Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-08-04


happy to see you In what can L nave
the honor to serve you?"
He had read my face and knew that
L had come on mission.
Major Hawthorne" / said, paying
no attention to his offer of a chair, Il
have come on a very painful GRAND.
sit down, madalS: said the Major,
politely. II cannot possibly permit a
lady to stand on my piazza. 1 ought,
perhaps, to ask you to walk in, but it is
rather stufy indoors this evening""
NO" l said, II will sit here, if
you please" To tell the truth. indoors,
as seen through the window, had not
the most inviting look, and 1 was glad
TO compromise.
"You have, no doubt, heard -
plunging in medals res" that Miss
Lydia Ludkins is about to be married"
married! Miss Lydia! No! Hadn't
heard word of it." said the Major, in
genuine amazement. "Who is the fort
innate man, pray?"
1.-The Rev. Nehemiah Applebloom,
missionary to the Micronesian Islands,
who has come home to recruit his health
and find wife
81 know him." said the Major. "Saw
him down at the station-a long, lean,
lank individual-justf fit for his vocation;
no temptation whatever to cannibals!
But what the deuce is he going to do
with Miss Lydia? What will Balaam' s
Corners do without her?'
"Balaam's Corners must do the best
it can," said-I fear little sharply
for my mind was still in most aggres-
Sive state toward the Major.
"They are to be married next week,
and"
"What will become of the sances-
tors?'" interpolated the Major, in whom
surprise seemed to have gotten the bet
ter of habitual politeness.
go, she has made arrangements with
Mr.. Crow about that"
"Just like her! Dear, faithful girl"
The Major had all his life loved all
the sex-not one-and / was not to be
beguiled by this show of feeling.
"She had set her heart upon being
married in her grandmother wedding
gown"
"Old Mrs. Captain Simon? 1 re-
member her well. A mighty fine wom-
an. She never would have gone to the
ends of the earth with a missionary.
It's the craziest scheme I ever heard
Of"
began to fear 1 should never get to
my errand.
cit was put out on the grass to
bleach, being little yellow with age.
1t was a lovely embroidered India mus
lin that the old Captain brought home
from India himself.
How well 1 remember him in my
boyhood! A jolly soul! A grand
daughter of his &C off to the Cannibal
Islands to be eaten up by savages! 1
won't have itr'
"Her heart is set upon going" con-
tinued. 1.-The wedding-gown was put
out to bleach, and this very afternoon
those little Berkshire pigs of yours
they are nuisance to the whole neigh
borhood. Major-trampled and rooted
it to pieces, so that it is utterly ruined"
Little black rascals!'' said the Ma
jOr. with a chuckle behind his neck
cloth.
"And 1 have come, without her
knowledge, to tell you of it, because
was sure that, under the circumstances,
a gentleman of your breeding would
feel in honor bound to make some rep
aratlOn to Miss Lydia"
The Major unused and looked at his
boot for moment in silence.
''Miss Grace" he said at length, 81
thank you for the service you have rem
dered me in this matter. Will you have
the goodness to say to Miss Ludkins,
with my compliments, that l shall do
myself the honor to wait upon her to-
morrow morning at ten O'Clock, to adj
Just this unfortunate matter? / beg in
the meantime that she will give herself
as little solicitude as possible. for though
L cannot restore the ancient and veneer
ated dry goods, Twill do the best that
is possible under the circumstances to
riake the loss good"
He bowed over my hand and the
audience was evidently concluded. Was
l satisfied? No, indeed! What woman
would not have felt wronged to be left
at the end OF mission OF disinterested
benevolence in such state of doubt
and uncertainty as this? But l was
obliged to 60 home nevertheless. and
wait as patiently as could for the stroke
of ten next morning.
Glory had been in hearing when the
message had been delivered to Miss
Ly0dy ana she, too, was on the watch.
AT last she scudded in from the hedge.
her worries all a-glisten, and her ewes
wide open and full of rather incom-
prehensible mirth.
He's a-comin', she said; "and such
sightr'
At that minute the gate clicked and
up the walk strobe, indeed, most
astonishing figure. The Major had got
ten himself up in a continental suit,
which he must have fshed out of the
unknown depths of the ancient attics at
Hawthorndeau; black velvet coat with
lace rutfles at the wrist. knee breeches,
white satin waistcoat, slippers with shoe
buckles, powdered wig and cooked hat.
He was six feet tall, portly and we'll
formed. and he looked every inch a
Signer of the Declaration at the very
least. He was followed by his colored
man, who carried a large brown paper
parcel.
Hes come a-courtin'. missus," said
Glory; ''ye can see it in his face
l had not the instinct of Glory, and
doubted; but what his errand was !; was
dying to know.