Sharp County record., 1878-02-22


stop.
:. Bat this time I'm telIingyOu Of and
while I was standin' ont there on the
DIatform irwin to calculate how long
II would be at the rate I was maxim
money times was better them before l
corld saw some words I had in my mind
"a saw. as soon as I was well enough
fixed. TO a certain little dark-eyed gal,
"a I was sure was waitin' patient and
euectin' OF me TO say 'em. Don't mlnd
tellin' you this now, you see, SIR COS
that came out all right long ago, an
I've never had cause to be sorry for say
in them words, but kinder think they
was the most sensible ones 1 ever SAID
Well. as I was a standing there, out
comes a Young feIler as mad come up
with us from Philadelphia. He was
nobbv-IOOking teller, dressed out all
regular in shootin' coat, peaked nat,
high-top boots, dogs an guns, an big
hamper in the baggage-car; quiet and
civil, a regular bIoOded gentleman you'd
saw at first SIGHT, an he was very good
Io0kin' with his wide-open blue eyes,
and brown, curly hair and beard, but
still I didn't quite like i'm; not but what
be was pleasant an decent enough to
me, but whenever he spoke his upper
!fp had a fashion Of lifting up-kind o.
snarlv ike; an when nc laughed, which
he did 0f'en an easy, it was q reg lar
out an out suarI, an looked list ike
one Of them ere dogs you've mebbe seen
with their upper teeth stickin' out over
the under ones-they can't bite, no ways,
but they're fearful on snarl. But l
had nv notions that this feller could
bite too, as we'll as sHarl, if It so pleased
him, and I says to myself, thinking OF
him. You'll bear watching, you Will,
AM KEEP a eye on him accordIn'.
ss Well. sir, that gent wore on the lit
tie finger Of his left hand this same
identicaL hair ring. It took my notice
while a-taIkin' to him, though being
made out o. two kinds o. hair, an one
sort I'd swear was off his own curly
pate. So, by and By, taLkin' o. one
thing an another, I works around to
rings, an finally made bold to say to
him
8" That's a Gurus kind Of a ring for a
gent to wear, sir
He looked at it, twisted it around
careless ike, turned kind o. red and
laughed little-snarl still showing out
plain-an' says
...Yes, rather neat thing; do YOU
fancy it2'
"sDon't understand you, SIR says.
what might you mean2'
81 mean, says he, If you ike tyou
NAV have it; I'm rather tired OF it my
self, and with that he pulls it off an
hands it over.
's'Much obIeeged to you, sir, says l !;
but I wasn't meanin' to ask for it, not
by no means.
quence; if I hadn't give it to you I'd a
give it to some one else,' and with that
he turns about and walks into the car,
and I puts the ring on my finger, think
in it would make a pretty keepsake to
give my little gal-and when we came
to Stump Station my gentleman gets
out, dogs and guns and baggage and
snarl and all, an that's the last l ever
see Of him.
About two weeks after that time
there was a very pretty young lady got
on the train at Elm Station, just out OF
Philadelphia, you know. She didn't
have nobody with her, and seemed kind
O. timid like and skeery; never movin'
hardly out Of her first posish, 'cept
when the train stopped at some station,
tho being through express we didn't
stop at many-but when we did | no.
ticed she allus pulled her thick black
veil down over her pretty face and kind
er turned her head into one corner o.
the seat, lettin' on to be asleep, an
when any body came in or went past
her seat-which some of 'em as haven't
much is allays a doin', you
know, sir, walkin'u up and down restless,
an goin' for drinks and changin' seats
continually-wheneyer they did that /
could see her give little jumps and look
kinder quick and frightened ike, an
the blood all rushin' up into her cheeks,
maxim them look prettier yet, and then
she'd git pale as death the next mint,
and kinder push her hair back off her
temples with one little white hand, like
70 vas too heavy and hurt her; and
most all the while she kept twistin'
HGle hair ring she wore on her finger,
aroun' and aroun', and a putting it up
10 her lips once an ag'in, when she
thought nobody was a looking. I'd a
give my hull stock of 'yaller backs and
prize packages to a. been in that rings
place jist once; tho Of course the like
Of me had no busiD css to be even watch
in her from behind the stove as | were,
it bein' filter for me to have been think
in Of my own Janey awaitin' for them
words.
THE moment l see that ring | jerks
mine off an slips it into my vest pOck-