The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-10-21

said in delighted tone.
"Well, he's Just the biggest blackleg in
the service, Jennie, and if you take my adj
wise you'll send him off sharp,
~ believe you are jealous, Mr.. Weare,
and telling stories about the Captain; he
is always very polite to me-" and she
smoothed her pretty hair and arranged the
trities on the counter.
oh, he's polite enough, no doubt
And he's brin ging me some flowers
''9Now, look here, Jennie, are you going
to take them?"
"Of course am" e.>. -.
"Well, then, good.by."
Good-by," she laughed. Of course
she knew he wouldn't go.
Jennie, he'll be in directly and I
shall be off, but you must choose between
him and me. If you. are going to keep
on talking to him I shall never come in
the place again-so which is it to be?"
"The Captain"
"But I am not joking. I'll never see
you again." = 49,
mo more am 1 joking. so good-by."
Good-by''-and he went.
| II.
He kept resolutely away for whole
month-never once went near the place.
If Jennie wanted him she might send for
him or get her sister to invite him to tea
as she had done before. But John Weare
was not sent for, neither was he invited
to tea and his spirits began to wax low.
eff she'd cared about me she'd have
got in my way somehow before this
trust woman" he thought.
The idea of not being cared for was not
cheerful. That night he strolled careless
ly by the shop but on the opposite side of
the way. Nothing was to be seen of Jen.
ME. He walked on in a brown study,
then crossed over and went deliberately
by the shop, with only one eye, however,
turned in its direction, but not a sign of
Jennie. He went back to the barracks in
detected frame of mind.
Its an awful pity-such a nice girl !;
and there's the cottage all ready for her
to step into and me ready to retire from
the service and a good trade at my back :;
it's too bad, all along of that Capt. MCGEE,
too: And the fruit in the garden fof the
cOttage) all ripe and no one to pick it''
The very next morning John Weare
walked deliberately into the shop and
asked for a penny newspaper, and had
the felicity Of being served by Mrs. Ev-
ans.
"Quite a stranger, Mr.. Weare," she
said; but that was the only remark she
made, and for the life of him he could
not screw up his courage to ask for her
| sister.
That night John Weare was miserable.
"She can't care a rush for me-" he
thought, and marched all over the town,
and nearly to Greenwich and back, in his
excitement.
The next day was lucky one for John.
He came across Bibbs. Bibbs was Mrs
Evans eldest boy. No one knew what
his real name was, or why he was called
Bibbs; but he was never called anything
! else.
Bibbs," said John Weare "come and
have some fruit" and he carried him off
in triumph to the cottage, and stuffed him
with gooseberrics till he couldn't move,
and with black currants till his mouth was
as black as a crow. Then he carried him
inside and stood him on the table, and sat
down before him.
"How old are you, Bibbs?"
He thought it better to begin the con-
versation with question.
Five and half. Is that your sword up
| there?''
Yes: Who gave you those bronze
shoes, Bibbs?'
Now he knew Jennie had given them to
"Auntic. She's going away soon,"
he added. "Let me look at your sword
now"
"Where's she going to-" he asked in
Devonshire. DO let me try on your
sword.'
"Why is she going?" he asked, with a
sick feeling at his heart.
"She's i'll, think; and she's always
crying now; one day she was crying over
her silver thing you gave her, and kissing
it like anything"
The "silver thing" was little heart of
about the size of a shilling, which he had
bought at Charlton Fair last October and
timidly requested her to accept.
John Weare jumped up and showed
Bibbs his sword, and carried HIM on his
back all over the place and entreated him
to have more black currants in his de-
light But Bibbs declined.
q Aunt Jennie's going to bring me some
from Ethan tonight" he said.
So Jennie was going to Ethan, was
shee John Weare took Bibbs home, and
on his way presented him with white
woolly lamb that moved on wheels and
squeaked, and a monkey that went up a
stick on being gently pushed.
Trying over nel suFei lulAS: ss.lu
John Weare. "I'll go and hang about the
pardon"
And he went and Jennie met him and
pouted and declared she hadn't once
thought of him, and then broke down and
cried. And John begged her pardon, and
declared that he had been a heartless
brute; and then Jennie contradicted him
and said it was all her fault, and told him
how Mrs. Dunlop, the Colonel's wife, had
one day walked in and told her in the
kindest possible manner that she was
spelling her sisters business, for the ladies
who had been interested in her welfare
kept away because of Jennie's flirting
propensities, which filled up the shop with
idle officers, who were always in the way
and how she had been so ashamed and
wretched, and so cut up at the desertion
of John Weare, that she had determined to
90 back to Devonshire.
g But YOU won't now?" he SAID, as they
leaned over The stile leading to the Ethan
fields.
"You'll get ready at once, and we'll be
married as soon as possible, before the
fruit in the garden is spoilt:''
1t took long time to talk her into it
| (about three-quarters of an hour, but then
she was very happy at heart, and chat
tered like young magpie, and told John
how she had snubbed Capt. MCGEE, and
had thrown all his flowers out of the win
dow.
"And it really was all through that dear
Bibbs that you waylaid me to-night?' she
asked.
Certainly
"Why, but for him I might never have
seen you again?'
perhaps not"
"I'll give Bibbs regular hug when
get home," she thought. And she did
and the day before she was married she
bought him rocking horse, which he de-
lights in to this day.-Cassells Family
Magazine.