The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-05-17
NOT A DRY LOVE AFFAIR.

Old Es.more owned a valley farm, through which wiggled a restless stream. From the dining-room window you could see the perch gleam as they turned their golden sides and caught the rays of the sin. and at the foot Of the g.rden you could, IT summer, always see the mock ing-bird and the smart i,ttle wren that came down to dip their bills in the i'm pId stream.
 Tom Estmorc was a great, strapping young fellow with disposition to leave the steers standing under the apple tree while he ven: down to the creek bank to throw stones at the frogs that per sisted in calling ''jgs Q rum raw, raw, and come over When he saw the old man. though, the industrial side of his na,u.e, which, however, did not slean like the side of q perch, was shown for. after making preten5e of taking dfnk of water, he would hurry back to the T .ld and gee-haw hls sullcn companions ot toil.
 Iiina.e ks.more was l brigh,-eyed giri wtk I face aa iie,h as q oaby's kiss. She @as none loo fond of handling the churn- iasher. and when Tom stole to the house which he often did. sEc romped wtth. him. always keeping sharp lookout for the old gentleman.
 . think i is I shame tha, anybody las to work ,his bright weather, Tom sad une dsy when hc stepped into the. house, seized piece of bread and spread Il wi'h fresh au,ter which he dipped from Minnies churn.
 Tom, you goose, that butter Is not saI,ed. said Minnie.
 1" Neither is the milk he replied, bu: we drink 1t. Where's the old gentle man :''
 ''tfone over to Anderson's."
 !" B.lieve he wants 10 marry that widow, don't you:"
 .- No, you foolish thing. He thought too much of mamma, ever to marry again. Nha; have you been doing Tn the field =
 "Scraping cotton. Have just finished the patch ,o the rlgh, of the turn TOW. Say. suppose we drop everything and go tishng?"
 Papa night come home
 ' suppose he does. Hang il, I'm tired fooling around win corn and cotton
 All rig hi. well 70. Wait til wash the ohuln
 They went to the creek, after having turned over the doorstep and dug un Ter l, In scar .h of worms, and the broad he li;y laughter of Tom, and the ripping cachinnations of the girl made menier the beautiful scene. seated on the grass, un- der an elm tree. they threw in their lines and sat with tina, electrical expectancy with which an angler Is fl om time to time thrilled. The long-legged skipper skim med the blue surface of ,he pool the ' dollar bug" lodged around like d streak of blue: the haId-shell crawfish. with extended pincers, touched the bank with his attenn,,, then, shot backward into the water and disappeared, i, seemed Tn the sky.
 You've got bite. Min. Hold on Wal, till he sinks your cork"
  He had, with a pretense Of non-in,cn- ton. moved his line in the immediate vicinity of Minnie's nibble Il wouldn, treat dog tha, way.
 Which way ~
 Try to take a hsh away from him"
 4 Neither would l, for wouldn't have dog-,ish, you know
 You think you're awful smart. suppose you'd have a catfish, wouldn't you ?"
 :" Hi. you've got him. Pull him out. Jerk him. Thunderation. ae's gone
 ' It was your fault, with disappoint- ed pout. "You scared him til he wouldn, take good hold"
 " No, didn't. II l had scared him he wouldn't have taken hold al all
 " Oh, you are so smart"
 :" Hold on. He's after me, now. Keep still. Hi. yah = and he pulled ou; gossle-eyed perch, but, as he reached out to seize 1t, the ish gave a tiounce. fell back, and darted away
 Now you've done it, said Tom.
 Done what 7"
 Caused that whale ,s get away {" had nothing 10 do with it
 Yes. you did. You stepped over my pole just now"
 :" hope yel are no, ,ha, supersti,ious. Wonder comes John Harvey"
 :" reckon you are glad of it replied Tom, with an ar ot disappointment.