The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-05-22
MISS MAY.

MISS MAY. a,
1T was an afternoon in late February, an(
Tom Kingsley was lounging in the bav-win
dow OF the little sitting-room, his Latin ant
Greek books all around him, aud. what wa
worse, a broad, snOw-covered hill IN front O
him, down which sled after sled was glidins
with the most tantalizing rapidity. Tom wa,
twenty and devoted 10 learning but he vas
not above a good ceaS when fhe chance pre-
sented itself. Occasionally he favored his sis
ter, who was the only other occupant Of the
room. with very audible growlings against the
restrictions Of study hours.
The two were students in the academy
whose automatically square buildings rose
almost opposite to the Kingsley house. They
were nearly OF an age; but the one was pre-.
the other was considered nearly completed,
The two young people. with their father and
mother, made up the whole family: but Mr.
Kingsley, in the simple, unpretvnding way
of the village, received into his house, as 4
hoarder one of the academic professors, and
also occasional students when they hap
Penea to be friends of the children 1t wa,
this tirst-named individual who was exciting
Toms attention, in lack of anything better
IL look at.
May" he said, Jerking his head over his
shoulder with quick, Characteristic move
80 by" sS'-&s -
HIS sister dropoed her work and came to
TIE window. I'm the other side of the street
stood a tail, uugainiY man, with scholarly
stoop in his shoulders, head OF bushy hair
much threaded with gray, pair of mild, wise
spectacles, aAA general air of perplexed &C
Guiescence in all mundane affairs whatever.
In his hands, he held very tiny sled, look
ing at ii at arm's-len eth, as II it was some-
thing OF an explosive nature. One six year.
old little fellow was surveying his broken
playthlng with despairing eyes, while two
other excited urchinS danced up and down in
front OF the professor, endeavoring duly to
set forth the nature of the accident that had
happened to the runner. Two dogs wagyed
their tails hopefully in the background, and,
to complete the procession, a disabled crow,
the pet of one of the villagers, brought up the
rear 1t hoped gravely along, now on one
foot. now on the other, setting its head on one
side i'll oracular fashion. and looking ten times
hlacker and wickeder than ever against the
WhltenesS of the snow.
After considering the situation few min
utcs, the professor started Oft again, dragging
the sled by the rope, and his procession, crow
and ali, trotted along behind him -,
"Sow, said Tom, ''he will go straight to the
carpenter's shop to get that thing mended :
and the carpenter after impressiny upon him
ne arduous nature of the job, will charge just
ten tinies what it is worth, and he will pay it
without a word"
No doubt he will. u --'~-- --
Sand those little beggars will run off with
ont even thanking him.
but they are fond of him. Tom.''
Il don't cart. MAY, you can make that
man IN I snnw !, a,.s'maS 4. -,
"Just fancy his going out with telescope
and watching the moon all night because we
inys told him there were changes on its sur
ia"e indicating some great interior cOnvul-
L. l,~sA -.
r"ne to Us to point them out, We pretended to
Il them plainly enough, told him his eyes
w'y.. getting weak, and he believed every
W ii OF it, and has taken to wearing specta-
ci's rom that day.
Well, they are becoming, at any rate. and
he short-sighted," said his sister, laughing.
fut May, the best joke Of all you never
heA"': of. Promise me you Won't tell anybody
abCu. it,
"pi course not. except Jem."
go Jem knows all about it already; he
was II it.. Seems to me you're very dutiful,
thou . all at a, once. Getting engaged has i'm
w pray that it may last" said his sis
'Wl ,.h:-the improvement, or the engage.
ment: low many teople have you been en-.
gagged teforethis, zMay ~ = u
"Ab.r;i half dozen. Think
81 t nk SO, too. Don't treat Jem in that
way. lbs afnend Of mise; snd, ter .all.
it's rath moftffyih !. you know, to a feliow.''
sit cal't very well be mortifying in this
case, because nobody isto know of the engage
81 Alouli like to know if they don't! WHY,
Nav, it is known all over town. Jem told of
il himself. You see, you a-e rather pretty for
a girl; anu then there's that bit of money
gran!m tier left you. On the whole, Jem' :
rather proud OF it, and no wonder"
Lets have the joke now; never mind the
"Ncver complimented anybody in my life.
What ar" YOU talking Ab0at4s But about that
little affair: you remember when we we're ex-
perineu'ing with that nitrogen iodide in the
lAe %Yss''7 N'y'" i
"You remember how explosive it was
safe as long as you kept it wet, but going of
like nit o-glycerine and dynamite put togeth
er when it got dry" =
ut didn't go off unless some one touched
it. Tom" asa ,.g'
breathed yard away frdmit of It went. But
that's of no consequences, for IN this case
somebody was expected to touch it.''
''And that somebody was the professor, OF
ceurse!"
some on the handle of his. door, some in bis
slippers, and some aA0onx his books; the rest
We scattered round promiscuously. Aud, al
good luck would have, it, there came up 8
heavy thundrr-ShOWer that s-v0P, aftprnrof,
The professor came hnrrvin, in. .cn;Jant",i.
.Icm and mot hin, an ~ s, a 'eT wv Ins
him to ev.iain a 'lii' u,t atm n.ss.re " snh
come r.glt Income right in hn~s So sa ~
IN. go. w. .iN"C AZ, ;oOys, he says,
hand ON ,hn 5nnr'ln,T R.n S' aua ! .a.u ms
hack ~ If be had t,aer sSot nj mi Ju.nPeo
what's the matters, be sYc,.;moS -bh;s ' n:
nose. We difn,t saw ans.%;"~ H.. a" "..S n,s
II twas the most evSrr Nv W. ac'e St,.s As
we went in. and he MILF ~ III VII,
started to yet his s,inners IN ps No Oot m anu
Oh Nav. Won never spw ~ I'll Ia; 1SgT lang
I believe lie actually struck tho c.;, ;a' I%rp
he went to draw down the windows c,, " nen
hang again. When he took dnSS thss.1.i !.
banf ~ n.a h,r =" S I'D ~" ing Aatin
bang! bang! And so on with everv thine +.
u""E S -; 81 ~. ~ az; III n e'e.y t.InR NJ