The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-06-06

| ways saying on each occasion
"She's little wild, but she'll get
over that"
1 waited at the station for half an
hour then, seeing no sign Of John, l
started TO walk home. 1t was mid
day and fearfully hot, and when had
accomplished half the distance turn
ed off the road and started through q
grove that gave me q longer walk,
| but thick shade. l was resting there
on q broad stone, completely hidden
! by the bushes on every side, when /
heard Johns voice:
"Where have you been ~
There was such dismay and aston
ishment in the voice that l looked up
In surprise, to lind that he was not
greeting me, but 4 tall, slender girl
coming toward him. Such a sight
She was dark and beautiful, dressed
in thin dress OF rOse-pink, faultless
about the face and throat, but from
the waist down, clinging to her, one
mass OF the greenest, blacklist, thick
est mud and water.
ain the duck pond" she answered
with a voice as clear and musical as q
chime Of bells. "D0n't come near
me.n
"YOu are enough TO wear man i'll
to his grave :"
"There, don't scold," WAS the coax
ing reply "littIe Bob Ryan fell in
face down. 1t did not make any ma.
terial difference in his costume, but /
was afraid he would smother, so I
Waded in after him. The water is not
over two feet deep, but the mud goes
clear through TO China, imagine. 1t
is rather pity about my new dress,
isn't IL ?n
"a pity :" rOared John "you'n
come TO an untimely end some day
with your freaks. As if there was no.
body TO pick little brat out OF the
duck pond but you :"
"rhere actually wss nobody else
about. There, now, don't be angry.
I'll go up TO the house and put on that
bewitching white affair that came
from N@vrr W0-t- - >-~aai anu DO all
ready to drive over to the station with
you, at what time ?'i
"AbOut 3. Lawrence is coming on
the 2:I0 train"
And had come on the 1910. This
accounted for tine failure to meet me.
kept snug in my retreat until John
and Mamie were well on their way
hOmeward, wondering a little how
many young ladies in my circle of
friends would have so recklessly sac
rificed a new dress to pick up a beg
gar's brat out OF the mud.
When /, in my turn reached the
house, John was on the porch, watt
ing for Nannie's re8ppearance. He
gave me q most cordial welcome, or
rather a luncheon, called Mamie, his
mother, and q man to 90 for my
trunk, all in one breath, and seemed
really rejOiced to see me.
Presently a slender girl, with a tru-
Iy "beWitching" white dress, trimmed
with dashes Of scarlet ribbon, and
smoothly braided black hair, tied with
scarlet bows, came demurely into the
room and was introduced. Never,
however, in that first hour could the
widest imagination have pictured
Mamie StillmRn wading into a duck
pond. But the haIf-shy, half-digni-
fled company manner soon wore
sway, and Mamie and / were fast
friends before dinner. She sang for
me in a voice as deliciOusly fresh as
birds carroll she took me to see her
pets, the new horse that was her last
birthday gift from ''pRpa," the ugly
little Scotch terrier with the beautiful
brown eyes, the rabbits, guinea hens,
and the superannuAted old pony, who
had preceded the new horse.
In a week 1 was as mucn in love as
eyer John could have desired. Nan
ME was the most bewitching maiden
/ had ever met, childlike and vet
mi T. hrfnhf onI frrm 81
girlish freaks and boyish mischief,
and yet well educated, with really
wonderful musical gifts, and full of
noble thoughts. She was a perfect
idol in the village, her friends and
neighbOrs thinking no party complete
without her, while the poor fairly
worshiped her.
John allowed her an almost unlimit-
ed supply Of pOcket-mOney, and she
was lavish in all charity, from blank
cts for old women, tobacco for old
men, to candies for the children, and
rides on horseback for the urchins.
And she had q way of conferling IA
vOrs that never wounded the pride OF
the most sensitive.
We rode together every morning
we walked in the cool evening hours
we spent much time at the piano, and
discussed our favOrite authors, and
one day when | asked Mamie 10 be
my wife, she said, cOOlly:
why, of course l thought that
was ell understood long ago."
was rather amazed at such matter
Of-fact wOOing, but delighted at the
result. How could / expect any soft.
blushing speeches? ? 1 suppose /
ranked just where JOHN and Nannie's
grandmother did ia her affections.
But one morning, when Mrs. Still
man was shipping her geraniums In
the sitting room, and John was read
ing the mornings newspapers, Nan
ME burst in, her beautiful face all
aglOw, her eyes bright with delight,
crying:
"0h, grandma Walt has come
home / saw him from my window
riding up the rOsd.n
She was going then, just as John
exclaimed.
"ConfOund Walt :"
"WhO is Walt ~ I naturally in
quired.
"Walter Bruce, the son Of one OF
our neighbOrs. lie has been like .
| brother 10 Mamie all her life, but
went of to Europe two years ago,
when he came Of age. They wanted
TO correspond but l forbade that. So
he has turned up again."
1t WAS evident that John was terri
bly, veSed, snd yery SOON shared his
annoyance. Walt, a tall, handsome
1 young fellow, improved, not spOilt by
travel, just haunted the house.
He was generally of with Mamie
as soon as he arrived, and blind to
Mrs. Stillman's ill-cOncealed GOODNESS,
and Johns sarcastic speeches about
boys and puppies.
As for me, by the time my sleepy
eyes were opened in the morning,
| Mamie had taken a long ride with
| Walt, was at the piano when l came
into the room, and Walt was walking
beside Mamie when the hour for our
usual stroll arrived.
And the very demon OF mischief
pOssessed the girl. There was no
freak she was not ipVentiug to inn
peril her life, riding, driving, boating,
and / fairly shivered sometimes st
i the prospect OF my nervous terrOrs
when It would be my task to try to
control this quicksilver temperament
But one day, when 1 was in tho
lsummer house, very rueful little