The Red Cloud chief., 1876-06-29
A JOKE.

A PRACTICAL JOKE.
did love her. Oh, how / did love
that girl. And they say all is fair IN
love and war, and perhaps that is some
excuse for Inc.
l had liked her a long while, and /
knew that she liked Inc.
l was as big a fellow as she could see
anywhere about. ] had a farm OF my
own, and, when | was married, father
had promised to build me q first-rate
house and stock the place for me.
And when / went to church on Sun
day, Or to town, / had good clothes, and
WAS never told | looked ill in them.
On the whole, | felt myself a good,
fair match for Fanny Martin, though
she was SO nice agirl. And her father
and mother thought 50 to, and she never
refused my attentions.
l had settled in the slow, quiet sort Of
way in which cOuntrymen do settle
these things, that we'd make a match
Of it.
The other young fellows knew il, and
il we were not fashionable We were 50
far gentlemen that we had our code Of
honor. None of them ever interfercd
or tried To cut me out.
But then che" came, you see-dapper
and pretty, and dressed like a tailor's
fashion plate, and he talked Of things |
knew very little about, and his hands
were white, and he had graceful, gallant
ways that had never learnt.
Mr.. Williams, that was his name.
And in that summer holiday Of his,
while We We're working hard over the hay
and were tanned, dirty and worn, and
NO tired that sleep was about all we
wanted when work was over, why then
he. soft, sweet, and smiling, made him.
self agreeable to the girls, and crept into
Fanny Martins heart-my Fanny.
She scarcely looked at me. She did
not care whether she met me or not
and on Sunday there he was making me
feel somehow SO coarse, rough and vul-
gar, and when l wanted her to 90 with
me into the woods where we used to sit
in the great green shadow and listen to
the birds sing, she had some excuse for
staying at home; and when on the road
from church l took her hand in mine,
she snatched it away, and said quite
Grossly:
"DOn't, Ben; don't do such silly rustic
things while the London folks are here.
They never do it themselves, and they
laugh So"
Mr.. Williams laughs, you mean, l
suppose" said 1. That's gentlemanly,
too"
And then she blushed and curled her
little lip and said:
"YOu are criticising Mr.. Williams
manners, are you?'
After that there WAS a GOODNESS be-
tween us; but though it made my heart
ache l could not think that it mattered
much to her.
stayed away from her fathers house
and did not walk home with her from
church on Sunday; indeed l did not 90
to church at all. And 1 knew the young
fOlks-aye, and the old folks tOO-were
saying that we had fallen out with each
other, and l suppose every one guessed
why; but l would never answer any
questions-nOt even when my own
mother asked me-not l.
SO the summer came and the autumn
passed on, and the town people stayed
and stayed.
/ saw that fellows silk hat and twill
umbrella and exquisitelyIitting gar
mentS wherever l went. Farther than
l could see other people 1 used to see
him and her-Mr. Williams and Fanny.
They had never made Fanny work
much at home, and she had plenty of
time to enjoy herself-an only daughter,
you see, l mean, and her people were
what is called forehanded.
l never intended that she should
drudge after We were married. When I
had hoped for that 1 did not mind work
myself, but I'd never have made a slave
of my wife.
This MI. Williams could not make of
her a more precious treasure than 1
would; l knew that.
was thinking this all over one even
ing in the meadow, when suddenly 1
heard some one say:
"Ah-Mr. MI. Burling."
looked up, and there was Mr.. Will
Jams natter than ever, with a cigar in
his mouth.
If he had known just how l felt to him
I'm not sure that he'd have come to
and me alone in the great meadow, and