Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-09-03
CHAPTER II.
AFTER THE SUMNER

81 hate school," Frankly Poole in
formed her one morning, as he sat on
the table while she sewed button on
his trousers. II should like to be a
sailor"
Goodness! Master Frankly, what's
put that into your head?'
cob! nothing; only Tom Dawlish was
telling me about it; what they did in
wrecks, you know, and all that. | should
like to be on raft, I should;" and he
drew his naked toes up on to the table,
and wriggled them about at the thought
of the great thingshe would do. "Tom's
coming to-day. l heard mamma say so;
and If ne isn't gone when [ come back
this afternoon, l shall ask him more
about it,"
"Pd tell him not to 60 filling the
child's head with such nonsense. only
don't want to get in his way" Mary
thought. But somehow Tom got into
her way that afternoon.
"Look here, Mary" he said; "I want
to speak to you. It isn't that | want you
to look at me if you haven't mind to,
though goodness knows I'd do anything
for you; but [ don't want to see nice
girl like you a lowering of yourself by
walking out with chap like Alfred
Hillw
"What's it got to do with you?" she
asked angrily.
"Why, just this, that I've found out
a bit about him, and he's only laughing
at you, and thinking you are nice look
ing girl when you are dressed up, to walk
about with but as for marrying you
he'll no more do it than that and he
snapped his fingers, tho what that action
had to do with Mr.. Alfred Hill's inten-
tions he did not explain. "Why, he's
going to marry the daughter of Mr..
Brooks, what travels for the firm, that s
what he's going to do. Ask him, and
see if he can deny it. Why, it's coming
off directly, only she's nothing to look
at, so he isn't fond of showing her off;
but she's got some money, she has, and
plays on the piano and looks lady"
"How do you know it," Mary asked,
her very lips turning white, for her ex
acting heart knew that he had fallen off
lately, and that he was not what he had
been in the spring (the summer was
over.) Not that for single moment she
believed Toms words"
"Why, l work there, and the servant
told me. Besides, I've seen him 60 there
counting"
81 don't believe it. You ought to be
ashamed of YOURSELF" and she rushed
away to hide her gathering tears and
frightened face.
She wrote to him, asking him to meet
her that night; but he replied with an
excuse that made her heart sick. He
would meet her tomorrow Saturday
afternoon in Kensington Gardens if she
liked, he said; and to this she consented,
and for the first time, and for his sake,
was false to her charge of Frankly.
"You run about, Master Frankly,
DEAR" she said; 81 want to talk to a
friend of mine-but don't 20 out of
sight," and then in her bewilderment
she forgot all about him. Alfred Hill
looked rather bored than otherwise, but
he was as smiling and shiny as ever.
She hardly greeted him when he ap-
peared, but she looked at him with all
the admiration she had ever felt for him,
intensified by her fear. He sat down
beside her, and elegantly crossing his
legs, began tapping his highly polished
boots with his bone-headed cane.
"Alfred," she said, crossing her
hands and looking at him straight in the
face, els it true that you are going to
get married directly?'
Who's told you sop
at isn't any account who told; is it
true SIS you are going to marry Miss
Brooks because she plays on the piano,
and has money, and" The tears came
into her eyes, and her lips quivered with
anguish. ooh, it isn't true! know
it isn't!" and she touched his hand in
her dismay, and looked up into his face
with all her hearts story written in her
eyes.
81 don't see why it shouldn't be, and