Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-10-25
SLOW but SURE.
BY f. b. W.

on EARN Olu Il BdCkWdIus ulAAlhCht
fellow like you ever manage to say
will you? p to witty, saucy, self
poised woman like your wife ?'
| really was curious to know.
Simpson was such a slow, sedate
person, and his wife was such a lit
tie FREELY, that there always seemed
to me something funnily incongru-
Gus in their union.
Simpson made his usual deliber-
ate pause before answering. "Well,
/ reclonp-my friend is a HOOsia
81 reckon it was queer l ever
asked her, and the way it happened
was queerer STILL"
We had carried our CHAIRS out in
to the front yard, in order to smoke
in greater comfort and l now tilt
ed mine back against a tree, know
ing that the story that was brewing
in nv friends mind would not be
over in a hurry. / condense il for
the benefit of the readers who may
not have as much leisure and pa
thence as had:
"YOu see," he began slowly clear
ing his throat and crossing his legs,
al was always rather soft-like about
Susie, from the time / used to sit
by her i'm school and work her
sums. She hadn't a particle of head
for figures, and / had, so we suited
very well as long as school lasted
and Susie, though she laughed at
me more than any of the girls,
liked me a little, too; for it isn't
human nature not to like the per-
son that works your sums. l know,
because that was about all the way
/ had of making friends, when ]
was boy, and l made good many.
But when our school days were
over most of them forgot, but Susie
never did. She was the prettiest
and most popular girl in the coun-
try, and had no end of beauX, but
she always had, God bless her! as
bright a smile for slow Ben as any
of them. | knew / wasn't as brisk
and lively as the best of them, and
when | saw that she didn't make
any difference, it went right through
ana through me, and I'd have died
for her any minute; but / couldn't
tell her 50. Seemed like | was slow
or and dumber with her than any
body else.
"FOr this reason I didn't often
call on her or ask her company to
parties and the like but which did
she was always so kind and pleas
ant-like that | was happy for a
month afterwards.
"Well, there was a party one
night at Squire Coon's; and, as il
wasn't far, and Susie would only
have to be bored with me going
and coming, l asked her to go with
me, and she said Certainly and
smiled as lift was the greatest treat
in the world.
"As the 'Squire's was only hall
mile from Susie's home and there
was a nice dry path through the
woods, we walked. 1t was about
the middle OF October, and the path
we took was heaped with dry
leaves that made a pleasant rustic
under our feet. a watery moon
and slim turnout of stars gave just
light enough to make the tree
trunks on either side of the path look
like anything else but what they
were.
"The only remark remember to
have made on the way TO the
'Squire's was that it was going tC
rain before morning, and that
hoped it would. l little thought
how much reason had to hope.
al don't recollect much about the
party, except that ] sat most Of
the time in a particular corner
and watched Susie as much as
dared.
"When the party had broken up
ane we were started home, L no
ticed that the sky was thickly
clouded and the night dark. The
Squire, who was sitting on the
front porch smoking a late pipe,
called after US Better stay all
night, Benny, it's goin' to rain.
But we thought not. When we got
into the woods, however, we began
to find out it was dark and no mis-
take. The farther we went the
deeper became the darkness.
knew the path we had to follow
every crook and curve in it. But
the carpet of dead leaves bothered
me. had TO stop two or three
times, and grOpe about on either
side, to make sure that / was in the
the right track and the last time
found l was not in it, and what
was worse, couldn't find it.
81 kept up the search as long as
possible, dreading to tell Susie OF
the stupid blunder l had commit
ted. But the truth had to come
out at last; and, as if to make mat
tiers really serious, it began to rain
"a dull patteIing fall, that would
probably last cill daylight, and SUI
sic exposed to it. She tried to make
Joke of il at first; but, as the rain
came more and more steadily, she
became frightened and nervous. |
found her the best shelter l could at
the roots OF a great tree, but the
rain reached her even there. She
had nothing round her but a light
shaWl-fOr the evening had been
unusually warm for the season
and l knew she would be thorough
ly chilled so, being very tough
myself, and use to all sorts of eX-
posture, just took off my coat and
begged her to wrap il round her
shoulders, but she would hear to
nothing of the sort, and babe me
quite brisquely to put on my coat.
But the rain increased, and the
night grew damper and colder. l
resolved to take matters into my
own hands. Without saying a
word l just wrapped the coat around
her shoulders myself, and, for fear
she wouldn't take it, said, by way
of apology, you see, I'D give my
life for YOU any minute, Susie, and
If don't stand to reason 1 shouldn't
give my coat
"She kept as mute as a mouse
while / was fixing the coat; but
yyhen I was done, she took my hand
in both of hers and, says she, DO
1,on think so very much of me,
Ben % and says /, More than / can
tail ar Won can think of, / reckon
IA md saws she, Why did you
never tell me so before :? n
ssWell, says L, you Know ~