin, Hetty Shaw,
from the village. They were coming di-
recay toward the tree under which John
was standing
What in the world was he to do? He
did not fancy running away like de-
tscted thief ana his trembling knees and
Hlptaing heart warned him that if he
would not die then and there he must
seek place of concealment.
To add to Johns bucketful Of embar-
assnent on this occasion he was con-
Nious that he was not i'm the least :" fixed
up He was in his everyday garb, and
there was huge black patch on the knee
Of his gray pantaloons; and John hated
patches because he was poor and obliged
y wear them. The sleeves of his coat
we're far too short, as also the legs of his
pants, and 10 make the matter worse his
clothes were covered with flour which he
had somehow got on while he was wait
Ing for his grist at the mill.
John glanced up into the tree, but the
fliage was not thick and there was little
chance for hiding-place there. Near the
tree was an inverted hogshead, which had
been used as a stand from which to pick
spples from the tree. The hogshead had
once been used as temporary dog kennel,
and hole perhaps eighteen inches in di-
smeter had been made TO admit the dog.
There was no time to be lost. The
bogshead afforded the only retreat within
the trembling young mans reach, and he
vas not long in squeezing himself inside
Of il.
The girls came on and sat down on the
Eass right where John, by STOPPING down
nd peering through the circular hole,
could watch them.
Kitty, he thought, looked prettier and
tighter than ever in her pink dress, and
Tie sun, which was settling into the west,
msde her brown hair as golden as the APP
| pies IN her lap.
Kitty held up an apple by the stem, say
ing.
Name it, Hetty; but not Will Joyce,
nor Jerry Davis, nor"
There, stop; the apple is named, T"
SAID Hetty, merrily.
Kitty pared and ate her apple, carefully
saving all the seeds. When she had them
ali IN her chubby hand she held them out
ior hetty to spell the name. Touching
each seed with her finger, Hetty spelled
John Patterson
itspe!ls it exactly. Why, Kitty, what
arg you blushing so forg One would
mink that fellows name was spelled out
10 your heart in indelible letters by the
way you look
Atty said nothing, though she looked
ancommonly sober for her, John thought,
ana he wondered il the girls didn't hear
his heart beat; he thought they must, 1t
was humping away so furiously. He
mought, too, that Kitty was angry that
anyone would suppose that she cared for
mn. How humbly he felt; he could
scafee have told why; and how his cheeks
burned with the flush Of wounded pride
-, NOW, really, Kitty, . said her cousin,
siui bantering laugh, "if you don't
afiSe away TINT forlorn look / shall think