New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-05-26

ooh, my goodness! o-o-oh! there it
Is! OH! It's coming this wayr' an
other loud shrek here, and still an
other, as Harry seized the poker and
made frantic dabs at something in the
corner.
"What Is itp'' sternly asked Pele-
tiah, who thought of nothing less than
. rattlesnake, quite regardless of the
improbability that such beast would
intrude into parlor.
"Oh, dear! oh!' shrieked Louise;
"don't you see it1 Ooh! there it isr'
another shrek.
"O-h, oh! an awful, dreadful, horrid
mouser'
"A MOUSEr' echoed Peletiah, in
tones Of tragic disgust to which big cap
itals cannot give expression.
"Here he isv' said Harry, joyfully,
at the same time giving great punch
at the small animal and knocking .
splinter off the mopboard, for which
Mrs. Barnes did not bless him next
day; but the mouse eluded him and
made right for the young lady, who at
once gave flying leap onto the chair
Peletiah had vacated, and uttered
louder shrek than ever.
"Corner him, Pei! corner himr'
shouted Harry, but Peletiah never
"a harmless creature like that! let it
escape, Hen-e-ry," he said, sternly.
"Oh, do kill it! please do, Doctor
Marshr' cried Louise, looking exqui-
sitely pretty with her dark hair all fallen
about her pale face, and her lovely eyes
big with terror.
Harry made another dab, inspired by
these words, and hit the mouse hard
enough to disable him and elicit shrill
squeak; another blow of the poker laid
him lifeless.
"Therev' said Harry. che is done
for"
"Oh, is he really deadP" gasped
Louise, delicate color dawning in her
face.
"Yes, indeed he is; dead as Caesar.
Look, Miss Grant! am going to throw
him out of the window"
Ugh! Oh, how can you touch,
himP Thank you so much! 1t is splen.
did to be brave manr'
l
laughter at this ascription, and Pcletiah
said, solemnly:
"You have destroyed a thing you can
never recreate."
Il should hope notr' remarked Miss
Grant, with some emphasis, descend
ing from her perch, and in her heart
glad to have both her lovers take leave
at once, for her dress-skirt was half
torn off, her hair down, and one little
slipper left on the piano-stool, all of
which Harry's quick eye saw, and his
equally quick tact told him he had bet
ter leave the disheveled damsel to re-
pair herself.
| Mr.. Merit also withdrew, for rcas-
ons of his own. All the way home he
was silent as a stick; Harry could not
"dead watch and middle of the night
tall figure clothed in white from yell
low head to invisible heel stood at his
bedside like Williams grisly ghost be-
side fair Margaret.
"Cousin Hen-e-ry, I think I shall
leave for Dalton by the early train.'
"Leave for Dalton! My dear fellow,
what is the matter? Are you ill7''
Moved by his COUSINS kind tones,
Peletiah sat down and poured out his
soul to Harry, with certain provisos and
circumlocutions, the amount of which
was that he had loved Miss Grant and
hoped to make her his wife, but the
amazing want of courage she displayed
in being alarmed at so minute and
harmless an animal as 4 mouse, and the
silly cowardice of her behavior, had
proved to him that she was altogether
unfit to be the partner of missionary's
bosom, and of course he must give it
up, though it rent his heart of flesh and
tore his earnest affections to pieces.
Nonsense, man, exclaimed Harry.
"WOmen are all afraid of mice; it's
peculiar to the sex. I dare say Miss
Lou would face band of Arab robbers,
or dozen Zulus, q great deal more
calmly than you could. Don't give her
up for that little thing"
"Your reasoning is not good, Cousin
Hen-e-ry; a woman who is terrified at
small rodent could never face the
dangers of heathenism, the beasts of
the forest and the fury of the savage.
II is an absurd, illogical proposition.
No. lean leave her for the sake of my
calling, but must leave at once, lest
my weakness pet the better of my
duty"
Harry's persuasions and arguments
all failed; by dim dawn Peletiah left in
the stage for Ludlow, leaving Bliss be-
hind him in more than one sense. His
glasses showed misty, and his lip quiv-
cred as he wrung Harry's hand at the
door, and murmured, in solemn whis-
per, Farewell, cousin, farewell. Hgret
lateri lethalis arx,atlor'
Fiddlestick!' shouted the matter
of-fact Harry. He was irreverent of
this stately and deliberate grief yet in
his soul he believed in it, for he knew
Pcletiah was honest, as far as he went;
but to give up Lou Grant because she
was scared at q mouse! Harry could
not fathom it.
So Peletlah went his way, reasoning
in himself, and at last came to the con-
clusion that he had been sclf-sccking in
the matter of wife; he was truly con-
scientious, and having made up his
mind on cause and effect, he lost no
time in applying to constituted authori-
ties for recommended partner, and
was speedily introduced and engaged
to an upright, bony, excellent female,
as eager as he to labor for the heather,
and quite willing to marry anybody
sent to her for that purpose.
| If Peletiah's heart was not satisfied.
his conscience was; he felt that his
Eliza Jane was not one to quail before
mouse or man, and he tried to lift his
thoughts above personal feelings and be
absorbed in duty.
He was succeeding well in cultivating
this frame of mind, and his marriage
was at hand, when he got note from
his Uncle Marsh telling him that Harry
was very i'll, and would not be able to
come to his wedding.
Peletiah felt that he could not leave
America without saying good-by to his
friends in Bliss, so he took couple of