Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1876-06-13

"NOW, really, Kitty, said her cousin, with
bantering laugh, ''if yOu don't drive away
that fOrlorn look, shall think yOu care more
than your pride will let you acknowledge for
thar great awkward BOBBY, who hasn't cour-
age, nor never will have, to ask you to have
him"
.Hush, Hetty ~ said Kitty, az she rose to
her feet, and her cheeks glowing with n flush
Of deepest crimson. You do not know John
Patterson as We do, or You would not utter
what you have. He is not awkward at homo
with his mother. You ought TO see how kind
and confederate he is to her. Father drops
in there often, and he says there isn't moro
noble hearted man to be found. John is in
dustrious; do you know what he does with
his money? Father says he is paying off the
mortgage on his mothers little farm, and
when he has few dollars NOR. than is pessssr
sary for payment, he cxpends them for
books. Mark my words, Hetty, John Patter-
son will yet be a mau that you willtbe prond
to class among your friends. he has intellect
of no common order. It's only his great
bsshfulness that keeps him back now"
"NOw. Kitty, you are too absurd" and
Hetty laughed as though she though her
companion in jest. Well, it's leap year you
had better offer yourself TO this paragon, I
don't believe he will ref1se."
81 know no one whom l would sooner
marry-so there p
Aud Kitty's face Wss scarlet with bushes
IS she made this frank acknowledgement.
But John was not looking at her now.
He was crouched in the most remote part
of the hOgsheAd, trying by various gestures
to drive away hugo mAstiff which threatened
to make his whereabouts known.
The sun had gone down, and Johns
hV,y,r ho-e Ill IL
and still the two girls chAtted away.
"Well, 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 camo forward and patted the
dogs hairy back with her hands.
"Why, Kitty, there is some dreadful ans
imal in here. What a pair of eyes it has -
Thank my nerves, if uncle and Charles are
| away, l can fire gun aud soon show what
that horrid creature is. In my opinion, here's
where your geese have gonO to. I'll warrant
the ground in there is s.rcwn with bones.-
You and Bruno keep watch while run TO
the house for the gun"
Hetty ratified this off in breEthless fashion,
and before Kitty had time to look At tho
''drsadful animal, !" her cousin WAS on her way
to the house.
What was John to do now ? Stay whcro
he was or crawl from his lair like HOttentOt
from his hut, and right before Krtty's eyes
too2
The faithful dog began 10 wag his tail and
John thought the gun must surely be COM
ing. Life was sweeter to him now since
hearing what Kitty had said of himself than
ever before, and creeping to the opening he
began-oomiDg out.
Kitty, who was peering anxiously in, saw
that the creature was moving-that it was
coming towards hcr-nnd giving a spasmodic
little scream, she sank helplcssly to tho
ground and covered her face with her apron.
Kitty's distress made John forgot for the mos
ment that he was the most bAshful of men
alive, and surely the arms which Kitty felt
encircliug her waist were not those of a wild
boast.
Knowing this, Git did not take great
amount of courage. TO enRbls her to uncover
her face, and zee that the great eyes which
had frightened her belonged to John Patter-
son.
1t is strange that neither slo or John
during the half hour they tarried under tho
apple tree, thought of Hetty or the gun sho
| had gone to bring.
Perhaps neither would have remembered
Hetty's boasted Eerye in connection with tho
use OF that weapon again, had not the young
lady herself two years later reminded 0 certain
happy bridegroom and his equally happy
bride of the incident, and informed them that
she knew all the time that John was in tho
hogshead. she him put himself there,
aud that her part Of the conversation under
the apple tree WAS INDUCED in solely with D.
view to encourage the bashfnl lover to pro-.
pose.
Mrs. John Patterson scolded her cousin
bridemaid for her duplicity. but for all that IT,
was plain TO be that she was not angry,
especially since Elety had that day acknowl-
edged that she was proud TO class her cousin 3,
handsome husband among her IIiends