Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-02-16

lltle voice 1ma1lnaDle, anu 4
! tender, pleading look in the brown eyes.
In the twinkling of an eye all her pert
ness had vanished.
Dick had seen that little trick played at
least score of times, but for all that his
face softened. OF such yielding material is
) the "sterner' sex made.
20, of course l havn't had anything to
trouble me, Gay. If you choose to flirt with
Forester, must step aside and say moth
ing."
'.Flrt with Forester. I can't look at
anybody but you call it flirting, You
couldn't expect me to skate with you all
this afternoon You are the most ridicu-
lous boy! L don't care how many times you
carry Sue Parker over to Fentonvillen'
Sue Parker is my cousin. and it is Il
very different thing. But, then, l know
very well that you wouldn't care if she We're
not. You don't care about me, and that is
the worst of it, said poor Dick.
Gay stamped her little cold feet impa-
tiently.
:" If caring for me makes you so jealous, l
am sure wish you didn't. You are tor
menting me con>tantIy.''
II thought the tormenting was on the
other side" said Dick, with sigh. ''But
| then | suppose it is of use to complain.
You will go to the ball with me, of course,
Zay.''
"Of course!" That was nice invitation,
thought Gay, Indignantly.
| "Thank you, but your invitation comes
entirely 100 late, - she said, carelessy.
| SaDtliH OltSlcE USheu lie Il WEEK apO,dnu
| L promised to 60 with him."
| - have borne a great deal from YOU,
| LAY, but there are some things l WON
! bear"
And with that he picked up his skates land
| departed, without Il backward glance.
lay looked after him, with her scarlet lips
| pOuted, but her eyes round with wonder.
| Ever since she was n little girl in pantalettes
| Dick Chester had been her slave, and this
was the first strike for freedom he had ever
| made. She dIdn't know just what to make
| of it. Alter he had disappeared in the gath
| ering darkness, her lips took on gradually a
! little penitent, sorrowlui droop, i'll place of
| the pout.
| poor Dick! it is too bad. But what
| right has he to be high and mighty: | never
promised to marry him, anil don't know
! rs | ever shall"
| 1t was true that she had never really prom
ised to marry Dick, but it was equally true
that she had never said no TO the suit that
he had been patiently and persistently
| pressing for the last three years. Every
body in MarshfId said that she meant to
marry Dick. but was such an arrant little
cOquette that she couldn't bear to give up
all the rest of her sighin. SWANS. for LAY
was the belle of Mars ntield. and counted her
conIuests by dozens. In her gracious moods
she would listen, at least with the silence
that gives consent, to Dicks plans for their
marriage, and raise him to the seventh
heaven OF delight, and the very next hour,
perhaps, she would be scOrniul and indig-
of such thing. But of late her gracious
moods had been of longer duration, and Dick
had begun to look upon the seven h heaven
us his continual abiding place-until Cap
tain Forester came.
lie had become proprietor OF the great
Mar,hiield mills, where Dick was book
keeper, and WAS building for himself man
sion whose elegance wa, beyond anything
that MarShtielu had ever dreamed of. And
then such handsome and stylish young
gentleman! All the young ladies in Marsh
lied fell TO pulling caps for him ut once,
but from the first the Captain devot ed him.
self exclusively TO lay. The report which
the young ladies circulated mduStriously
that she had been engaged 10 Dick Chester
for years did not suffice 10 deter hi,
And LAY was a born coquette, and could
not deny herself the pleasure of making Il
nev conquest. Neither was she above think
ing that 1T would be a fine thing TO be mis-
tress of that elegant mansion, and looked up
to and envied by all the other girls. And Of
late it had become evident that this splendid
lot was hers, for the choosing. But, for all
that, LAY thought the world Il very dreary |
place, a. she watched Dick out Of sight, sit
ting In the cold and gathering darkness. |
And how long Captain Forester had been |
gone. Dick would have got the skate |
mended IN half the time.
She showed the gallant Captain, when he |
did come, u phase of her character which |
was entirely new to him, and made him |
think there was some truth in the hints he |
had received from several disinterested @ |
lauieS that her temper was none of the |
sweetest. She signitied her intention of go.
ing home at once, and the Captain walked |
along silently by her side, bordering deeply !
the question whether prettlness and piquan
cy would make up for Il bad temper.
She babe him goodnight very ungraci-
ously, refusing to be sOftcned in the small
est degree by his reproachful glanceS, and
Captain Forester declared to himself that
feminine human nature was entirely beyond
his comprehension, but consoled himself
with the reflection that she would be sure to
I" come round" by tomorrow night. For
to- morrow was st. Valentines Day, and he
meant to send her the most charming valen-
tine to be found. And then there was ball
i'll the evening, at which she was sure to be
the belle. Plenty of dancing and plenty of
beauty would make any girl good-natured,
the Captain thought.
In the meantime Fay had met her brother
Toms wife in the hall. Gay didn't like
preaching, she said, and SO determined to
regulate everybody's affairs.
81 saw Captain Forester coming home
with you,' said Toms wife, severely.
Ibid you? Droll that you should have
been looking out,' said Zav, cooly.
The truth was, that no young man VEN
tured near the house unspied by Toms
wife, who had lays welfare deeply at heart.
''We have had every reason to suppose, of
late that you are going to- to marry Richard
who goes philandering about with half a
dozen young men, at the same time, is either
very thoughtleSs or very wicked. And girls
who have too many strings to their bows are
sure to be old maids at last.''
''Then wish to goodness you had had too
MANY strings to your bow"
And Zay departed, and-though she is nv
heroine, / am obliged to confess it
.banged'' the door to.
She went upstairs TO her room. There
har hol and ont ha hnI |
lovely to behold in its tilmv whiteness, and
with fiounces and ruchings and puffngs and
bows innumerable. But even that did not
have a cheering effect upon Zay'S spirits.
She threw herself on the bed beside it and
av with IA dull ache in her heart, wondering
# Dick really meant what he said, and if he
would never come near her again. And then
she buried her head in the folds of her ball
iress, regardless of the ruchings, and sob
bed as il her heart would break.
But that did not prevent her from arising
he next morning as CAV rs lark, and as
ull of the spirit of coquetry and perversity