The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1884-01-09
Annals idea As 1 said, ! don't specially ad-
inire it, but, still, / give in 70 it,

Thinks me, Master Frank, there's
some game here that clever girls up tot
Mebbe-an' mebbe not. But / told Juniper
I'd go with him on Thanksgivin'
night You two can sit in the back seat and
III drive 1 said. June laughed. See here,
June l says a moment later Just as we went
up the stairs, 4 hope that you'll never let
Anna know how it was that you picked her
out from her ~sisters.'
June blushed an stammered something
like tCort'inly motif would nave come out
this way In any case'-an' went into his room.
HIM. | thought, Pm not so sure of that l
must give you a good talk tomorrow
When l 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 'em to
move in right away He had rather taken
a fancy, he remembered. to Ruth at one
time, but that hadn't amounted to anything
/ said no more, but | kept up quite a-thinkin'.
1.-THE night before T~hanksgivin' OF that
year was as clear as a bell. There was three
feet O snow oil over the country. At Z o'clock
June am I drove to the Gaylers' door. Almost
before I'd got the horses still, a figure all
tightly wrapped up slipped out the gate.
Poor Annal She seemed terrible nervous as
June helped her into the seat by him.
"'Oh, June 1 heard her say, 4 almost 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.
81 hardly looked at 'om after Anna was
in her seat by June. The horses was
in "a complete gale. I had to give
| thorn my hull atfaDfinn II ranrfrad yvhfn NM
reins an everything else to make 'em behave.
The parsonage at Battle Hill is only two
miles-an' a-half from our village. We fairly
few over the road. Then, just before we
passed the big gates that led to Squire
Loftus's place, Dollar gave a lunge. That
set Prince a-goin'. Before L could help it,
they wheeled sharp, overset the sleigh, an
ran themselves up TO their shoulders in a snow
bank. There they stood. We, meanwhile,
were pickin' ourselves up as best we could.
SIN the name of g%oodnessl- l heard
Juniper shout in n voice that frightened me
half to death. / scrambled up and looked
at the other two. It was bright moonlight.
There stood Brother Juniper. In front of us
was the person who'd come with us in the
sleigh-Ruth Gayler.
Before either of US could say a word she
burst right out a-cryin'. Then followed
the queeriest, the most mixed-up and
| BlutIduJ AuIpIlslu eApAi1ullOu Ol
what had took place an how it had come
about, that ever l expect to hear in all my
mortal life. Most of the time Juniper just
stood there, pale and bewildered. l put the
best part of 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 at the Gaylers' for a couple
o. weeks, off an on, was great friends. That
night when Brother June had drawn that
lot-wed ought both to nave been ashamed
of ourselves for such foolishness-our
Almiru'd overheard the hull affair. She told
Lucreua Tabb. And what does Lucretia do
but tell Anna; an Anna told her sisters.
"At first, Anna was pretty well put out at
Brother June. Then when she AM Jenny an
Ruth talked it over, they couldn't but laugh
and call it all a real joke on June.
Then they put their heads to.
gethcr directly, to Inc out a way to
punish June for coming to one Of them with
an offer under such circumstances That
was why Anna'd contrived the stolen we'd
ding.
when they first planned it out, Ruth (who
had plenty of mischief in her was perfectly
willin' to undertake the part arranged for
her-she to meet brother June, instead of
Anna, in the dark. Thatd be easy; the girls
had all much of a height, iigger and voice.
When we'd reached Parson Lathnm's steps.
she was to pull off her wells and make a low
bow to poor June an say, Mr.. Juniper Kit
terry, I've brought my sisters compliments
an she hopes that the next time you ask a
girl to marry you, you'll know whether you
love her or whether any of her sisters
mightn't do just as we'll - especially,
she hopes that you won't toss up
for her Then she was to hold out the
identical piece of paper with Anna written
on it. (Almira bounced on it, while she was
sweeping, the day after twas w%ritten.) An,
last of all, Ruth calculated to say, Come,
June; a jokes a joke. We don't bear no
malice, not even sister Ann. You mustn't.
Just drive me back home
"But, you see, Master Frank, Ruth had
liked Brother June more than she thought,
an all week the idea of actin such a part
even to oblige Anna and have some sport,
CALLED her the worse. She couldn't bear to
think Of it. She begged Anna and Jenny to
let her of an Jenny to play the part of
Anna herself. But, no; they insisted on her
keepin' to her promise. So, between her be-
in so mortified and so afraid o. hurtin'
brothers feelin's too keenly, she was
pretty well onnerved when Anna and Jenny
pushed her out of the door to run to the
sleigh. Then, too, there was me. June hadn't
happened to say a word about ~calculatin'
| Oh my BOh > WIN cLl
Ruth felt worse than ever.
"'oh, June, she said. with her long golden
hnir all fal!in' down on her shoulders an her
voice choked with cryin', viii you, will
you forgive mel Please do, dear June, Pm
so ashamedo of myself. Whatever shall / do,
to show you how sorry I ann
"June didn't answer for Il minute. His
eyes were flashin' an bis teeth set. l could
see that Anna Gayler was out of his
books forever. But what | couldn't see
was goin' on, jest in that identical
space o. time. Brother June was fndin' out
his own heart at lastl He looked at
Ruth an remembered what good true
friends him an herd been during all their
pranks and capers He was d~iscoverin'
what a beautiful face she had
flor she was the handsomest of the three),
an how she felt at havin' helped in NOR
tifyin' him. She was a good, true girl, was
Ruth, under all her mischief.
"'Ruth,' says brother, coming up closer 10
her an holding out his hand, don't say no
more; please don't. It's l who ought to beg
pardon OF Anna, an all of you. do it,
specially Of you, Ruth. know now that l
haven't ever cared half so much for Anna as
-as | have-for somebody elsa. What a
blind fool a man can be, II he only triesl
Ruth, / came down this road tonight to get
married to a woman / thought / loved.
Please don't be angry, nor think me a
weethercock as I've seemed to be. l want to
go back an tell Anna and your folks an
mine an all the village that I've married the
girl I love. There's the difference"
Ruth Gayler started back from Brother
June. 1 could SEQ how white her face
had grown in tho clear light. June
she says sharply-I| don't understand
AS she spoke she tried to draw away her
hand, and June went on quickly, But