The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-02-15

hold the hat So I did. June shut
his eyes and jammed in his fist. Read
it out = says / to him. Anna he
answers. rather slowly an as if not so
astonishin'ly happyfed. He tossed
away the paper an said no more.
Thinks me, June has got some sort of
an in ard preference for one o. them
sisters. after all; and he don't know it,
but it isn't for Anna
Il never thought seriously of that
caper we two had cut that eyenin', un-
til Saturday night, when Just as l was
closin' up the house, last one to go to
bed, in steps June.
".rve done it, Eben.' says he, with
a sing lar face.
s.. June say 1; not Anna-d.'
Yes he answers, I've Anna-d;
not Jenny-d nor Ruth-d. Don't you
recollect last Monday evenin'? That
settled it. I've abided BY that piece o.
paper. She said she'd have me. It's
done; an I'm glad
We'll said /, Il give you joy,
June; though must say your way o.
cIearin' up your doubts aia't to my
taste for common usage Annals fine
girl
But that amt all, Brother Eben,'
he went on. 'Anna's got an amazin'
queer notion o. gettin' married. 'Tseems
she's been readin' some novels or
stories and so forth; an guess they We
made her fancifuk She thinks that it d
be grand fun to surprise our folks along
with ma an the other two girls, by US
two bein' married on the sly, the night
before Thanksgivin'-an' then comm
home an tellin' 'em. don't see any
fun in that-not bit! 1 think it looks
rather foolish. But Anna-I declare /
don't know what's got into Anna!-she
will hold to it. The long and short of
it is that You've promised to do
it. saws |.
YES he answers. Il suppose it II
make a stir; but that can't be helped.
I've promised. None of her folks nor
ours must know anything about our en-
gagement vet. On Thanksgivin' even
in I'm to call for Anna with sleigh.
l want you to come along too, Eben.
Well go straight down to Battle Hill.
to Parson Latham's. an have the knot
tied. Then we'll come back and let it
out to the widow an Jenny an Ruth.
After that the whole crowd of us will pile
down here, an have the pleasure of
seein' father an mother an everybody
here open their ewes. That's Annals
idea. As | said. don't specially ad-
mire ii. hut. still. give in to it.
Thinks me, Master Frank. there's
some game here that clever girls up to!
Mebbe- not But told Juniper
I'd 90 with him on Thanksgivin' night.
You two can sit in the back seat and
I'll drive d. June laughed. See
here, June | saws a moment later Just
as We went up the stairs, l hope that
you II never let Anna know how it " as
that you picked her out from her sis
ters.'
June blushed an stammered some
thing like Cert inly MOTT would have
come out this way in any case an
went into his room. HIM l thought,
l m not so sure of that. | must give
YOU . good talk tomorrow
" When / tried to talk. however.
June wouldn't hear to me. He knew
what he was doing so he persisted.
Anna was the girl who would make
him Just the wife he wanted: an the
Stone farm was all ready for 'enl to
move in right away. He had rather
taken a fancy, he remembered, to Ruth
at one time. but that hadn't amounted
TO AMT ling. said no more, but I
kept up Guite a-thinkin'.
The night before Thanksgivin' of
that year was as clear As bell. There
WAS three feet o. snow all over the
country. At seven O'Clock June an
drove to the Gayler's door Almost
before I'd got the horses still figure
all tightly wrapped up slipped out the
gate Poor Anna She seemed terrible
nervous as June helped her into the
seat by him.
"'Oh. June, l heard her say. L al
most wish I'd never thought o this
silly plan
June did almost all the talkin' while
we spun down the street and out on the
Battle Hill turnpike. Anna sat with
his arm half round her, and seemin' for
the first time to realize that she was
takin' an important step in life.
Il hardly looked at EN- after Anna
was in her seat by June. The horses
was in complete gale. / had TO give
them my hull attention. 1t required
whip an reins an everything else to
make EN- behave. The parsonage at
Battle Hill is only two miles an half
from our -illage. We fairly few over
the road Then. Just before we passed
the big gates that led to Squire Lotus
place, Dollar gave lUuge. That set
Prince gojn'. Before | could help it.
they wheeled sharp. overset the sleigh.
an ran themselves up to their shoulders
in snow-bank. There they stood. We,
meanwhile, were picSin' ourselves up as
best We could.
LIN the name OF goodness
heard Juniper shout in voice that
frightened me half to death. I scram-
BLEED mp and looked ar the other two. 1t
was bright moonlight. There stood
Brother JUni 1er In front of Us was
the person who'd come with US in the
sleigh-Ruth Gsyler.
{" Before either OF us could say word
she burst right out cryin'. Then fol-
lowed the queerest, most mixed-up and
ginerally surpriSin' explanation of what
had took place an how it had come
about, that ever | expect TO hear in all
my mortal life. Most of the time Juni-
per lust stood there pale and bewildered.
put the bet part o. the bad questions
there was TO ask, holding the horses
heads 1t must have looked a curious
picture.
.-Our hired help and Lucretia Tabb.
who,d been dressmakin' at the Gaylers'
for I couple o weeks. off an on. was
great friends That night when Broth
er June had drawn that lot-we'd ought
both to hnv.a EaEn aSh.n,oII nf. 1nr,r