The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-02-15

When Jim's eye caught that, his face
turned very red, as red as-Jennie's.
The youfha.sthat- wrote shat poem
qdaredn to write It's but he did otdare
to make himself known.
0fcourse itwas nothing but "boy g
play but Jim felt that he was near
enough to beinga man to look at 1T from
"a mans stand point. And looking at y
in that light, hethoughtitp roper to tell
Jennie that night when they went home
that he was very sorry that come mean
fellow had annoyed her in such a way ;
that he would find out the puppy who
wrote the stuff and give him sound
ithrashing. euE
But Jennie, to the surprise OF dim,
could not see wherein she had been in.
iured to an extent that demand any such
course as he proposed to take. And she
dissuaded him from his sanguinary pur-
pose. Not easily, however, but by
arguments made in an earnest manner
and urged more and more strongly, until
he was conquered.
Without meaning it, perhaps, Jennie
said some things, before they reached
her fathers door that were calculated to
mislead Jim, asto fireplace he occupied
in her thoughts. 1t was nothing posi-
lively encouragingd but something that
came nearer to being that than anything
she had ever before said to him. OF
,courseit must have been unintentional,
for nothing in that line was repeated
during. their walks to and from school
the remainder of the term. And when
the term closed, as was said before, Dim
felt that she was farther irnm him than
ever. He saw with the clearness of vision
that is characteristic oi young men in
his state of mird, the hopelesaness of any
attempt TO make himself her equal in
any respect, and then acted las q youth in
his circumstances usually does. He in
tended to remain with Mr.. Long until he
was of age, for he knew he could be of
great service to the farmer in the two
wears that intervened between the pre-
sent and that time. And he wished to
repay the latter for his kindness to him.
For the first few months of those two
years, he was apparently quite self
possessed in his association with Jennie.
But that lis all that can be said to his
credit. He broke down-utterly sue
six months had passed,
and--tod Jennie he did not
blame her for not caring for him, and
hoped she would forgive him for offering
such poor creature as himself to one
like her; that he could not help it; that
he felt he must know what he was to
her, and now he did know.
Jim had discovered Jennie the evenA
ing when he asked that question, sitting
On bench under the great maple, back
of the house. There she left him, and
went into the house and there fora long
time he remained after she had gone sit
tingin her place, with a sensation at his
heart unlike anything he had ever be-
fore experienced. Not contented to
let "wen enough" alone, he had gone
from the negative comfort of conjecture
into the positive pain OF certainty,
The next morning he entered upon his
abors with less encouragement than
Jacob, did upon his, after Laban's second
promise. Less by as much AS refusal
IS less than q promise.
And Jennief III her nights rest had
oeen less sweet and Refreshing than usual,
The showed no signs of it, She appeared
% be merrier than she had been for some
lime. EARLY in the day when she and
her mother were engaged in tine labors of
he household, she surprised the latter
,ery much by a "season" of laughing-7a
eason of very violent Laughing.
'"Jenniei!" exclaimed Mrs. Long, at
asst dropping into q chair, sWhat does
Ill your .
"Why, mamma, it's the funniest thing
-I'vebeen proposed to-"
I" Proposed tol BY whoms"
:" BY Jim"
: BY our Jim, Jennie?"
"Onr Jim, mamma
1.-THE foolish boyl 'Oficourse you told
i'm. kindly, chat YOU both were too