Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-03-11
A Game of Croquet.
BY K. V. HASTINGS.


breeze blowing up from the Hudson, q
cool verands shaded by honeysuckles, a
hammock, novel and o pipe, all COM
bined to coax Guy Wallace out of his
mothers sitting-room and into the air
So darkly, deeply. beautifully-blue was
the water, SO hazily soft the outlines OF
the Catskill Mountains, so sweet the
fresh air to his city-wcrn brain, that he
smoked, read and dozed till the sun
began to creep down toward the west.
tinging the hills with purple, flooding
the water with rose-even touching the
floating glories of Guys mustacho and
converting its gold into flame. He
looked very handsome, as he lay there,
tumbled on pile of sofa. cushion, with
his yellow curls all rumpled, and his
eyebrows rubbed the wrong way; his
white, duck. clad limbs swinging over
the side, and the points of his slippers
now and then touching the floor.
He was hatless. coatless. yestless,-all
of those garments being tossed on n
chair near by. Not even colored
necktie relieved the virgin wilderness
OF his attire-only q blue-and-whitc
fancy belt, and the green slippers afore.
said, rather old and rusty.
No one came near him except his
young stepmother, and she was too
busy with visitors all the afternoon to
spare him more than very brief inter-
val between the calls. So be read and
smoked till Just rs slow on the sand,
and loud on the stone, the last wheel
echoed away" Then he closed the
book. and looked ont through the shell
tering vines, across the lawn, to the
gate which led into the next place; for
behind it he had caught the flash of a
white dress.
Said gate few open, and young girl
came toward the house, flashed and
out OF breath with running; laughing,
yet casting startled chances behind her;
and not in the least needing Guys ter
rier, that came yapping and swapping
after her. She looked very pretty,
scudding along, holding up the front
Of her dress, and her little Marie An
Gonette slippers keeping up a brisk
trot under its edge. She rounded the
corner of the house, and Guy heard the
"click clackl" Of her heels as she went
springing up the front steps, and an.
other s click! clack! as she burst open
the sitting-room door, and appeared
before his mother.
"Why, Mollisl what's the matter "
exclaims Mrs. Wallace, surprised ut
this sudden onslaught.
The girl sinks into chair, laughing.
"Oh, Mrs. Wallacel Ha, ha, ha
Can l stay here little while ?"
Why, of course, my dear. But
vwhok in Ia xunr1I>a fha x,,aftorC To ~,
house on fire? ?"
"Oh, no-there's nothing the matter
Only I--well, There's somebody
home ! don't want to see, and so ran
away!"--bringing it all out with sud
den bolt.
"Oh, that's it, is it?"
eyes. Yol see, I saw him coming
from ever so far off--so far, couldn I
tell him from his darky; but / didn't
think he was coming to see us. And
when / saw him drive in the gate,
jumped out the back window ana ran
over here"
And Mollie Averill subsidies into d
"sleery-hellow chair, suftocated %ish
giggles. 49,.
Mrs. Wallace is q good natured, bux-
Om young m2ttOn, anu ENC i2u2ns, 100
"Why. you foolish girl! if your foot
had slipped, you might have tumbled
out and broken your neck"
oh, 10; it's very near the ground! ii
"Why didn't you 60 down and see
him?" ..
"Oh, I couldnt!" replies Mollie, in
an awe-stIicken whisper. "He's per.
fectly horsid! / todd mamma l never
would see him sgain--that I'd Ger tsin
~ run away! ANA he'd no business to
come, eithsr!" she adds. with q sudden
fash baby wrath Il told him never
to come agsih!"
Mrs. Wallace laughs treriily, and
the unseen Guy pricks up his ears and
inclines his heaa little more toGa,,l
the adjacent window. He 40 longer
allows his slipper to scrape idly along
the floor; sysh his breath 10 noissloa4,
and mischisvous smile cieeps down
from his eyes to his mouth.
"You told him not to come again ?
All! we all know What that means"
"Yes, [ suppose you CO." says the
girl, with d penitcut sigh. 81 didn't
mean to have told ~oH, bat l couldn't
helm II. ouj anrlryr 7 Sgr't mind