The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-06-17
Young sk.dmore's Trouble.

Young Skidmore put in his regular
Sunday evening with his sweetheart, but
he had not gotten half through with the
stereotyped inspection of the photograph
| album when she noticed that an air OF
peculiar abstraction weighed upon his
usually smiling countenance.
"What's the matter, Gustus Don't
you feel well ?" she inquired, tenderly
disarranging the part in his hair, as is the
exasperating feminine custom.
"Oh! I'm all right" he said. ibid
you take in the matinee yesterday p and
he glanced uneasily around.
'"Teu me what ails you" }" she persisted,
gently. "You seem to have something
on your mind; what is it !? Gustus, tell
me-"
IT haven't got anything to tell, sal
Skidmore, holding first one shoe up to
the light and then the other, after which
he shook his head thoughtfully.
"Great heavens! I see it allp' ex-
claimed the now fully alarmed girl.
you've been speculating in stocks and
have-have used the Office money. Oh!
Gustus, to think that you should ever be
q defaulter."
ST haven't done anything of the kind ,"
said the young man, Indignantly. 'rI
only feel-that is, I kinder-how do you
get on with your music lessons, Tilda ?"
''Oh! Gustus, don't talk in that strange
way. If anything dreadful has happened
tell me at once. Don't keep me in sus-
pensep' and she laid her head on his
shoulder and sobbed bitterly.
''Tilda." said the young man, after
moment devoted to firmly but gently re-
moving her head and selecting another
seat. "You don't really care very much
for Limburger cheese, do you? I sup
pose you could give it up for my sake ?"
"Why, Gus" but she stopped sud-
denly, as terrible thought flashed
through her mind. Her lovers intellect
was never very strong, her papa had
often said, and now he had at last gone
insane. She must be cautious. 'tWhat
are you looking under the sofa for, dear?''
she said as sweetly as her agitation would
permit.
"Oh!-I-I thought I dropped some-
thing" he responded, absently. ''There
is nothing the matter with the sewers
hereabout, is there, Tilda?'
''No, I think not, DEAR" she replied,
determining to humor him, as she had
heard that was the proper course with
Insane people.
Haven't got such thing as tumor
about you, I suppose?' he continued.
wistfully. "You wouldn't conceal such
a thing as tumor from ME all these
years, would you, Tilda
''No, darling" she replied, trembling
and edging toward the door.
''Then I guess I'd better go home now
letters to write;" and he advanced for
a parting embrace.
''Don't touch me! keep Off help! MUIR
der!'' yelled the terrified female, jump
ing behind the sofa, while the household
came swarming to the scene.
'What yer mean ?" roared the father
of the family, shaking the astonished
young man by the collar. .What did he
do to you, Tilda ?"
ST didn't do nothin'," yelled Skid
more, backing into q corner. ''I was go
ing home because I couldn't stand it any
longer"
''Stand what, you lunatic p
"Why, this terrible odor. I'm blamed
if it isn't just the worst smell ever
struck in my life." And the desperate
young man sat down and nearly sneezed
his head off.
"Oh, is that all ?" exclaimed the object
of his affection, much relieved; and then,
after good deal of blushing, she whis-
pered something to her mother, who
whispered something to her father, who
led the young man into the entry, and
explained that in consequence of the
epidemic they had thought it
best for Tilda to wear a couple of car
bolic and camphor pads about her per-
son.
ssWhy, to be surer' said the overjoyed
lover, smelling his cuffs. 81 might have
known. How stupid of me"
And he returned to the parlor, from
which the family of his beloved filed out
again, leaving the two reassured souls to
as one.-[San Francisco Post.