Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-05-18
4 PRACTICAL JOKE.

A PRACTICAL JOKE.
Ibid love her. Oh, how / did love that
ri And they say all is fair in love and
var and perhaps that is some excuse for
IT. Ibad liked her a long while, and knew
,ss she liked me-.
Hf fras as big fellow as she could see
..rwhere about. / had farm of my
urn and, when l was married, father had
Uromised to build me first-rate house and
stsork the place for me.
And when | went to church on Sunday,
o,to town. I had good clothes, and was
ever told | looked i'll in them.
On the whole felt myself good, fair
match for Fanny Martin, though she was
% nice girl And her father and
mother thought SO, too, and she never re-
fused my attentions.
had settled, in the slow, quiet sort OF
vsv IN which countrymen do settle these
things. that we'd make match Of it.
THE other young fellows knew it, and il
,re we're not fashionable we were so far
Gentlemen that we had our code of honor
None of them ever interfered or tried to
cut me out.
But then "he" came, you see-dapper
and prouy, and dressed like 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
were working hard over the hay, and were
tanned, dirty and worn, and so tired that
sleep was about all we wanted when work
was over, why, then, he, soft, sweet and
smiling, made himself agreeable TO the
girls and crept into Fanny Martins heart
my Fanny.
She scarcely looked at me. She did not
carewhether she met me or not and on Sun
day there he was making me feel somehow
50 coarse, rough and vulgar; and when |
wanted her to go 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 / 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, j
suppose" said |. That's gentlemanly
too"
And then she blushed and curled her
little lip and said:
"You are criticising Mr.. Williams
manners; are your
After that there was GOODNESS between
US; but though it made my heart ache
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, | did not 60
TO church at all. And | knew the youn G
folks-aye, and the old folks, too-were
saying that we had fallen out with each
other, and / suppose every one guessed
why; but would never answer any ques-
tions-not even when my own mother
asked me--not /.
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 exquisitely fitting garments
wherever / went. Farther than / could
see other people 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,
mean, and her people were what is
called forehanded.
never intended that she should
drudge after we were married. When |
10 II .stN.
myself, but I'd never have made slave
Of my wife.
This Mr.. Williams could not make OF
her amore precious treasure than would ;
knew that.
was thinking this all over one even
ing In the meadow, when suddenly l
heard some one say:
"Ah-Mr.-Mr Burling."
looked up, and there was Mr.. Will
Jams, natter than ever, with cigar in
his mouth.
IL he had known just how felt to him
N not sure that he'd have come TO find
Me alone in the great meadow, and j
mought of that as jumped up from the
grass and looked at him. But he was
smiling as politely as possible, and there
an lildu htait thht ihehSo
II hard to do the first rude thing to one
who is civil
STILL | was not polite to him.
That's my name" said | to him.
do you want me?"
want something of YOU" said he,
iheres a little excursion to night from
our house. We're going TO take a lady.
nave you any little light trap. and horse
o. course, that you could let me hire for
.ne evening: I'd rather 20 alone with
her than IN the big wagonette. You
know, I'm sure, how il is = that fellow
mad rather ride alone with pretty girl,
and II you will help me oui will be ever
% much obliged to you"
30 he had come to ask me to help him
!, nave nice time with my girl--he who
mad Gu! me out!