The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1876-12-15
Bashful John.

| '''J " am eNhN "NN "SS' DN 49,
many day, and yet he dare not
tell her so.
He generally managed to bow to
her when he met her, but even that
brought a great lump into bis throat
and tn. ned his face the color of a
peony.
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
frut-was before him.
What a while that miller kept
me waiting for my gcist. I'm as
hungry as bear, and must have a
pocket full of those beauties to eat
on my way home"
And with this John drew rein,
scaled the fence and struck out for
his favorite tree.
He knew as we'll as Mr.. Wynn did
whe.e the best apples were to be
found.
John filled his pockets and was
about to retrace his steps to the wa
gon, when he caught the hutter OF
pink dress through cluster of trees,
and heard Kitty'S merry voice in
conversation with some one.
Stealing hasty glance through
the trees, John recognized Kitty s
companion to be her cousin Hetty
Shaw, from the village.
They were coming directly to-
ward the tree under which John was
standing,
What in the world was he to do ?
He did not fancy running away
like detected thief, and his trem
bling knees and palpitating heart
warned him that if he did not wish
to die then and there, he must seek
a place of concealment.
To add to Johns embarrassment,
he was conscious that he was not
"tidied up"
lie was in every day garb. To
make the matter worse, his clothes
were covered with -four, which had
somehow got on while waiting for
his grist at the mill
John glanced up into tree, but
the foliage was not thick and there
was little chance for hiding place
there.
Near the tree was an inverted
hogshead, which had been used for
a stand to pick apples from the tree,
The hogshead had once been used
as a temporary dog>kennel, and a
hole perhaps eighteen inches in di-
ameter, had been made to admit the
dog.
There was no time to be lost.
The hogsheads offered the only
retreat within the trembling young
mans reach, and he was not long in
squeezing himself inside of it.
The girls came on, and sat down
on the grass right where John,
STOPPING down and peeping through
the circular hole, could watch them
Kitty, he thought, looked prettier
and brighter than ever in her pink
dress, and the sun, which was set
ting in the west, made her brown
hair as golden as the apples in her
lap.
Kitty held up an apple by the
stem, saying:
"Name it, Hetty; but not Will
Joice, nor Jerry Davis, nor"
"Theu stop; the apple is named, !
said Hetty, merrily.
Kitty pared and ate her apple,
carefully 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 fng-
er. Hetty spelled:
"J>o>b-n Patt e>r-s,o>n. It
spells exactly. Why, Kitty, what
are you bIushing SO for7 One
would think that fellows name was
spelled out in your heart in indelli-
bic letters by the way you look"
Kitty said nothing, though che
looked uncommonlv sober for her,
John thought, and he wondered il
the girls didn't hear his heart beat,
He thought, too, that Kitty was
, angry that any one would suppose
that she cared for him.
How humble he felt; he could
scarcely tell why; his cheeks burn
ed with wounded pride.
Now, really, Kitty, said her cous-
in, with bantering laugh, 'if you
! don't drive away that forIorn look,
, shall think that you care more thar
your pride will let you acknowledge
t for that great awkward BOBBY, whC
, hasn't courage, nor never will have
: to ask you to have him.
2 Hush, Hetty1 said Kitty, as sht
rose to her feet, aud her cheeks haC
e flush of deepest crimson. You d.
r 10. know John Patterson as We do
r He is not awkward at home with hi
/ mother. You ought to see how kline
and considerate he is to her. Faith