St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-11-15

ulu you medn, HISS, oy refusing NE
this afternoon 2"
''What did you go at me so stupidity
forq l had to refuse" she retOrted
smilingly.
'Will you be my wife 2"
eyes, sir; / meant to be all the time .
The contract having been properly
sealed, Lombard said, with a counte-
nance curiOusly divided between a trag-
ical expression and smile of fatuous
complacency, "There was IA clear case
of pOetical justice in your being left be-
hind in the desert to night. To see the
lights of the train disappearing, leaving
you alone in the midst of desolation,
gave you touch of my feeling Oh being
rejected this afternoon. OF all leavings
behind, there's none so miserable as
the experience of the rejected lover"
''POor fellow so he shouldn't be left
behind. He shall be conductor of the
train," she said with a bewitching
laugh. His response was not verbal.
''How cold the wind is !" she said.
"Shall build you another wigwam ?''
"NO, let us exercise little. You
whistle the Beautiful Blue Danube.
and We'll waltz. This desert is the
biggest, jolliest ball room floor that
ever was, and | dare say we shall be
the first to waltz on it since the crea-
ton of the world. That will be some
thing to boast of when we get home.
Come, let's dedicate the Great Ameri-
can Desert to TerpsichOre."
They stepped out from among the
ruins of their sagebush booth upon il
patch of hard bare earth close to the
railroad track. Lombard puckered his
lips and struck up the air, and off they
went with as much enthusiasm as if in
spired by first class orchestra. Round
and round, to and fro, they swept until,
laughing, flushed and painting they
came to a stop.
1t was then that they first perceived
that they were not without circle of
appreciative spectators. Sitting like
statues on their shifting paving ponies,
a dozen Piute Indians enciIcled them
EngI Ossed with the dance and with each
other, they had not noticed them as
they rode up, attracted from their route
by this marvellous spectacle of pale
faced squaw and brave engaged in IA
solitary wal dance in the midst of the
desert.
AT sight of the grim circle of centaurs
around them Miss Dwyer would have
tainted but for LOmbard's firm hold.
pretend not to see them keep on
dancing" he hissed in her ear. He had
no distinct plan in what he said, but
spoke merely from an instinct of self
preservation, which told him that when
they stopped the Indians would be
upon them. But as she mechanically,
and really more dead than alive, obey
| pI his RIrnotInl nn1 nrr1aI hn 1onon
and i'll his excitement was treading oil
her feet at every step, the thought
| flashed upon him that there was a bare
chance to escape violence if they could
keep the Indians interested without ap-
pearing to notice their presence. In
successive whispers he communicated
his ideas to Miss Dwyer: "Don't act
as if you saw them at all, but do every
thing as if we were alone. That will
puzzle them, and may make them think
us supernatural beings, or perhaps
crazy; Indians have great respect for
crazy people. It's our only chance.
We will stop dancing now, and sing
while. Give them Il burlesque of opera.
I'll give you the cues and show you
how. Don't be frightened. | don't be-
lleve they'll touch us so long as we act
as if we didn't see them. Do yOu un-
derstand? Can you do your part 7n
Il understand I'll try" she whis-
pered.
"Now," he said, and as they sepa-
rated he threw his hat on the ground,
and assuming an extravagantly Ian
gushing attitude, burst forth in most
poignant burlesque of a lOvelorn tenol's
part, rolling his eyes, clasping his
hands, striking his breast, and gyrating
about Miss Dwyer in the most approved
operate style. He had a fine voice and
knew a good deal of music; so that,
barring Il certain nervousness in the
performer, the exhibition was really
not bad. In his singing he had used a
meaningless gibberish varied with the
syllables of the scale, but he closed by
singing the words, care you ready
now? Go ahead, then"
With that she took it up, and render
ed the prima donna quite as effectively,
interfering "The Last Rose of Sum-
mer" as an aria in manner that would
have been encored in San Francisco.
He responded with few staccato notes.
and the scene ended by their rushing
into each others arms and waltzing
down the stage with abandon.
The Indians sat mOtionless on their
horses, not even exchanging comments
among themselves. They were evil
IDENTIFY too utterly astonished by the
goings on before them as yet beyond
pure amazement. Here were two rich
ly dressed pale faces, such as only lived
in cities, out in the middle of an unin-
habited desert, in the freezing midnight,
having variety and minstrel show all
to themselves, aud, to make the exbibi-
tlon the more unaccOuntable, without
apparently seeing their auditors at all.
Had they started up the show after be-
ing captured, Indian cunning would
have recognized in it a device to save
their lives, but the two had been at it
before the party had rode up-had, in
fact, first attracted attention by their
gyrations, which were visible for miles
out on the mOOny plain.
Lombard, without even letting his
eyes rest moment on the Indians SO
as to indicate that he saw them, and
had still managed by looks askance and
sweeping gances to keep close watch
upon their demeanOr, and noted with
prodigiOus relief that his wild scheme
was succeeding better than he had
dared to hope. Without any break in
the entertainment he communicated his
reinsurance to Miss Dwyer by singing,
TO the tune of "My Country tits of
Thee," the following original hymn
We're doing admir'blee-
They're heap much tickledee:
Only keep on"
To which she responded, to the lugu-
brous air of "JOhn Browns Body"
''Oh what do you spose they'll go for to do,