Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-22

that he could send level glance from
his blue eyes into Tilly's black ones.
Miss M'Ewens looked straight at the
sunny road before her.
" Mr.. Jones, how your horse does kick
snow in my facet / don't like riding be-
hind him at ALL"
" You like neither the horse nor the
master" was the piqued reply. =" II II
was Johnson's horse, you'd admire It,"
A very sober face was turned around
to him then, and the black eyes looked
rcproachful and propitiatory.
"Why do you talk soH"
"Tilly," was the immediate and eager
beginning Tilly-now don't turn
your head away again, as you've been
doing all the afternoon. l want you to
look at me, and l want to talk to you
soberly. I'm determined / will speak.
You sha'nt be off or on with me just as
you take fancy We're going to have
an understanding one way or the other.
Now, Tilly, will you or won't Oh,
be careful therel Good graciousl what
a close shave that WASP
II NtIN ClOSt buuNt. nb
general had found herself in danger of a
proposal, and, with a desperate sheer,
had grazed by a sled heavily loaded with
wood. Mr.. Jones, more annoyed than
he liked to say, jumped out to investi-
gate the damage done to his newly
painted sleigh, while Tilly scolded
roundly.
cts all your horsei he ,'iH shy at
everything"
"Shyp was the irate rejoinder. "Did
you ever hear of horse shying into
the thing he was afraid Off"
81 don't want to hear anything about
horses, or to drive one like this. / want
to go home," was the captious response.
Homeward Mr.. Jones drove with com
pressed lips. 1t was not till they were
in the town, and fairly before the mills,
that Miss MEwens said, with a falter in
her voice:
"Oh, Pm just the Worst girl! l know
I've ruined your sleigh"
Mr.. Jones looked at the downcast face,
shaded by the short, jetty curls, and re-
Tented.
IL don't care about my sleigh half as
much as | do about you"
"Then you're not angry2 I've had
such a pleasant ridel Now won't you
let me get out hereP because I've got to
stay at the depot till tea-time. never
have a holiday without making up
for it,"
MAY come and walk home with you
to-night9"
80 yes; I'll wait for you;" and Tilly
ran into the depot, triumphant.
1t was about o week after this that
Miss M'Ewens came home to supper
with tragic face, and letter in her
pocket. Poll, in the doorway, nudged
her, and pointed to her plate on the din
ing-table, beside which lay another let
ter. lilly swept this also into her pocket,
ate her supper in absolute silence, and
afterward beckoned to Poll to follow her
upstairs.
Don't say a word" Miss M'Ewens
said, sitting down on the first chair she
came to. al know all about it. One
letter is from Jones and the other from
johnson, and they're both dated to-day.
And there you sit and laughr'
1t was not very kind of POll, but it is
a fact that she had sat down on the bed
and laughed till the tears ran down her
checks. Tilly read the last letter with
a gloomy face.
"Well, l can't marry both of them,
and l can't for my life tell which like
best. Poll, which do you think is
nicest?"
You amt goin' by anything l say. 1
like johnson best"
ooh, but Jones is more of a gentle
man. And they're both coming here to-
night to Ellen Reeves susprise party,
and each says l can answer him tonight
Think of that, Poll"-and Miss M'Ewens
walked the room desperately" both
coming for an answer to-nightw
"WeH, you'll have to get dressed.
Whichll you take?"
81 shall have to take the first one that
asks me square. hope it'll be Jones'
no, don't; l hope it'll be Johnson"
Poll, after another stare and laugh,
commenced her toilet. Till perforce
commenced hers, signing as she brushed
out her curls.
80 dear, shall be so awfully sorry
whichever way it turns out!"
Poll, in the intervals of assuming a
green merino and braiding her hair, was
interrupted by the perfect distraction of
her roommate, who finally sat down and
declared she would not move all the
evening.
"Say I'm sick, Poll. No, you needn't,
either; I'll just face it OUT" and Miss
M'Ewens sprang to her feet and seized a
neck ribbon.
EIGba doos boot tha nutob ~ tbo,,oht
Poll, an hour later, as she watched lilly
moving about among the noisy and mot
ley gathering below stairs, as gay as the
gayest, her own saucy, indifferent little
self again. In one corner Jones was
standing, stationary as the enormous
vase of dried flowers on the table at his
side, over the top of which he stared at
Tilly. In another corner Mr.. Johnson
was trying to smile at the sallies of a
young lady at his side, and also cOvertly
watching Tilly, who was an illustration
of perpetual motion. Between talking,
laughing, dancing and flirting she had
not second to spare. She smiled most
sweetly on her two adorers, but managed
to vanish like a sprite from their imme-
diate neighborhood. In vain they made
monuments of themselves. Tilly would
not notice. But, as fate would have it,
she presently tore breadth of her dress
across. For the moment, in her annoy
ance, she forgot everything but the acci-
dent, and, with an apology to her part
ner, whirled out of the Virginia reel and
started for her own room.
On one side of the door that led to the
hall stood Jones, on the other stood John
son. Both started forward to speak to
her, and paused, each perceiving the
others intention. Tilly gave them a
smile apiece, and, murmurng something
about fixing her dress, passed them, fled
through the dark hall, up the dark stair
case, and gained her own room in a
breathless state.
How long she was pinning up that
breadth she never knew. When she
dared stay away no longer she put out
her lamp and slowly-very slowly-be-
gan to descend the stair, upon which she
sat down and dolefully regarded the
lines of light under the parlor doors, as
sH 4