The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-10-25
YOUNG MR.. GORDON.
How Molly Henderson Lost Her Heart
After Vowing Not To.

Young MIR. Gordon will be here
next week, Palsy."
Miss Molle Henderson, Familiarity
known as ''Pansy" = presumably be-
cause she did not in any respect re-
semble that flower Of thoughts, being
of an exceedingly vivacious tempera-
ment, and addicted in the earlier days
of her existence to top-spinning, mar
ble-playing, and other amusements
popularly supposed to be the exclusive
property of boys-looked up in a very
placid manner as her father made this
announcement, and answered it fully
and effectively by an expressive shrug
of her pretty shoulders and very de-
decided pouting of her small mouth.
Then she placed the book which had
been engaging her attention on the sofa
by her side, caused her small feet to
swiftly describe semi-circle, and
when the flash of brown hose and pref
tily turned ankle was over she had as
sumed sitting posture, her previous
attitude having been one OF comfortable
She then placed her elbows on her
knees, regarded her father complacent-
ly, and said:
''Is the Arapahoe coming, too?"
Mr.. Henderson's manner changed at
once. Yes" he replied, "Mr. Gordon
will accompany his son; and l want
YOU, Margaret, to treat him with every
respect-in fact, shall expect you to
do So"
The figure on the sofa saw that a
mistake had been made thus early in
the campaign When her father ad-
dressed her as Margaret" it meant
serious displeasure on his part. 1t also
meant that he must be placated at once,
for Mr.. Henderson was one of that
rather numerous class of men in whose
minds real or fancied injury contin-
ues to magnify with each succeeding
instant, until it finally wraps their
whole existence in an artificial but none
the less effective gloom. Mollie was
well acquainted with the disease, and
on equally intimate terms with the
remedy Consequently she at once
bounded from the sofa, flung her arms
around the paternal neck, squeezing
that useful portion of mans anatomy
until q fracture of the cervical vertebra
seemed imminent, bestowing at the
same time upon her sire large number
of kisses, these being punotuated with
eiaculatory and highly-incoherent re-
marks to the effect that the object of
| this tidal-wave of osculation was the
dearest, darlingest old papa in the
world, so he was, and that the oratrlx,
| on the contrary, was n naughty, wicked
! girl, who didn't deserve to have such a
sweet, lovely papa, who was always
doing everything in the world for her.
And then, having finished this wild
fu.ter of disjointed English, Miss Mol
| lie nestled closely in her fathers arms
and indulged in that never-failing pan
acea for all the woes to which female
flesh is perpetual heir-a good cry.
Its all right, Pansy darling" said
Mr.. Henderson, stroking gently the
| mass of brown hair that lay upon his
breast, the remainder of the head to
which it belonged having been thrust
violently under his left arm in an ap,
parently wild endeavor to discover by
! burrowing any stray suspender or other
article of gents furnishing goods that
might be concealed there. 81 was a
| little hard on you, perhaps, but you
know Mr. Gordon is a lifelong friend oi
mine. and don't like to have you al,
| lude to him in careless or jesting
manner.
The face was slowly withdrawn from
beneath the paternal arm and looked
up at Mr.. Henderson, IL was not ex,
| actly pretty face, there being O tip
| tilted nose somewhere about the middle
of it, and the features were not at al
regular or classic. But the big brown
ewes and their long lashes would have
| attracted attention from any one not s
professional cynic or misanthrope. ano
when these, looking up appealingly,
called to their aid a dropping mouth
white, regular teeth. and lips thai
seemed quivering with the agony o.
great mental suffering, the immediate
and complete capitulation of whoever
constituted the opposing force was 6
matter of course.
And here little explanation is neces
sary. From the days of her infancy
when, her mother having died, she wa;
| relegated to the care of a maiden aun
whose spinsterhood, in view of tie fac
that Mr. Henderson had loved his wife
very dearly and did not at all desire t.
| replace her with another helpmeet ap
peared to be special dispensation il
favor of the motherless little girl, Molli,
had been treated by her father to re
marks concerning MIR. John Gordon
who. she was informed. had gone to tn,
Far West several years previously ant
been left a widower with one child,
bov five years Older than Moiiie. On