American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-30

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still single" And to ascertain this, h
had ventured to inquire of the post
master-''in confidence" mind.
OF course this was q great surprise t,
a lady of fifty years, who had long ag'
given up all thoughts of marrying
Her first thought was to keep the thing
secret, lest it might make sport for thu
young folks. Then she tried to REGAL
to her mind any Mr.. Gray she had eve
met at the parsonage.
"Gray? Gray? Let me see. Yes
there was Deacon Gray there once, il
Convention time, and, if l remember
right, he did have weed on his hat
He was a great anti-tobacco man, anC
has sons in business in some out-of-the
way kind of place. What on the eartf
could have tempted man of his years
to start up to make money in foreign
parts? What can any body want to live
so far off for, any way?" she thought
Miss Clapper rose suddenly in the
Colonel's esteem, and, with desire to
rid himself of competition, he favored
the plan, and urged her to settle the
question at once. She, however, charg.
ed him to remember that it was a secret,
to be kept till the gentleman came to
sue for himself, which was to be in
about three months. But it was not
three days before every urchin in town
knew, in his own homely language, that
"Betsy Clapper had got beau"
Betsy was not silly woman. She
did not lay off her plain garments and
put on girlish ones. But she did feel
that little respect was due to Deacon
Gray; and so, without. any stir, she
bought new black silk, chip bonnet,
and some good laces. Who could blame
her for that? -....
Neither did she put up her shutters
and take down her sign. She said TO
''rheres many a slip
Between cup and lip.
and this may be the last of it. I'll stick
to my home and my present employ
ments, till Providence provides me 9th
er work."
But this was not the last of it. AS soon
as the Colonel's letter reached L., Mr..
Robert Gray wrote to Miss Elizabeth
Clapper- was the way she wrote her
name-saying good many fine things,
that you can all guess at, and asking
her to address her reply to him in New
York, where he should soon be. She
wrote that she should be very glad to
see Mr.. Gray and talk with him; and
some more proper things, that the silli-
est girl could not have laughed at.
Not long after this, the expressman
bought Miss Clapper a fine cage with
four South American birds of gorgeous
plumage, and the mail brought her
letter, in which the writer said he did
not bring the birds to keep her in New
but to show her what birds
she would see on the branches near her
home-if she would only accept his
home.
Probably the Cherry Hill people were
all clairvoyants, and read the letter
through the envelope, for, although
Miss Clapper never told it, they knew
all that Mr.. Gray had written as well
rs she did. The gum on envelopes is
often treacherous, and the Colonel had
been postmaster so long that he was
very skillful in guessing at the contents
of letters.
The day before Mr.. Robert Gray was
Miss Betsy was behind the
counter, doing the duty of the hour,
when the railroad carriage drove up to
he house door, and hale, sunbrowned
nan, with good-sized carpet bag,
'prang out and rang the bell. Old Pol
y, who had lived with Miss Clapper's
mother always" and who was now Miss
Clapper's sole companion, opened the
ioor and ushered "the drummer -
Is she thought HMM, wondering he
lidn't go directly to the shop. Miss
Jlapper was summoned, and appeared
With the words, TOO late to lay in any |
more stock this season." on her lips. |
But she saw before taking a seat that |
he had mistaken her man. The gen.
leman, for such he was,
eemed not little constrained and |
Il at ease. Finally he said
81 believe 1 have met you beforep"
"Perhaps so, but I can't recall your
said Miss Betsy, looking
Up sharply at him.
"Oh, you were not expecting me,
HEMP"
"No, SIR"
"Well, twelve years makes some
hange in a young fellow. 1 met you
nee, if not oftener, when I was pass
ne vacation with the Spencer boys
robert Gray"
Poor Miss Clapper felt the blood leave
er heart. She was no silly girl, with
picture of fairy-land life before her;
nut she was lonely woman, who had
to accept companion and
for the down-hil Journey of
fe. Now, she thought, the Deacon
as met with some mishap, and this
ind fellow has come to tell me of it.
"Your father''- began.
"Oh, he's been dead several years,
nd my mother too" was the reply.
Miss Clapper was more puzzled than
yer, and a dead silence ensued, during
'hich both parties seemed intent on the
Mathematical figure of the ingram car
ct. In a moment, however, the ridic-
lousness of his position struck the
uest, and he burst out into a merry
ugh, and said, "It's no use you and {
playing we are strangers, and never