The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-04-12

say SO, doctor?" yes John sounds ve
well, replied the doctor, not caring to diff
st with the old man whose disposition he we
zee knew so the boy was called John witho1
n, further ceremony and be is the hero of OF
l tale
ah Years passed, and John Clarkson I'll
p, third became young man, having emerge
pi from his swaddling clothes he passe
IN through all the varying stages of boyhoo
s, without displaying any very marked trait
ID of character, if except an ungovernabl
te temper which acquaintance of the famil
le said he came honestly by, and which t.
i'd those whom he considered his interiors i
TX physical strength he always seemed to de
le light in showing an overbearing disposition
s. Copiah county had been created from
d portion of Jefferson. Settlers have nov
n become more numerous. The Indians had
d been removed across the Mississippi t.
W their new reservations, and the land OF
l Owl creek and its tributaries was fast being
# cleared up.
Il About two miles from the Clarksor
d homestead lived a man by the name Of
Laban Newman, who had an only daughter
: named Sally. Our hero had passed his
/, twentieth birthday, and began to think
\ about matrimony; and like Jacob of old,
} had found the daughter of Laban comely
. in his sight. He often visited the Newman
3 place, and talked with the old folks until
: they got sleepy, when they would retire,
leaving him to keep sally company during
the usual courting hours This thing went
, on about three years, when one morning,
Mr.. Newman arose rather earlier than
usual, and found John still sitting by the
fire, in company with his daughter. Now
Laban Newman was kind-hearted man,
though very strict in his ideas of propriety,
and SO eccentric was he, especially on this
occasion, that he called young Clarkson one
side, and informed him that although he had
no objection in the world to his frequent
visits to his house, yet at the same time, he
considered o'clock in the morning late
|
spark any young girl, and hereafter it must
be understood that Sally Newman could not
sit up after o'clock, as it totally untitled
her for work that day; besides, it was cons
trary to the rules of etiquette. And after
impressing John the third, that in future
this rule must be rigidly adhered to, he
dismissed him with his blessing.
John Clarkson rode home sadder but q
wiser man. He dearly loved Sally Newman,
and hoped some day to call her wife, yet
he had never mustered up courage enough,
in all those long nights, to tell her so.
Think of it, oh, ye degenerate beaux of
to-day! and pity, from the innermost
depths of your stony hearts, the misery,
suspense, and long continued devotion
of John Clarkson the third.
Did Sally love him? He knew not. She
had rever told him; his natural timidity
had placed barrier to any advances. On
his way home in the morning twilight, he |
formed a resolution to know his fate, and |
put an end forever to this painful suspense.
He would propose to Sally the following
Sunday.
The morning dawned bright and beauti>
full, and about ten o'clock John was in his
saddle, on his way to the home of the mis-
tress of his heart with the full determina- {
ton to pop the question which had so long
disturbed him.
She met him with her usual kindness,
and aftor a friendly chat AID dinner, he
proposed walk. They had not proceeded
far when she asked him for his knife. He
opened it and handed it to her. She stoop-
ed down ard cut a switch cane beside the
path, being little in advance-for the
pathway was too narrow for two to walk
abreast-she proceeded to trim up the cane,
while he was trying to screw his courage
up to the point of asking the fearful ques-
tion. at this juncture, she turned and
confronted him. She held the knife in her
right hand, while with the left she raised ,
the switch, and looking him full in the
face, her eyes seemed to flash fire as she ,
said Ii
''John when are we going to -? |
here take your knife, let's go back home' |
John took his knlre, and his courage -e> S
turned, for he had qrhiled beneath her {
gaze while the knife was in her possession,
while strange and startling visions of ma l
MAC women intelspersed with CORY homi- L
cides, fitted across his excited brain. v
''Hold a minute, Sally" he said, still /
holding the open knife in his hand. 'Tve i
a good mind to cut you" s
''What do you want to cut me for John?' J
she asked half imploringly, for she thought L
,he detected a strange CLEAN in his eye, and 6
,he did not know but he had turned crazy.
because you won't have me-" was the $
ullen reply.
"Why, John, you never axed me " she
aid with an air of surprise.
"Well, now, 1 ak ye," said John look
ng as sheepish as possible. :
"WelI now I'll have ye " said Sally, ''and
would afore now, eff yed only axed me a
nut We didn't and hated to tell ye TO.
ohm shut up his knife and put it in his
'ocket, when they embraced long loving
mbrace, the first in their lives. q,
Bright and early next morning John was o
n his way to Gallatin, accompanied by "
rieud. when he procured his license, aud al
4e following Wednesday, Sally Newman ! h