The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-15
THE FLORIDA AGR1CULrUR1sT.

III get my fish on the way" he tho't,
"so's to make sure of ii"
While Mr.. Lazier was haggling over
the price of his fish, for, like Mr.. Gilpin,
although on pleasure bent" he chad
a frugal mind, +" he heard remark which
arrested his attention.
4 young Atlas who was supporting
the doorway, asked in an unnecessary
loud voice f'Do you calkerlate that
Jones junior and Keturah Riddle will
conclude to make match on't?"
"Wa'al, it sounded that way, from
what Jones said here the other night.
Pretty good haul for him. responded
one of couple caryatides who were
holding up the posts of the piazza.
Mr.. Lazier pricked up his ears like a
war-horse. He grasped his umbrella,
and the touch of that oracle of his des-
tiny seemed to inspire him.
81 can tell you as much about it, |
s'pose, as any man. he said; "and |
can tell you they amt a-going to make
a match ont, nor nothing like it. l cal
kerlate to marry her myself. She amt
look such things. You tell young Jones
the lip =" and the prospective bride
his eye and the Goldfish under his arm.
AS soon as he caught sight of Miss
Riddles cottage his pace slackened.
Its too late to back down now" he
soliloquized; GIVE let the cat out OF the
bag. If she want So Wa'al, she'll
appreciate what it is to geta well-favored
man more than if she was one of the
handsome kind herself. 1t would be
drefful disappointment to her if | should
fail her at this pint" and Mr.. I.azier
walked up to the door feeling the good
Samaritan, and entirely unconscious OF
the incongruity of the goldfish.
Miss Keturah was at that moment
putting on her shawl to 60 out to class
meeting, and met her sutton at the
threshold.
Miss Kiddle,' he began, impressive
", 1--WE come to''-he had nearly said,
"tell you some good news''-'I've come
to see you on business. I'm a man of
few words, so l come to the pint at once.
| won't detain you long very
fast, lest his mind should change. 1--WE
heard such good reports of you that,
of it over, I've come to the con-
clusion that | couldn't find a woman
better calkerlated to suit me than YOU"
Miss Keturah looked as if meteoric
stone had fallen at her feet. ''Why,
Mr.. Lazier," she said, "this is really
very unexpected. L"
'.Oh, of course it's natural you should
be illustrated at first. / oughter have J
broke it to you more gradual; but you
needn't try to put it into words. No
matter if you don't know what to say,
we've got an understanding now, and
that enough, . interrupted the lover.
sob, as to knowing what to say
know Just as well tonight as / ever
shall, and I'm obliged TO you for your
consideration, Mr.. Lazier, but / really
must decline your PROPOSAL" and Miss
Riddle pinned her shawl more closely
around her, as if no more remained to
be said. lf5ef
'.Now you know you don't mean it, +"
her admirer. 81 know
women; they always say no when they
mean yes"
'But l mean no, said the cruel Ke-
turah. }&ia en4A
"You don't know your mind, persist
ed Mr.. l..
eyes l do" said Miss Riddle, firmly
'and / know it won't change about this
matter. ] am in earnest"
"Oh, now, don't You can't mean it.
You don't know what you're ADDING"
cried the rejected sutton, in consterna-
ton. Don't say no. I'd sot my mind
on you from the first. You are just the
one for me. You're just right in every
way l can't never find your equal"
cried Mr.. Lazier, his blessings brighten
ing as they seemed about to take their
fight He tried to wipe his eyes on the
under the delusion that it was
the Prodigal Son.
II am sorry to cause you any unhap-
piness; but have several reasons, any
one OF which consider sufficient" said
Miss Riddle.
"What be they ?" entreated the bach"
elor, with a vague suspicion OF Jones
floating through his mind.
The hard-hearted Keturah hesitated.
81 would rather not give Them" she
said at last.
~ insist on hearing one Of EN-" per-.
sisted Hezekiah, thinking, "She can't
have any objection to me-.
'.Well, suppose you will consider
the one | am going to give as one which
no sensible person would be influenced
by, and will call 1t a woman's reason,
but the fact is Mr.. Lazier, you are really
too h0mely. | am not at all handsome
myself, and | consider that one plain
looking person in a family is enough.
Goodnight"
Mr.. Lazier is still bachelor, and to
this day breads to 90 to the store, where
he is liable to be reminded that "there's
many slip 'twixt the cup and the lip;''
but Keturah Riddle has lately married
well-tO-do mill-owner, and lives in
manufacturing town, where she evolves
mission classes, sewing schools, and
temperance clubs to her hearts-content,
and ] am told that her husband is not
only an excellent 'provider," but a re-
markbly fine-looking man.-Hdrper's
B0z0r.
Clergyman ION his way from church,