The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-12-18


Here he is!' said Harry, joyfully,
at the same time giving great punch
at the small animal and knocking a
splinter off the mopboard, for which
Mrs. Barnes did not bless him next
day; but the moUse eluded him and
made right for the young lady, who at
once gave flying leap onto the chair
Peletiah had vacated, and uttered a
louder shrek than ever.
Corner him, Pei! corner him!'
shouted Harry, but Peletiah never
stirred.
"A harmless creature like that! let it
escape, Hen-e-ry," he said, sternly.
"Oh, do kill it! please do, Doctor
Marshr' cried Louise, looking exqui-
sitelv pretty with her dark hair all fallen
about her pale face, and her lovely eyes
big with terror.
Harry made another dab, inspired by
these words, and hit the mouse hard
enough to disable him and elicit shrill
squeak; another blow of the poker laid
him lifeless.
"Therer' said Harry, "he is done
for"
"Oh, is he really deada" gasped
Louise, delicate color dawning in her
face.
Eyes, indeed he is; dead as Cesar.
Look, Miss Grant! am going to throw
him out of the window"
ugh! Oh, how can you touch
him? Thank you so much! 1t is splen-
did to be brave man.
Harry went off in an irreverent fit of
laughter at this ascriptiOn, and Peletiah
said, solemnly:
"You have destroyed thing you can
never recreate."
Il should hope notr' remarked Miss
Grant, with some emphasis. descend
ing from her perch, and in her heart
glad to have both her lovers take leave
at once, for her dress-skirt was half
torn oil, her hair down, and one little
slipper left on the piano-stool, all of
which Harry's quick eye saw, and his
equally quick tact told him he had bet
ter leave the disheveled damsel to re.
pair herself.
Mr.. Merit also withdrew, for reas-
ons of his own. All the way home he
was silent as stick; Harry could not
get word out of him. But in the
"dead watch and middle OF the night
tall figure clothed in white from vel
low head to invisible heel stood at his
bedside like Williams grisly ghost be-
side fair Margaret.
"Cousin Hen-e-ry, I think l shall
leave for Dalton by the early train.''
"Leave for Dalton! Ny dear fellow,
what is the matter? Are you illp''
Moved by his cousins kind tones,
Peletiah sat down and poured cut his
soul to Harry, with certain provisos and
circumlocutions, the amount of which
was that he had loved Miss Grant and
hoped to make her his wife, but the
amazing want of courage she displayed
in being alarmed at so minute and
harmless an animal as a mouse, and the
silly cowardice of her behavior, had
proved to him that she was altogether
unfit to be the partner of missionary's
bosom, and of course he must give it
up, though it rent his heart of flesh and
tore his earnest affections to pieces.
Nonsense, man, exclaimed Harry.
"Women are all afraid of mice; it's
peculiar to the sex. l dare say Miss
Lou would face band of Arab robbers,
or dozen Zulus, a great deal more
calmly than you could. Don't give her
up for that little thing
"Your reasoning is not good, Cousin
Hen-e-ry; a woman who is terrified at
small rodent could never face the
dangers of heathenism, the beasts of
the forest and the fury of the savage.
1t is an absurd, illogical proposition.
No. l can leave her for the sake of nv
calling, but must leave at once, lest
my weakness get the better of my
duty"
Harry's persuasions and arguments
all failed; by dim dawn Peletiah left in
the stage for Ludlow, leaving Bliss be-
hind him in more than one sense. His
glasses showed misty, and his lip quiv-
cred as he wrung Harry's hand at the
door, and murmured, in a solemn whis-
per, Farewell, cousin, farewell. Heret
late,i let1salis arundor'
Fiddlestickr' shouted the matter
of-fact Harry. He was irreverent of
this stately and deliberate grief vet in
his soul he believed in it, for he knew
Peletiah was honest, as far as he went;
but to give up Lou Grant because she
was scared at u mouse! Harry could
not fathom it.
So Peletlah went his way, reasoning
in himself, and at last came to the con-
clusion that he had been self-seeking in
the matter of a wife; he was truly con-
scientious, and having made up his
mind on cause and effect, he lost nc
time in applying to constituted authori-
ties for recommended partner, and
was speedily introduced and engaged
to an upright, bony, excellent female,
as eager as he to labor for the heather,
and quite willing to marry anybody
sent to her for that purpose.
If Peletiah's heart was not satisfied,
his conscience was; he felt that his
Eliza Jane was not one to quail before
mouse or man, and he tried to lift his
thoughts above personal feelings and be
absorbed in duty.
He was succeeding well in cultivatine
this frame of mind, and his marriage
was at hand, when he got a note from
his Uncle Marsh telling him that Harry
was very ill, and would not be able to
come to his wedding.
Peletiah felt that he could not leave
America without saying good-by to his
friends in Bliss, so he took a couple Of
days from his brief time in the country
to run up and see them.
He charged Eliza Jane to write il
anything should delay him over one
day, and set off.
But what was his grief to find Harry
not only dangerously i'll, but ill with
the smallpox.
Now Mr.. Merritt was no coward in
any sense; he saw that his uncle was
harrassed and worn, and found it hard
to obtain proper nurse. so he wrote a
brief note to Eliza Jane, and manfully
walked up stairs into the sick-room.
He could have groaned at the vision
that met him; by the bedside stood Lou
Grant, pale, but more lovely than ever
in her nurses cap and apron, coaxing
something in spoon down the deliri.
GUS patients throat. She looked up,
half-smiled. and said sinr1v