The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-11-04

| so want TO be tamedW
| But Tom, as he made this apparently humble
| speech, looked up with so defiant and imper l.
| nent an expression on his countenance tnat l
| turned angrily from him aud walked quickly
| and in silence across the lawn toward the
| house AS went heard peal OF derisive
! laughter and knew that Tom was hooking
me. Q, how l hated Tom!
| medi ated on revenge, however, and, when
the luncheon hour approached determined to
follow out my aunts suggestion, and there
| fore ] gave orders that | should be served on
a tray in the drawing room. Five minutes
| after I had given the order there came knock
at the door, and Tom walked in.
90 You are ill., he said, abruptly.
"Nut at all"
| "What is he matter, then."
| MAY not wish to be alonel"
| 80, certainly"
| As red as fire, Tom retraced his steps, but,
| equally suddenly he changed his intention,
and recrossed the room rapidly to where l sat
q This is all nonsense, Lefty. You are
really ILL.,"
amnot ILL.,"
EITHER you are Ill or you must be able to
walk into the dining room. I shall send for q
| doctor at once"
"You will do no such thing, Tom; will
| not have it"
" shall do what think necessary. In my
aunt's absence am the only responsible per-
sou in the house"
"You are not my keeper"
q am SO long as you require one, and when
there is no better person TO watch over you.
Come, Lefty, don't be silly. Let me feel your
pulse"
. will not am very well, | assure you. "
Then you have been humbugging."
al don't know what you call 'humbug-
| ging'"
:" Lefty! Lefty but these are London man
ners, suppose, or what people used to call the
vapors,"
"No: later than Elizabeth. Now, come to
lunch"
81 will not"
'You will not! Why, you eau say nothing
else, and you are half crying These are hys-
terical symptoms. must certainly send for a
doctor"
Tom sat down at the table, squared his ell
bows and proceeded to indite in large, bold
hand the words. ''My Dear Sir"
He wrote no more; unable to contain my
rage and indignation, l seized the sheet of
note paper on which he had begun to write,
and, crumpling it up in my trembling hands
| threw it violently in his face.
He rose up quickly and stared at me.
1.-The dickensn' he began, and then with
| sudden GOODNESS: 81 think you are quite right
not to come into the dining room, Cousin Let
tice" he said, and thereupon he stalked out
| and banged the door.
| burst into a passion of tears. Anger,
shame and humiliation were swelling my heart.
| Suddenly dried my tears. Had not Tom, so
| to speak, forbidden my presence in the dining
| room. Without paustng, even to smooth my
| dsordered hair, | rushed into The room where
| luncheon had been served and where the sub
| stantiul repast still graced the table, though
| Toms folded napkin and unused knife and
| fork bore evidence to the fact that he had not
vet eaten. Nordid he apparently intend to do
| so, for through the open window came the
SOUnl of a StrilPut voice that said
"Put Jerry in the dogcart directly, wilkins :;
/ am going to drive into Eddiscombe.n
| had rather died than have owned TO it, and
yet | ,ttb myself vanquished. Tom was a
rough countryman and | was a civilized Lon
don girl He was, of course, unused to tie
ways and wiles of women, while at balls and
kettledrums had boosted many a conquest.
Somehow, however, | could not manage Tom;
could not even prevent his managing me.
Furthermore, sense of depressi N actually
came over me at the thought of his going out
for The afternoon; surely, in Aunt Mab's alb
sence, it was his bounden duty to be my
squire-nay, my slave.
| ate my luncheon, however, as I was very
hungry, and sat on, feeling cross and lonely,
moodiiy slipping my aunt's home made ginger
beer with the melancholy reflection that it was
not more fiat than all the world besides to me,
this long, long day, OF all my days the --LATEST.
Suddenly the door burst open.
Down, Sambo; down, down, Choe,n quoth
my cousin to the big dogs that accompanied
him, barking vociferously, and jumping on
him with delight.
81 say, Lefty (Letitia, mean, I've ordered
the old trap round. Pm going to drive you to
Eddiscombe."
"You area
'I'm sorry, you know" begon Tom, in a
bungling sort of way, that III lost my
temper, but couldn't helpit."
"YOu were extremely rude," answered,
with dignity.
"And you-what were you?" asked Tom,
wtha laugh. You'd better accept my apology
with grace, Lefty, before my humility dies
out altogether It's safe not to last long.
Go and put on your hat and tippet."
'My whatn'
"Your bonnet and cloak, if YOU like that
better. OF course, Tishy, | know that it is
simply diotic for aman to lose his temper with
a woman
THAT is true"
"a woman may do what she likes. 1t is all
silly childshness, like the scratching of a
kitten or the anger of ayoung canary. A man
shouldn't mind if he is anything of fellow,
and, of course, he doesn't mind really"
"My dear Tom" asked with some sarcasm,
''why do you seek my society if | am so sillyi"
"Why do you seek mne?" retorted Tom,
| quickly. "Why did you come into the dining
ROOM Miss Letty!"
"I-l didn't seek"
40, yes, you did. Well, you are dreary.
| lonely child, and-don't contradict, Tishy-
and pity you and want to cheer you up.
| Besides, you are not bad-looliing, hough YOU
are my cousin. There's soft sawder for YOU!
| Why, you have been taught in books, Letitia,
| that woman'S beauty is the handspring of
mems great deeds. What a poor little weak
hand it is ~ added Tom incoherentlv, taking
my feeble member into his large bronzed palm
81 don't want it kissed, though said l.,
angrily sua ching it away just in time to avert
the ca astrophe. " II w dare you, Tome?
| g dare do all that may become man." re-
| piled Tom, grandiloquenty. "Do go and
dress, Lefty. Better a drive with a cousin and
the bitter herb of tobacco than a dull after
noon and only the stalled OK of cold beef to
| comfort you"
WHO'S silly now' But you have eaten no
cold beef yourself"
4" / stuffed myself with a late breakfast. Be
sides, you are like sanity vision-l see YOU
better when | am fasting. Down, Sambo,
down, sir. Now sit up and beg; OF course YOU
| must put on your best manners, like your mas
| ter, for the sake of this fine lady from Lon
| dom"
My aunt's dogcart was a vehicle in which
| she would never trust herself, and which was
therefore, kept solely for the use of Tom As
for jerry, she was good, quiet beast. Her
name was originally Egeria but The stable boy
had contracted and vulgarized this appella-
ton, much as the Aryan races have amalga-
mated the noble Sanskrit roots into their d.
vers modern tongues.
Jerry trot'e ed on affably, and my cousin, as
81 I,..N. 4. l.