The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-06-16

ate lie is to her. Father drops in there of
ten, and he says there isn't more noble
hearted man to be found. John is indus
trious ; do you know what he does with his
money? Father says he is paying off the
mortgage of his mothers little farm, and
that when he has few dollars more than
are necessary for payment he expends
them for books. Mark my words, Hetty,
John Patterson will yet be a man that you
will be proud to class among your friends.
He has intellect Of no common order. It's
only his great usefulness that keeps him
back now"
Nov, Kitty, you are too absurd" and
Hetty laughed as though she thought her
companion in jest. "Well, it is leap year;
you had better offer yourself to this para
gon. don't believe he will refuse"
81 know no one whom | would sooner
marry-so there ~
And Kitty's face was scarlet with blush
es as she made this frank acknowledge
| mcnt.
But John was not looki ing at her now.
He was crouched in the most remote
part of the hogshead, trying by various
gestures to drive away dog which threat
ened to make his whereabouts known.
The sun had gone DOM, and Johns
hungry horse had quietly walked off home,
and still the two girls chatted away.
"Wtll, Bruno, what have you got in
there ? I'm sure you've been whining and
paving there for half an hour, at least"
And Hetty came forward and patted the
dogs hairy back with her hands.
"Why, Kitty, there is some dreadful
animal in here. What pair of eyes it
has? Thank my nerves, if uncle and
Charlie are away, I can fire gun. I'll
soon know what that horrid creature is.
In my opinion, here is where your geese
have gone to-. I'll warrant the ground in
there is strcwn with bones. You and
Bruno keep watch while run to the house
for gun"
Hattie ratified all this off in breathless
fashion, and before Kitty had time to look
at the "dreadful ANIMAL" her cousin was
on her way to the house.
What was John to do now? Stay where
he was, or crawl from his lair like Hot.
tentot faom his hut, and right before Kit
TVS eyes too?
The faithful dog began to wag his tail
and whine with renewed animation, and
John thought the gun must be coming
surely. Life was sweeter to him now since
hearing what Kitty had said of himself
than ever before, and creeping to the open
ing, he began getting out.
Kitty, who was peering anxiously in,
saw that "the creature" was moving--that
it was coming toward her--and giving
spasmodic little scream, she sank helpless
ly to the ground and covered her face with
her apron.
Kitty's distress made John for the mo-
ment forget that he was the most bashlul
man alive, and surely the arms which Kit
ty felt encrcling her waist were not those
Of wild beast.
Knowing this, it did not need great
amount Of courage to enable her to uncov-
er her face, and see that the great eyes
which had so frightened her belonged to
John Patterson
1t was strange that neither she nor John,
during the halfhour they tarred together
under the apple tree, thought of IIctty, or
the gun she had gone TO bring.
ueRsriiqes yai t],aE,e2@rl'l haUA .re'ne,nber-
tion with the use Of that weapon again,
had not the young lady herself two years
later reminded a certain happy bridegroom
and his equally happy bride Of the Incl
dent, and informed them that she knew all
the time that John was in the hogshcad,
as she saw him put himself there, and that
her part of the conversation under the APP
ple-trec was INDUCED in solely with view
to encourage the bashful lover to propose.
Mrs. John Patterson scoldcd her cousin
bridesmaid for her duplicity, but for all
that it WAS plain to be seen she was not
angry, especially since Hetty had that very
day acknowledged that she was proud to
class her cousins handsome husband among
her friends