The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-03

i Catching eome Wild birds lay.
| And ! thought how many shadow
OF life and fate We would miss,
Railways our frugal dinners
Were seasonod with such . kiss.-Anon.
ALEAP.YEAl EPISODE.
II wouldn't marry John Marryatt not
tor e1000!" said Avice Mere.
And she said it, too. exactly a. il she
meant it, with reddened cheeks, eyes
full of hazel fire, and two small, dimpled
\ fists clinched tightly. -As----,''s-'
my dear, said Penelope Paxton, one
Of those jovial old maids who are priv.
LEGGED to say anything. lyon remind me
Of famous historical character"
"I?" said Avices momentariiy of he,
guard.
"Yes," said Penelope. s'Miss Betty
Baxter, who refused Captain Jones he.
fore he axed her"
"Oh, it isn't that!" protested Avice,
roster than ever. "Of course Mr.. Mar.
ryatt has no idea of asking me; why
should he have? And il he did,
shouldn't accept him."
miss Betty Baxter" monotonously
chanted Penelope, "-who refused"
penny, do be quiet!' said Avice,
stamping her foot in genuine annoyance
"You know what I meant"
mo, I don't" said Penny, "and
don't bellows you know yourself"
"He said it was leap year." pleaded
| indignant Avice.
$50 it is," said Penn. "Get the al.
manac and look for yourself. Four into
eighteen hundred and eighty -fou,
\ goes
Penelope, can you not talk common
sense?"
''To be sure I can, if you will set m.
the example!" gravely responded Miss
Paxton.
''And lie told DIR. Darien he wasn't
coming to our party tomorrow night be
cause he didn't want to he married
against his will"
"Well, after all there's something in
that" said Penelope, refect;vely. 81
never was man myself; but I can i'm.
agine that, under such circumstances, &
cold shiver would go oil through me-"
"Penny," said Avice, solemnly, ''dt
you really, seriously think that one o.
US girls ever thought of marrying Johr
Marryattl"
"That is o question TINT I am not pre-.
pared to answer" said Miss Paxton.
And Avice ran out of the room, and
was surprised to find herself crying
over the clover-scented blossoms of hei
favorite carnations in the bathroom
window.
"I'm sure I don't know Why" sobbed
she; II hate John Marryatt, and
think it was horrid of DIR. Darien to &c
and repeat what was said to him in con.
fidence! And it John Marryatt really
believed that-that-there. I won't thipl
oft any more!"
Leap year, indeed! Why do people
talk such string of nonsense because
the month OF February happens to have
twenty-nine days in it instead Of
twenty -eight?"
In the meantime Mr.. Marryatt had
packed his valise and gone off to visit
an old uncle who was at the point oi
death.
"It won't be Very cheerful visit,
said he to himself, but it will be better
than state of siege-for have been
told, on good authority, that every one
OF those girls mean to get engaged al
the leap. year party"
"Itwill be tho old story Of the Sabines
over again, with the sexes reversed.
And when 1 marry-if I marry-I in.
tend to have at least the privilege Of
choice. So I'll just go up to Uncle
Origen's.
Uncle Origen's farm house was on top
of bleak hill, where few dwarfed
cherry trees shook and shuddered in
the wintry blasts, and the COWS huddled
in the shelter of the hayricks to keep
! from being blown away.
think we're going to have q storm, ~
said Mr.. Marryatt. "I'm quite certain
that I smell snow in the air. And
there are more cheerful places during a
northeast wind than Uncle Origens
house.
In fact he was almost disposed to be
sorry that he had come, when he stood
there, knocking and humping with the
handle of his umbrella at the shrunken
panels of the front door.
Pretty soon crooked old man. with
his garments fastened with tow strings,
instead Of buttons, came shufling to
the door, and peeped suspiciously
around it,
"Eh?" said he, with one hand back
of his poor old purple ear. "'Pears to
me I heard somebody knocking, didn't
II"
eyes, it's me, said our hero "John
Marryatt, don't you know?"
"Married?" squeaked the old man.
''To whom?"
"John--Mar-ry-att ?" distinctly re-
peated the visitor. "How is my Uncle
Origen? 2"
The crooked old man sheltered his
candle-fame with one hand and stared
as if he were gradually being trans
formed into one huge eye.
LAND sakes alivel" said he. '.Didn't
you know? He was buried yesterday Z"
Here was cheerful welcome for a
city visitor.
"But what can I do?" said Marryatt,
with helpless gaze down the darkening
hillside. came to visit him. I had
not heard"
"Walk in, walk in !" said the old man,
holding the faring candle high above
his head, and f1attening himself against
the white washed wall. "It's pretty
lonesome here, but there's the deceaseds
chamber you can sleep in, and I trapped
rabbit in the pine forest this morn
ing that 1sabella's just stewing up,
and
"lsabella?" repeated John Marryatt.
"She's the old woman in charge-my
sister" explained the ancient warder Of
the castle. CANT much to look at, but
proper good cook"
"But," said Mr.. Marryatt, II don't
think care about sleeping in the room
where Uncle Origen died"
The old man stared at him with dull,
CLASSY eyes. "Eh?" said he. "Why