The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-06-16
A REAL EFT STORY.
nY MARoAgEr EYrIsoE.

- ~@@@A1eAAs%A AAssN%s
II was by far the worst quarrel they
had ever had. and they had had many,
for she had temper, and he had tenn
| per, and they were both of them impul-
sive young people with very l:ttle self
| control.
"You arc a false. selfish. untruthiul,
man like man" said she.
And you are q suspicious. unFeason-
able, unwomanly woman" said he.
Take back your letters" she cried,
| flinging parcel tied with hyacinth-biue
ribbon on the floor at his feet.
''T viii" he muttered between his
clenched teeth, picking mp the parcel
and throwing il into the fire, where IL
blazed brightly for q moment or two, and
then few away in thin uncanny black
fragments mp the chimney. As the last
fragment disappeared, Rick turned
again TO Lefty, with frowning brow. and
asked, as he had asked before, "Do you
still persist in accusing me Of deceit and
falsehood?"
az do" she replied. unless you show
me the charm"
81 will not show il 10 you" he de-
clared, with violent emphasis. IF my
word he not sufficient, refuse to give
| you further proof. / wonder that you
dare insult me by asking it. And also
! wonder how you. believing me to be
| false and untruthful. can be willing 10
| trust your future to me. And. to speak
| frankly, / begin 10 think we have made
great mistake in supPoains that we
could spend that future happily to-
gether, for / am fully convinced We are
anything but
''Two soula with bat single though:,
Two hearts that beat IS one
(These lines were quoted with most
sarcastic rehection.) And, further
more, also begin TO think that perhaps
it would have been better IL We had
never made this mistake-if We had
never met, in fact
"Oh, indeed. sirp'-with great assump-
ton of dignity. Have you Just arrived
at that conclusion? / have long been
sure of it. But there is nothing easier
than TO part. Your letters are already
| disposed OF. Tomorrow / will send
back your ring and picture. And then,
when am free once more, can try TO
please my mother four acquaintance. as
| you are well aware, has never pleased
her, and in pleasing her I may find
am doing pleasant as we'll al n wise
thing for myself"
Are you referring to Brougham
Brown?''
81 am referring to Brougham
Brown"
"By heavensP' exclaimed Rick, seizing
his bat, this is too much. Lefty, good
bye foreverP'
But Lefty began humming m air from
Patience" drumming an accompani-
ment on the window-pane, and vouoh-
safed no answer, as Rick rushed from
| the room. The humming and drumming
ceased instantly, and the whilom per-
former listened intently. Five minutes
| passed, and still the street door did not
slam. He is waiting for me to come out
into the hall and beg his pardon, sup
pose" she said, with defiant grimace,
"but / won't" and she turned again TO
the window as the door shut with o
bang.
And then she flung herself on the
lounge, kicked of her slippers, and cried
| like a summer shower.
Rick gone, and gone "forever"-Rick
whom she had loved SO dearly, and who
had loved her 80 dearly for two long
years. And why? Just because that silly.
| giggling Lena Varian, with her pale
blue eyes and straw-colored hair, had
| chosen to tell fibs about him. And
shaking the tears from her lashes, she
began scolding herself as hard as she
had scolded poor Rick. ""rhe idea,
Lefty Lounsberry, of your believing
that girl before him? What possessed
you? He did fiirt little with her, that is
true; but all men firt little with girls
who persist in admiring them and fat
tering them. But he never gave her the
little gold pig-yonr Christmas gift to
him-neverl How she got it cant i'm
agine. but he would have explained il
you had given him chance" And then
the absent mother, gone to Aunt Emo
rvs for two days visit, came in for a
share of reproach. "If she had only
let our engagement be known,
instead OF insisting upon our
waiting until Rick was twenty.one, and
had not been obliged to carry my en-
gagemeIt ring in my back hair, the only
place where it is safe from Baby's-
Goodness, graciousl Baby" And Let
ty suddenly remembered that ever since
Rick came III to make a morning call,
knowing Mrs. Lounsberry was absent
poor fellow he'd nave staid away il he
could have foreseen his reception-Baby
had been sitting alone in the dining
room in the middle of the big dining
table, surrounded by al the pickle and
marmala,le jars and fruit cans aud cat.
sup bottles and jam pots out of the store
room. For it was the monthly house
cleaning, and the store-room fell to Let
tvs 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 devouring
both sweets and sours. Lefty sprang
| from the lounge. thrust her feet into her
slippers, and hastened where duty had
been calling her for some time. Baby
J sat, as good as gold, nursing bottle Of