The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-11-30
Aailessom Sntelligeisees.
BASSHFUL JOHN.

N.Itbc oI DTlTlOu.
They were passing the low lyi' g farm
of Nathan Wynn, and John, no. daring
for the life of him TO turn his head, rolled
his great black eyes toward tho substar-
c;ai stone farmhouse, in the hope Of
comely daughter. But though JOIN, kept
his eyes turned in their sockets ill his
head ached fearfully, he saw rothing of
Kitty.
J hn was desperately in love with Kit.
ty Wynn, and had been 30 for many q
day, and yet he dare not tell her so.
He generally managed to bow to her
when he met her, but even that brought
great lump in his throat, and turned
his face The color of penny.
AS John passed over little knoll and
out of sight of the house, Wynn's great
orchard-the trees ready to break down
under the weight of ripe fruit-was be-
fore him.
"4vhat while that miller KEEP. me
waiting fer my grist. Pm as hungry NJ Il
bear, and must have Il pocket full of those
beauties to cat on my way"
And with this John drew rein, scaled
the fence and strucl, out for his favorte
tree.
He knew as well as Mr. Wynn did
where the best apples were to he found.
John filed his pockets and was about
to retrace his steps to the wagon, when he
caught the fluttcr of pink dress through
cluster Of trees, and heard Ikitty's merry
voice in conycr ,ntion with some one
Stealing G hasly g!;;i,cc through ti,p
trees, John recognized kitty Is companion
to be her cousin IIetty Straw, from The
village.
They were coming directly toward the
tree under which john WAS standing.
What in the world was he to do?
He did not fancy running away like Il
detected thief, and his trembling knees
and palpitating heart warned him thnt if
he did not wish TO die then and there, he
must seek a place of conccalmcnt.
To add TO Johns embarrassment, he
WAS conscious that lie was not in the least
"tidicd up"
He was in every day garb. To make
the matter worse, his clothes were covered
with flour, which, had somehow got on
them while waiting for grist at the mill.
John glanced up into n tree, but the
foliage was not thick and there WIS little
chance for hiding place ,ncrc.
Near the tree was un inverted h0gshcud,
which had been used for stand to pick
apples from the tree.
The hogs.icad had once brc. used ~ Il
temporary dogklnncl, and Il hole, per-
haps eighteen inches in diumctcr, had
been made to admit the dog.
There WIS no time to be lost
Tie hogshcad offered tie only retreat
within the trembling young mans reach,
and he was not long i'll squeezing himself
inside of it.
The girls came on, and sat down on tho
grass right where John, STOPPING and
pccping through the circular hole, could
watch them.
Kitty, lie thought, looked prcttier and
brighter than ever i'll her pink dress, and
the sun, which was setting in the west,
made her brown hair as golden us the mp
pies in her lap.
Kitty held up an apple hy the stem,
saying:
Name it, Hetty; but not Will Joicc,
no: John Davis, nor"
Then stop; the apple is named" said
Hctty, merrily.
Kitty pared and ate her apple, careful
lv saving all the seeds.
When she had them all in her chubby
hand, she then came for Hetty to spell
the name.
Touching each seed with her finger,
spoiled:
"J-o-h-n P-a-t-t-c-r-s.o.n. It spells ex-
actIy. Why, Kitty, what arc you Diush-
ing so for? One would think that fel-
in indellible letters by the way you look"
Kitty said nothing, though nhe looked
uncommonly sober for her, John thought,
and ho wondered if the girls didn't hear
his heart beat.
He thought, too, that Kitty was angry
that any ono would suppose that she
cared for him.
How humble he felt; he could scarcely
tell why his cheeks burned with wound
cd pride.
with bantering laugh, "if you don't
drive away that forlorn look, I shall think
that you care more than your pride will
let you acknowledge for that great awk-
ward BOBBY, who hasn't courage, nor new
er will have, to ask you to have him."
"Husl,, Hetty !" said Kitty, as she rose
to her feet, and her cheek had q flush of
deepest crimson. "You do not know
John Patterson as we, do. He Is not
awkward at home with his mother. You
ought to seu how kind aud considcrate
he 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 no does with
his money? Father says he is paying off
the mortgage on his mothers little farm,
and when he has few pounds more than
is necessary for payment he spends
them for books. Mark my words, Hetty,
John Patterson will yet be man thas
you will be proud to class among your
friends; he has intellect Of no common
order-ita oyisy &is great bashfulness that
keeps him back now"
Now, Kitty, you are too absurd" and
Hetty laughed as though she thought her
companion in jest. "Well, it Is leap
year; and you had better Offer, yourself to
this paragon; I don't believe he will re-
fise.h
II know no one whom would sooner
marry-so therep
And Kitty's face was scarlet with
hlnshes as she made this frank acknowl-
edgement to her cousin.
But John was not looking at her now.
He was cfouched in the most remote
part of the hcgshead, trying by different
gestures to drive away q huge mastitf
which threatened to make his where
abouts known.
The sun has gone down, and Johns
hungry horse had quietly walked home,
and still the two girls chatted away.
"Well, Bruno, what have you got
least"
And Hetty came forward and patted
the dogs hairy back.
nWhy, Kitty, there is some dreadful
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