Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-09-17
prised when I heard of it; and a charm


ing young girl I heard she isl! !"
"Well, yes, I believe I am thinking
about it, Amy. Yes, Miss Herman is a
very sweet, pretty little grill"
"Pm sure you thought seriously over
it before you decided; it's an important
thing to do, Slingerland, and specially
when man comes to your
age, and wants young wife. I do hope
you'll be satisfied"
Mr.. Valentine puckered up his fore
head, doubtfully.
ooh, dear me! yes, l hope SO. A
mans bound to make fool of himself
once in his life, and it's happened to me
later than to most. Oh, yes, | dare say
Fife and I'll get on very we'll"
A curious little smile crept to Mrs.
Grey's red ips-such ripe-red lips, like
luscious damask roses. .......
"You don't talk like the enthusiastic
lover [ expected to fnd,' she said,
brightly, biting the pretty lip to keep
from laughing, for shrewd Mrs. Grey
was quite we'll convinced that her
brother-in-law was repenting his word.
"And don't feel enthusiastic, either"
he blurted out, his face reddening under
her surprised, innocent blue eyes,
"The fact is, went bewitched over
pretty face, and somebody ought to have
kicked me from here to Jericho before /
made such deuced-ass-yes-of my
self"
Jacks widow drew down the white
shade, SO that the invalid bear would
not have the western sunlight too direct
in his eyes.
"It isn't SO bad as that, I hope,
Slingerland, is it? Well, don't let's
bother about it any more just now. Be
quiet little while, while run down
and see what I can find for your supper"
She went away, leaving Mr.. Valentine
thinking all sorts of curious thoughts,
very prominent among which was what
good wife poor Jack had, and what g.
deuced fne-looking woman she was yet,
and how amazingly he liked to have her
around, and what the dickens he would
do when she went away.
Up in the Shawangums the August
days were royal in their pulsing ardor,
and Effie and Cousin Harry had, quite
some time before, decided that it was
the most delightful summer in their
lives, when, into all the sweetness and
beauty and content, one day there came
a letter to Aunt Hepsy from Mrs. Her
man, saying that Mr.. Slingerland Val
entine was coming to see his betrothed,
and that Effie was to treat him accord
ingly.
And, three hours later, the gentleman
himself appeared, to the awe of Jessie
and Gwen, and the admiration of simple.
minded auntie, who ushered him, and
all his glory of massive gold watch-chain,
and sparkle of diamond studs, into the
prim, cool, dark "parlor;" where the
chairs-six of them-sat in straight
rows, and the carpet was the identical
striped one that had been q bridal
present-and rarely costly one in those
days-to Aunt Hepsy and Uncle Zeb.
Efie was all ahush as she went in to
greet him, and her eyes were shining
resolutely as she crossed the floor to
shake hands with him.
And Mr.. Valentine also had an
unusual look in his forid face, and not
little resoluteness in his eyes as he rose
to meet her.
hope you are we'll, Miss Fife; you
are looking, as usual, most charmingly.
Sorry / have such short time TO stay,
but-but the fact is, I just ran up on a
little matter of business, you see, and I
won't detain you longer than is necessa-
ry."
His heart was humping very undis-
ciplinedly, but when one takes into con-
sideration the "business" that had
brought him, it was scarcely to be won
dered at-business which only the memo
~ of Jacks plump, buxom widow made
him brave enough to transact, after he
was actually face to face with this blue
eyed little girl.
He means to give me q lecture, and
mamma has told him what I said," was
Efie's thought; "and I'll never, never
marry him, and I'll tell him so-now, this
minuter'
So she looked up at him, very frankly,
very honestly, very bewitchingly.
=" You have good reason to be vexed
with me, [ know, Mr.. Valentine, but
what told mamma to tell you I must
repeat. / don't love you, Mr.. Valen-
tine, and-and cannot marry any one
[ do not love. Please don't be angry,
will your"
Angry! Every nerve in his body was
dancing jubilate: Angry to be thus
gracefully, charmingly given the frc 3.
dom he had come to crave!
He laughed outright.
"Can it be possible? Why, Efe, I
came purposely to see if you wouldn't let
me of, because, you see, my brothers
widow is a very fine woman, and
Then Efie caught his hand impul-
sively.
@"Oh, that is just the very thing for
you. Mrs. Grey! Yes-why, you ought
to have thought Of that long ago. And
I"-and delicious blush came to her
lovely FACET am engaged to my
cousin Harry, Mr.. Valentine, and oh, I
do love him sol" .as...# #
And that was the result of the trip to
the Shawanguras, and Mrs. Herman bit
her lips in vain at the result of her own
little bit of generalship.-Satmday
Night. fg. a. L. f
The Educated Stowaway.