The Red Cloud chief., 1879-03-27
and" (precipitasely) Q = you in

and" (precipitasely) "are you In
want Of money! II you are"
~ have plenty" l interrupted.
"You haye?" with astonishment.
"Yes," and I told him about the
young actress, saying nothing about the
last line in her note, Of course; and,
much 10 my surprise, instead OF looking
pleased he looked rather glum.
/" was hoping you hadn't" he said
at last.
"Hoping I hadn't, Mr.. Popkins?"
"Yes; and them" wiping his brow
with his handkerchief, and speaking
with still greater haste, 81 vas going
to ask you 70 marry me and let me pay
all your bills in future"
"Oh! Mr.. Popkins," I gasped, al
am very much obliged to you. indeed.
am, but | couldn't think Of such thing,
under any circumstances"
"You object to nv hair. perhaps"
said be; 'l'il shave my head"
"So-o-O," said /.
"To my laughp I'll never laugh
again"
"No-o-o."
ITO my name7 I'll have it changed
by act Of Congress"
"No-o-o."
"To my nose' I'd look worse with
ont it."
"No-o-o-that is-yes-I mean no."
| stammered.
"There is some one else3"
"No-o-o."
"And you don't care a fig for me?"
81 regard you as a friend-a rery
dear friend"
"And you couldn't bring yourself TO
think of me as p husband? Oh, | see
you couldn't. Goodbye. I'll supply
you with groceries all the same" And
away he went, looking SO ~woe-begone
that |, remembering his many kindness
to Spinny and myself, felt inclined TO
drop a tear or two; but | conquered the
and commenced to pack my
trunk instead.
Most Of my answers to Mr.. Popkins,
l must confess, had not been exactly
true, including the n about some
body else" There was a young man
boarding with Mrs. Bairnsfather-Ar-
thur Leroy by name-a very handsome
young man-straight nose-cream-and-
rose complexion--fair hair--light blue
eyes--(his forehead was rather narrow,
to be sure, and the lower part of his face
heavy)-who had paid me a
great deal of attention, and if | was not
in love with him, l hought | was. And
| had every reason TO be~lieve-short of
a formal declaration-that he was in
love with me. And so, "a far as that
goes, there was " somebody else"
l advcrtised-at least Mr.. Popkins
did. | was astonished to see how little
the advertisement cost; and out Of some
answers, which one Of Mr.. Pop
clerks brought me, | selected
is, Mr.. Popkins-.be gOOd-natured
fellow was still as kind as before my
emphatic discouragement of his suit
selected n which vas the very place |
was seeking.
And on going to see it l was not dis
appointed. A dear, little cottage, own
ed and occupied by an old German
who spoke just enough English
TO enable me to make my wants mtelli-
gible, at the foot of a high hill covered
with green grass, wild flowers and young
trees, with a tiny brook leaPing down
the hillside and running gaily through
the finely laid out garden-no other
house in sight a the precisely similar
cottage next door--far away from any
road. l decided Immediately to
look no further.
And to Westbrook / moved one lone
ly day. Arthur Leroy kissed my hand
at parting and said he should be desc
until my return-and that very af-
ternOon the bandage was placed over
my eyes to remain there until my ply
consested to its removal.
"Perfect rest" | certainly had in my
new abode too perfect for an active
spirit like mine. And had it not been
for the singing of the birds, the cluck
of the hens, the lowing of the cattle, the
hum of the bees and most of all the peo-
pie next door, / should have fled after
two or three days back to my room at
Mrs. Bairnsfather's.
The people next door proved to be
company, though we were To-
tally unknown to each other.
The two gardens were separated by a
board fence, loosely put together and
with a luxuriant growth of
morning-glories and passion flowers.
And my favOrite retreat in our garden
on the hot July afternoons was a tiny
arbor covered with AYRSHIRE roses and
honeysuckles, and apparently the favor
tie retreat of the people next door was
similar arbOr in the corner of their
and so it came to pass that from
hearing their conversational didn't *
listen to it at first, but as Mrs.
of Pickwickian memory, re-
marked, sit forced itself upon nv ear
Il came to think of them as the hap
piest family l had wei heard. There
was a husband, 4 wife, 8 grandmother
and a baby, and they were all fondly in
love with each other and constantly
each other SO.
Therefore, l wa much surprised one
.ay-it was about two weeks after my
arrival at Westbrook, and I'd been
homssick for Spinny and disap-
pointed that I'd heard nothing from Ar
thur Leroy, and sorry about Mr.. Pop
kins-I was sitting beneath the roses
and honeysuckles-to hear the little wife
next door Q'd quite made up my mind
she wa a little woman) suddenly burst
out with: "Oh! Low, dear, to think
that once l thought l nersr could love
because l wasn't handsome and be-
cause l had such a queer name, Min
ME, he said with q lrugh.
"Because l thought you were not
You know, darling, all
girls think of him as blue-eyed, golden
golden-mustached, with COM
to match, or raven haired and
.ark-eyed, with complexion to match,
and when I first knew you you were
"And l am neither now, Minnie"
81 know that, silly, but to me you