Litchfield enquirer., 1878-09-12

! M. nat IS J she said, anectlng anxleGys 1 Is papa ill., or mammaY could not speak at first. He kept held uf the hard little hand which he had seized, and de- voured her silently with his eyes.
 No, mo- said he at length. I've come
 on my own hook-a vacation, to see you, COus- in Jen.'
 {" 'Oh,' said Jennie, pulling her hand away. Her face said, Who asked you to come? Her
 lips said, You ought to be ashamed of your l self, frightening me SO! What train do you take back to the city ?
 George assumed piteous expression of
 countenance, and said he had not made up his mind.
 'sI hate men who have not made up their
 minds on eUesy subject ? said Jennie, with un-
 necessary ierceness. The reason I asked l was because have 8 commission for you; I want you to take something to mamma to- | the carpet knew she was fabricating some l excuse, some fictitious errand, to get rid of | George. .....z#.s.
 l "He looked her straight in the eyes
 "Of course will do what you want me
 to-" said he. As to having my mind made
 up. I puFposely left that question of going
 back, of leaving you, cen, because it makes
 me unhappy. Jennie, have made up my
 mind on one point that you are to be my '
 all my life will accomplish it. Jennie, want you to marry me
 sJennie turned several shades paler, and
 seized hold of the piano in supplied state
 of mind. was for sliding away and letting
 them fight it out by themselves. but there was
 an agonized appeal in Jennie's glance at me
 that meant stay. So staid. George did not
 like il, but he had no time for resentment. The look Jennie gave me reveal fer the first time | hnxr cI,o fn
 answer? To judge from her face, one retort
 after another presented itself without finding l vent 1n words. At last she broke into laugh that was not very joyous, and esCapod from
 the room. We could hear her running up
 stairs to the apartments of the friends with whom she was staying It seemed to me that l l should have given up all hope if woman had laughed in my face in that way, but it
 was different with George. He sat down quietly, and although very grave, was perfect | ly at his ease. You might have supposed that 1 offering himself and being rejected before a third person was with him an everyday af-
 fair. He seated himself on the music-st0ol,
 and touched the keys gently without striking ! a note. It seemed to me only fair to endeavor
 to get him out of the house, in order to spare Jennie as much as possible, but he would not
 listen to any proposals for walking, driving, or
 bathing. So left him sitting there, with his
 head little bent, evidently waiting for Jen-
 nie's step.
 '.It must have been two hours before saw
 him again. He had waited in vain for Jennie.
 That little woman had quickly got the better
 of her vexation, and apparently had resolved
 that nothing should interfere with her enjoy ment. Descending by another staircase at the | extreme end of the long hotel, she had pressed
 into her service the young matron with whom she was staying and several other of her friends, and was now preparing for game of l croquet. It bid fair to be g languid sport, to | judge from the indifference of all the others
 save Jennie. A man was wanting, and l l was deputed to beat hin up; it was while thus engaged that found George, still grave but
 serene, encamped before the piano. ppdded
 started star daS Hp about to withdraw when 1e0rse
 "'Have you seen herr Where is sner George had never spoken to me about Jen-
 nie since our memorable explanation; and,
 when alluding to her, never used her name,
 but always said she or her. like affectionate
 married people, who think of each other so 1 continually that the name of the loved one
 sounds formal, and is consequently avoided.
 ".Well, come with me, cried, after mo-
 ment's thought. Can you play croquet?'
 "sYes-if she is in the game
 ''So I brought George up to the languid group where Jennie was bustling about in an
 unusual state of excitement, and chuckled to | and she regarded the newcomer. Jennie gave
 me look of indignation, which deepened into
 wrath when she saw my mouth twitching.
 She felt like braining me with her mallet on the spot. However, there was no help for it. George was quiet and self possessed, and the | others, finding that their insolent stares made | no impression, accepted the inevitable, and | began the game. Jennie avoided us both as
 much as possible, contenting herself with cast SErp xxySfh nlo 0k kn 1,SaE1I 1 sponded with depreciating gestures. The dis l tinguished company talked to each other In very loud high voices when discussing the absent, and in @ moderate key when making l fun of George. But the latter did not, or did not choose to hear, Jennie was enough for l all his faculties. He watched her without 8 | shadow of pretense, and in that only added to 1 her vexation, because she knew every one was l remarking it. The position was hard one, after al although the little f1irt richly deserved it. As said, she was the only energetic play CT, and before any one else had gone far in the game, she was round the circle, and free to play the role of hawk among the pigeons. The | first ball she bounced upon was that of George. Her eyes snapped vindictively as she placed her slender foot on one of the balls and gave it vicious push into the sandy ground to in- sure it's firmness.
 "'Where shall send you, Mister BrooksY
  to her own, 90 that there could be no failure of her coming blow. The ground. sloped for a long distance beyond the immediate croquet l field, and Jennie was already triumphing in the thought of sending George far down the slope. She would be rid of him that much, anyhow. But George was not so stupid as he looked. Somehow his mallct and his big foot were in a direct line of the shot, and that forced Jennie to pause. hn sn 1oxu .sk send me away at all. Let us be partners, and play against the world. We can meet at times when am of use to you, otherwise you can be free. No one else would give you the freedom will, even if they could love you as L.
 '.T don't know what you are talking about, cried Jennie, hotly.
 .ssYou must know what mean. want to work for you. When you are my wife, you shatl have not only true and loving hus- band, but greater freedom than yeu now pos sess. Give me little hope befdfe sending me away
 "'Mr. Brooks, will you take your mallet out of the line of my shot i? answered Jennie, almost ready to cry with vexation. George stepped aside and allowed the angry girl to raises her mailet. It descended, and the ball flew away, but the blow did not sound clear. George did not look after his ball, but regard ed Jennie anxiously. She was very pale, and leaned on her mallet. The stick had struck the inside of her foot where great bundle of nerves renders a blow almost insupportabIe. The agony was so great that she was uncon- scious of everything but pain. Beforeshe had time to fall, George had picked her up, and was taking long strides towards the hotel. His enviable role did not last long; Jennie came to, and, overwhelmed with modification hobbled away among the woman. ':Jennie had been very much hurt for the time being, but doubt whether George did not suffer more. His face expressed the most exquisite anguish. Very naturally he imag- ined that the delicate little creature he had for moment in his arms must possess far more delicate sensibilitles than any one else; to her tender physical organization he attribu- ted equally refined mental emotions Wheth- CT he was right or not is not for me to say We both thought that no more would be seen of fhe auburn lsacks th2t day and Gncz.a had