Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-08

know-and she is engaged too; and she |
proposes to make us n visit, and her |
Young man means to drop along
forsooth, while she is here. Now where
are they to sitp can't imagine. unless
they take the air-chamher Of the fur.
mace. The front steps are quite too cold
at this time of the year. Or L might
have the trunk-room cleared out ior
them 7 hadn't thought of that before"
"Polly, YOU are ridiculous. Your
cousin will manage that for herself
see If she doesn't. They will take walks,
oh, If they only would! If the
whole lot of them would take walks
and keep on walking, and never walk
this way, how comfortable 1t would be!
Sue, YOU are abominably tolerant about
such matters. That miserable cupid!
Iwsh l could hold his wings in the
candle and burn them off. He never
flies in but to do mischief somewhere.
How peaceful and happy we all were
together before this sort of thing be-
ganl"
"Take care; he will hear you, and no
is a revengeful creature. l believe him
to be the original little pitcher with
long ears" laughed Susan.
"I don't care if he does hear me-"
asserted Polly, defiantly.
Has cupid earsp Certain it is that
matters grew lworse rather than
better for Polly from that day forward.
Fanny Allen came, and in due time
her lover, according to programme,
and with the latter cousin,
Mr. Othniel Oliphant, n sue
cessfll merchant, just home from China
for brief visit. His return was not
purely for business purposes. MIR. Oil
plant was on the lookout fer wife;
and with the prompt decision of mer-
camille man, he elected Polly Patten for
that position on n two days acguaint-
ance. A firm believer in the faith that
faint heart never won fair lady" and
nothing venture, nothing have" he
offered himself at the end of the week,
and quite undiscouraged by Polly's dis
mayed mo-" sat resolutely down and
traced his parallels, resolved to gain by
siege what he had failed to win at coup
by assault. This complication set the
seal TO Polly's discontents.
"For just imagine what n state of
things it Makes" she teld her conf
dante Sue. There they sit-the three
sets of ninnies-one in the parlor, one
in the dining-room, one in the den,'
from which poor papa is turned out bag
and baggage; and there is that abomin-
able D! o! (never did man have such
suitable initials) looming like doom or
a thunderstorm all day long, deter
mined to get me by myself. and culti-
vate my acquaintance How can nc
make me care for him, he says, If he
never has the chance to see me alonep
1t is the most embarrassing, abominable
condition of affairs. | seriously medi-
tate running away to teach school-or
something. Home is growing unbeara-
ble."
"Why do you dislike Mr.. Oliphant so
muchP He seems to me very pleasant"
"Sue! When he teases the life out OF
me! l declare she is blushing. Are you
turning traitor tooP"
"Not in the least-I don't know what
| you mean, that Is. What wanted 10
tell you was that we're going to have n
young man of our own also. Ny brother
Jack is coming home next week"
How coherent / declare, Sue, you
make me suspect something. JackP
He's the one who's been so long in Ger
many. Well, | hope you'll enjoy him
but pray keep him to yourselves. I've
had enough of young men. Johns espe-
cially. never want 70 see one again as
long as I live-I think. Grsoiousl
there's that tiresome D. o. strolling up
/ II
come out. declare il Il uncomfortable.
Good-by, Sue. I'm going home by the
back door, If you don't mind" And
catching up her bonnet, Polly vanished,
while Susan Gilmore, with guilty look
in her eyes, and a pair Of red. red cheeks,
tied hers on, and issuing sedately from
| the front door, encountered Mr.. Oil
| phant, and presently, under his escort,
walked up the street. After all. she
thought to herself. eff Polly can't like
him, and doesn't want him, why notP"
Why not, indeedf 1t was unanswer-
able.
Another fortnight passed. Cousin
| Fanny and her fance went away, but D.
o. still fingered. Polly gave an excla-
nation of despairing disgust when she
learned his intention; but, after all, he
did not prove the nuisance she had
feared. He had other friends in town by
this time, other engagements, and did
not haunt the Pattens' house every day,
and all day long. as at first. Pollyhea
little Of Sue in those days; Sue was oc-
cupied with her brother, Just returned
after his long absence. Mindful of PoiIy's
interdict. perhaps, che was in no haste TO
present him to her friend-a fact which
Polly was disposed to resent, when, full
week after his arrival, she was 1t last
brought face 10 face with him. She
liked John Gilmore at once. He was
quite different from the other Johns, and
not at all formidable, Polly thought
tall and spare. quiet in speech and shy in
manner, wearing spectacles. too, but al
| together very mice" What n myriad
of diverse meanings may be included In
that word, beloved of girls, "nicei'
In John Gilmore's case it meant that
he did not talk nonsense TO Polly, and
yet that he seemed TO like tho nonsense
she talked at least he frightened under
1t always, and Ii made him laugh. He
never bored her with sense and long ex-
plantations, but she was never In his
company without finding herself after
ward thinking about things which he