The Newtown bee., 1879-07-23

l hind her, winding the ribbon round his finger to it's evident detriment.
 ''So you will not wear it, MegP" he said at last.
 "No, I will not" she answered, with out turning her head ''Why do you vex mep There's no more to be said about it"
 But why, Megp" and he laid his hand on her shoulder as with an at tempt at reconciliation. "Tell me why. Surely you can do no less"
 Because because I can't abide blue, Matt Erickson. It's hateful to me-"
 But I like it, Meg! and if you cared for me you would be glad to wear blue ribbon to the fair when I ask it."
 "Why did you buy it?" she asked shortly, turning toward him bya hairs breadth. Not to please me, that's sure" '' Yes, to please you and to please myself. Jenny wears ribbons as blue as ner own eyes, and 1 am sure you cannot say they are not pretty. You are just stubborn, Meg"
 Pool Matt! In his uneducated. mas culine blindness he could not see that the delicate color that harmonized so well with his pretty cousins pink and white cheeks and sunny curls was utterly unsuited to his brown Meg, who needed rich dark hues and warm reds to brighten her somewhat swarthy com pleXion.
 And poor Meg! She had an instinctive sense of fitness that taught her this, but she was not wise enough to know how 1 to explain 1t to her somewhat lmperIOuS lover. She could not say she hated himm
 Besides, Meg had carried sore spot in her heart for two months; ever since this same cousin Jenny of Matt s came on visit to Rysdyk. She was a dimpled, delicate little creature from the south-from near London, in fact where, as Meg was very certain, every thing was nicer and finer than in Lanca- shire. Jenny had sweet little coaxing ways with her, and she was always pur- ring around her cousin Matt like kit ten; and-a1;d she wore blue ribbons Meg would none of them.
 She sat for moment as if turned to stone. Then she blazed out:
 "' Jennyn 'Jenny!' am tired of 'Jennyn She has turned your head with her flirting ways like a butterfly, and her yellow hair and her finery. Give your blue ribbon to her, and take her to the fair-for I'll not wear it."
 And you'll not go to the fair, either?" said Matt, in tones ofsuppressed passion "Is that what you mean?"
 "Ill not go with you," she answered, growing cool herself as she grew angry. Yet it's likely enough that may go. There are plenty of lads who would be glad to take me with no ribbons at all "
 With a strong 'effort the young man put the curb upon his tongue, but bis face darkened. You will go with me or no one, Meg" he said. "This is all nonsense-and we to be married next Michaelmas? But come," and he put out his hand to raise her from the stone {; "it grows dark
 Meg, still angry but willing to be pacitied if she must, allowed him to assist her, and stood beside her stalwart lover with burning checks and down. cast eyes. She rather liked, on the whole, his tacit refusal to defend him. self and his masterful way of telling her it was all nonsense" But just at this moment, as ill-luck would have it, a small brOwn-paper parcel dropped from the folds of her shawl. Matt stopped to pick it up. It burst open and yard or two of scarlet ribbon ripplcd over his fingers.
 Now our poor Meg, not to be outdone by the fair Jenny, had bought this rib bon herself that very evening, meaning to wear it to the fair next week. But it so happened that when Matt went to Mother Marley's shop to buy his own blue love~token he had found Dan Willis there-the only man in Rysdyk whose rivalship he had eyer feared. And Dan was buying a ribbon precisely like .his. Mother Marley had wrapped it in this very piece of paper, Matt was sure, and he had seen Dan put it in his pocket and walk off with it.
 And now, here it was His gift was spurned, then, and his rivals accepted :; and all Meg's talk about Jenny was a mere subterfuge-an excuse for quar- rel.
 Yet if she would not wear his love token she certainly should not wear Dams. He hardly meant to do it; he was sorry the next minute. But what he did, as the tide of passion swept him off his feet for an instant, was to wind the two ribbons into a knot and throw them vehemently into the sea.
 'There! v he cried, ''that's settled once for all"
 And something else is settled to, Matt Erickson" retorted Meg, in white heat. ''Therell be no marriage for us next Michaelmas, no marriage then or ever! You would strike me some day, for aught 1 know, if l should choose to wear a red knot rather than blue I'll not run the. risk. Illhave nothing more to say to you while the stars shine" and darting round the cliff, she was half way down to the beach before he ever thought of stopping her.
 The next day Erickson, magnani- nous, great-hearted fellow that he was, after all, having gotten over his quarrel from Meg's standpoint, it occurred to him that he might have drawn uncalied- for inferences. Dan Willis might have a dozen sweethearts. who all liked red ribbons for aught he, knew. And how like fool he had behaved, losing his temper like hot-headed boy and throw ing Meg's poor little trinkets over the cliff No wonder she was afraid to trust him. More than one husband in Rysdyk was in the habit of beating his wife on as slight provocation as the hue of a ribbon; and it was not strange that a high-spirited girl like Meg should de- cline to run the risk after she had once canT, him in O fI1,.u