The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-01-04

( honest gTay-biDe eyes that look iuii
you arched cyebrOTs two shade
darker than the hair snAll, straign
nose cueek 4 little faded, but stil
throwing ont PINK roses on occasion
lovely mouth, with the fsinte5t suspi
cion OF q shatoR at the corner, which
wzs instantly lost in q sunshine smil
"Our neighb9r Mr. Guernsey, be
lieve ?'' she said, n a remarkably
pleasant voice.
"Yes," replied AiT Guernsey, bush,
ing violently (the idea oft aud ok
bachelor forty-fige his last birthday
blushing because sn old maid locke,
! at him y, and having uttered thii
mouosyllsble, be dropped his hat
/ and put his eaue through the crown
: af it as be stopped TO pick IL up sgain
; The hat in his hand once more, he
went on : "I'ye called to see II you
that is, your motheT-I mean both o
yoR, of cou=se-"ID fact" with sud
ded inspiration. Il came TO SAX j
you would like some trout F; Just out o.
the water yesterday"
"Oh! thank you; you're vsrJ
kind" said Miss Osborne, little sur
, prise in her voice, and a puzzled ex
preston in her eyes; and that mo
ment Mites rough tones broke in
from outside:
"I've got him, boss, an the noice
time pve had to Ketch him. Bsdad,
he's the liveliest lame dog liver NIT
in me loife, an he's pult down the
other vine au'-"
"Good-day," hurriedly said "the
boss" flying before the old maids
questioning looks, and spinning of
the stOop With such impetus ss to al
most knock down his faithful retain
er. shut up, you idiot l' ne said, in
a hOerse whisper. drop that dog,
and go home and fasten the vines up
again."
"Howly Moses lp calculated Mike,
as he disappeared in hurry; sis it
mad he is ?''
so dear ~ exclaimed the old maid,
I raising her pretty hands and eye
brows as she caught sight of N "hne
little fellows" dirty paws aud drO0p-
ing tail, "he's been in some mischief I;
Pm sure he has saw your man.
What has be been doing, Mr., Guern-
sey ? In the kindness OF your heart
you're screening him 1 know you
are. o Waif Waif If you weren't t
lame, I'D whip you. picked him up
in the street one day, Guernsey"-the
pink roses were in full bloom now
"where some wicked boys had left
him after breaking his leg, and took
| him home and nursed him well
again, and the poor thing became so
attached to me couldn't bear to
leave him behind when we left the
city,"
"Of fcourse net" said Mr.. Guernsey,
adding, rather irrelevantly, 'I don't
wonder at it, Good morning" And
so the acquaintance began.
"What fool pve been !" said
Miles, ss, once more on his own
porch, he picked up his newspaper
again "but bless me who'd JUInt to
hurt lame dog ?"
A week passed. away, during which
Mr.. Guernsey only caught occasional
glances of his fair neighDor, rs she
came out into the garden among the
roses, with plain straw hat shading
her faas and tied with a bit OF blue
ribbon under her chin. al always
liked blue ribbon" sighed the old
bachelor. "She used 20 wear it,"
"She" was the young girl he had
loved some twenty years sgo, and
from whom be had been separated by
the Vaccinations of his father and
her old maiden sunt.
All was calm and serene, when one
morning Nike burst into the libra
~, where his master sat, gasped out
"Thin lamb chops, sur, the dilicate
finder wuns I mint for yer dinner,
they're gone, an the burrd's most
frigbted to death. Sur au' no lies-or
may | niver shpake another wuTrid-
than fourteen kittens in the wood
shed, an all on account Nv Miss Os-
borne's cat, the thafe nv the
wurriId."
"I7lts certainly must be stopped at
once" said Mr.Guernsey. "qivs me
my hat, Mike :" and away he went, |
growing angrier and sngrier at every
step. His lamb chops and no more |
to be had until tO-morrow-goOd grs- |
ciOus ! And fourteen kittens-gra.
cious goodness Ito say nothing of
the canary in fit, perhaps its power
of song scared away forever !
He actually banged the gate Of the |
garden Of roses but his anger, which |
was up to "butter melts" at least, fell |
to "zero" when be entered the pretty |
parlor. There sat the old maid, in q
low rGcking-ehair, idly sWaying to |
and fro, dressed in a loose, flowing |
white wrapper, without rufhs or
puff, with golden-hesrted daisy in |
her hair and another at her throat, /
aud by her side stood the lean, lsnk |
cat with a squalling kitten hanging |
from its mouth. "Poor Mary Ann ~
she was saying; "but where, Oh,
where are the Other-n when she /
raised her kind eyes and met the not
at-sll-iTate gaze OF the old bachelor. |
"Glad to see you again, Mr.. Gnern-
sey," sue said, in her frank voice,
rising and holding out her hand.
"Mother is much better thank you"-l
in answer to some rather indistinct
query on the subject "Ral away |
WITH your kittyn-tO the cat. mot /
a very handsome eat, is she, Mr.
Guernsey? Poor thing she came to
our door one cruel cold night last |
winter, half starved, and with the tips |
of her poor ears frozen off. 1 took |
her in, warmed and fed her, aud she |
wouldn't go away again. To tell the
truth, didn't try very hard to make
her and couldn't bear to desert her, |
when we came here, any more than l
could Waif. he and she, odd as it |
may seem, are very fond Of each |
other. But one bad habit, Pm sorry /
to say, l can't break her OF, or haven't |
as yet-a result Of her early vagabond |
life in the streets to steal" Then, |
suddenly noticing a queer expression /
on the face of her listener, she con-
ffr,r,nH aa1ar1r- iT hnna Ghn hnanlf 4
been annoying you in any way ?"
Straight into those child like eyes
did Miles Guernsey look, aud say. de-
liberstely: 80 no, not at all.
came to asdk if you-thst is" grow
ing a little iDeOherenI), "your mother
of course L mean both of you
would like fresh cucumber or two
and some pease" with q flush OF
pride); "I'm ahead of all the neigh
bors." He meant tine psase were.
"A thousand thanks" said Miss
Osborne.
mime hundred and ninety-nine too
many" said Miles, actually smiling
at her. "G0od-day." And when he
reappeared in the study he had a
daisy in his buttOn-hOle.
Mike came out OF I1e uiniuS-fOonJ
where he had been soothing the ca
nary with a crisped lettuee-leaf.
"Well, sur ?n said he.
"Hang the birds cage where the
cat can't reach It. lock up the chops
after this, and drown thirteen OF
the Kittens" quietly said Mr., Gnern-
sey.
"Mad, is it ," Mike sOliloquized.
"He's madder nor fifty hattars."
GOOD heavens what man in bis
sober Senses" Miles Guernsey ssket
himself, "JU0lad hurt a frOzen-edred
cat ?''
Summer passed away, carrying
with her the fragrant roses and thou
sands of other beautiful flowers su-
tumn, in richly-tiuted rustliug gar
ments, gathered the gold and brown
and crimson leaves To her bosom, and
bale the earth farewell I; winter came
aud flung down snowy flakes upon
and hung glittering icicles from the
roofs of the cottages and the naked
branches of the trees-and the neigI-
bors had only met a dozen times.
Ptrf in that dOZaD times Miles (rneFu- |