River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-08-17
A REAL SWEET STORY

self control.
"You are a false, selfish, untruthful,
unmanly man." said she.
"And you are q suspicious, un-
reasonable, unwomanly woman, said
he.
"Take back your letters" she cried,
hinging parcel tied with hyacinth-
blue ribbon on the floor at his feet.
81 will" ne muttered between his
clenched teeth, picking up the parcel
and throwing it into the fire where 1t
blazed brightly for a moment or two,
and then few away in thin, uncanny
black fragm ents up the chimney. As the
last fragment disappeared, Rick turn
ed again to Lefty, with frOwnlng brow,
and asked: ''Do you still persist IN ac-
cusing me of deceit and falsehood z
81 do she replied, "unless youshow
me the charm"
81 Will not show it to YOU" he de-
clared with violent emphasis. 'lf my
word be not sufficient | refuse to give
you further proof | wonder that you
dare insult me by asking it. And l
also wonder how you, believing me
false and untruthful, can be willing TO
trust your future to me. And, to
speak frankly begin to think we
have made a great mistake in suppos-
ing that future happily together, for |
am fully convinced that we are any
thing hut
Two souls with but single thought
Two hearts that beat one
These lines were quoted with most sar-
castle infection. And furthermore,
also begin to think that perhaps it
would nave been better if we had never
made this mistake-if We had never
met, in fact"
"Oh, indeed, sir" with great assump-
ton of dignity. Have you just ar
rived at that conclusion? | have long
been sure of it, But there IS nothing
easier than to part. Your letters al
ready are disposed of. Tomorrow l
will send back your ring and picture.
And then, when / am free once more,
| can try to please my mother, tour
acquaintance, as you are well aware,
has never pleased her), and in pleasing
her may find am doing pleasant as
well as q wise thing fer myself"
Are you referring to Brougham
Brown"
az am referring to Brougham
Brown"
eBy Heavens" exclaimed Rick,
Selling his hat, this is too much, Let
ty, good bye. forever"
But Lefty began humming an air
from Patience, drumming an accom-
paniment on the window-pane, and
vouchsafed no answer. Rick rushed
from the room. The hnmming and
drumming performer listened intently.
Five minutes passed and still the door
did not slam. "He is waiting for me
to come out in the hall and beg pardon
| suppose" she said with q defiant
grimace, ''but | won't" and she turned
again to the window and the door shut
with bang.
And then she flung herself on the
lounge, kicked off herslippers and cried
like a summer shower. Rick gone, and
gone 'foreverr-Rick, whom she had
loved so dearly, for two long years.
And why? Just because that silly,
giggling Lena Narian, with her pale
blue ewes and straw colored hair, had
chosen to tell fbs about him. And
shaking the tears from her lashes, she
began scoIding herself as hard as she
had scolded poor Rick. THE idea,
Lefty Lounsberry, of your believing
thai girl before himl What possessed
you? He did fiirt a little with her, that
is true; but all men fiirt a little with
girls who persist in admiring them and
flatering them. But he never gave her
the little gold pig-yOur Christmas gift
to him-never! How she got it [ can't
imagine, but he would nave explained
if you had give, MIN chance" And
then the absent mother, gone to Aunt
Emory's for two days visit. came in
for share of reprOscn. 'If she had
only let her engagement be known, IN
stead Of insisting upon our waiting until
Rick was twenty-one, and had not
been obliged to carry my engagement
ring in my back hair, the only place
where it is safe from Baby's-Goodness
gracious Baby" And Letty's suddenly
remembered that ever since Rick came
IN to make a morning call, knowing
Mrs. I.ounsberry was absent-pOor fell
low! he'd have staid away if he could
have foreseen his reception-Baby had
been sitting alone in the dining-roOm
i'm the middle of the dining table, sur
rounded by all the pickle and marina
lade Jars and fruit cans and ca,sup bot
ties and Jam pots out of the store room.
For it was the monthly house cleaning
day, aud the stOre-room fell to Lefty s
share, the foreign help being gifted with
too great talent for smashing and
breaking, to say nothing of an equally
great talent for abstracting and devOur-
ing both sweets and sours. Lefty sprang
from the lounge, thrust her feet into hel
"a. hn 4
been calling her for some time. Baby
sat. good as gold, nursing bottle OIL
tomato sauce, snugly wrapped IN dish
towel, in the the very spot where she
had been when Kicks ring had sum
moned her sister to the door. Only one
small flask lay broken on the floor, fill
ing the air with the garlic. THAT
won't he missed" said Lefty. "Thank
fortune, there IS no worse mischief
done" But tue Thank" was scarsely
uttered when her eyes fell upon the
famous peach marmalade, the secret Of
he making Of which died with grand
mama, and which was being carefully
kept for Aunt Emory's Aunt Emory
was au old maid worth $50, 000) birth
dav. There it stood directly in front OIL
Baby, with more than half of its thick
paper hat torn OF, and yawning cav.
ity made IN It's precious contents by
little scooping fingers. ION, Baby, why
couldn't yeu have taken any jar but
that?" asked Lefty, reproachfully and
dramatically.
But Baby evidently had no excuse tC
offer for not doing SO, for she kept on
grooming to her bottle-doll, while hel
sister hastily fashioned another paper
hat and tied it securely over what re
NAMED of the original covering.
Then said Baby, ''Rick tiss I-nict
Rick
On, that is what he was doing when
she fooljshly imagined he was waiting
for her tocome and implore his forgive
ness bidding goodbye 20 Baby. She
might have known it, for he had always
loved Baby dearly.
eyes, Baby; nice Rick, gooa Rick
dear Rick: but for all that, the ring he
gave me goes back 10 him tomorrow
unless hear from him tonight. How
dare he wish that we had never metz
But she did not hear from him thai
night, and the next day the little band o.
cold was released from its hiding place
in her thick brown hair, and too faith
full messenger placed it in Kicks hanC
and he left his place of business. But ah
what silent. sorrowful maiden wander
ed about the Lounsberry dwelling there
after What a listless, weary voice re