Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1875-02-25

4 doors, ranSacked the orchard for
choicest fruits ard helped the cook get
up many and various dainty supper
dishes. AT - O. CLOCK she went to array
herself III tho freshest OF muslins, and
came down o perfect picture, with her
white draperies and tea roses and hello
trope browning her brown braids. She
was pardonably proud of her appear
ance. Even Will thought "there
wasn't girl in the whole country who
could hold candle to Milly in that
rig. How he liked to tease her, so
now he said "I know ,you don't all
low spittoons in the parlor, Milly, bat
you'd better have one hunted up. I'll
bet my head your editorial friend chewe,
and, with the eccentrioity of genius, he
may take your new screen for q substi-
tute." az if
Horrors What profaration It
would be unworthy Feeiee, islander.
Mo- cir ;:sghne!na:: ss1=e a!!7 Il, Il my fa5e
is set against it for all time. But hush;
there he comes" And sure enough,
punctual to a minute, across the lawn
rolled a shining buggy, and from it
alighted the dapper and distingue Rural
Quill. z
When Milly recovered from the en-
barrassed first greeting, she found her
self tete.a-tete with an undersized, mid
dle-agei person, whose noticeable
points were general wrinkled yellow
ness of complexion and pair Of dark,
kindly eyes. He was fluent, courtly,
polished, none Of your self-made men,
but the carefully manufactured article.
Like his letters, he was extremely
complimentary. Had he not been a
little less than "all her fancy painted
him, Milly would have declared him
"splendid;" but nothing 80 disposes
to captious criticism as unfulfilled ex-
pectations.
Milly breathed more freely. Supper
was over, and with it all danger of in
terruption. Papa Weyman slept the |
sleep of the. tired. Will sat on the
porch, whence he could see and hear
:; Inc mutual Admiration Society,""
] don't know what was in his heart.
EEIia mouth vas fnll Ss-,ssssss!
per had been over an hour, and Rural
Quill, Esq, was hard beset with the
peculiar craving teeth,on- edge sensa-
tion born of abstinence and eating,
known to all tobacco. .chewers. He
strove against it valiantly,. but who
can master the giant, Habit Milly
went for the writing desk to show him
her last poem. She might be away ten
minutes. He would quiet his nerves
with chew. But she was not. She
reorossed the Threshold almost before
the precious morsel was settled in place.
There was very becoming tremor in
the white hand that held toward him
the fairly written sheet. He gave it
back with n most superlative bow.
She must read it to him. Even it's
music wonld be enhanced by her lips.
Milly did read it, then wandered on
into discursive review of her favorite
poets, which, nm bound to say,
abounded more in quotations than COM
|
always ahead of her judgment but was
not wholly destitute of that invaluable
article. Il was almost monologue,
and her wonder grew and increased over
the sudden quenching of editorial bril-.
lance. Perhaps he was bored, but too
civil to interrupt her. She would
change the subject by question to
which he must make direct and
lengthy reply. She began
"By the way, Mr.. Quill, arc you
ready to give me that critical and ex-
haustive analysis' OF my poetic powers
which your letter promised me when
We met
"Poor Mr.. Quill. Just then he was
neither critical nor analytical. His
chair was on the hearth-rug; between
him and the white draped window sat
Milly, a seeming embodiment of the
pure, cool room, intently regarding
him. His mouth was full, yet speak he
must. The screen caught his eye.
Here was way out of his dilemma.
The next moment tobacco juice went
splashing over moss and fern, and Rural
Quill was himself again, brimming
over with facts, fanoics, and compli-
ments. With them we have naught to
do. Milly listened with decent grace,
but tho gloss had departed, tho magic
had fown." Indeed, it were not too