The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-08-07

tiful and even and slick, clear through
from a to lizard, amt higher up in his
trade than a Teller who jist writes out Q
few lines. o, we amt SO green to
Hicksville! No, I don'twantno writer's
to marry my daughter; not when a maH
gittin' on in the blacksmith line is
willin' ter have her." Then, turning to
Lizzie, he asked: ssDo you like this
writin' Teller better'n Ike Carterpn
"Lizzie," I reminded her, s.you said
you were fond of me-
swell, so I am" she answ cred hest
tatingly, and goa looked radiant in the
moonshine; .sthatis. I feel awful friend
ly to you. Then Ike and I had q quar-
rel, and wasn't l glad to show him ]
could have a city beau?"
.sWell, now,n inquired her father.
''what sot yer to quarreling with IkeP"
.sWhy, it was to the picnic" Lizzie
answered. like tried to kiss me, andl
ran away through the woods, and
wouldn't let him."
ala! hal" roaredth father; s'that's
young folks all over. But what made
yer so disobligin' to Ike. LizzieP
Don't know" said Lizzie, archly,
s.just for ~teasin', I suppose, for I'm
real fond of Ike, and L refused
him a kiss before"
..Lizzier'I cried. The shame and the
surprise, as my eyes opened to the fact
that pretty Lizzie was an ignorant girl.
with most crude notions of delicacy
would let me say no more.
sc, Ilikeyou, too,n Lizzie continued,
kindly; .sbut Ike, you know-well, he's
always up to somethin', chasin' me OF
fooIin' round. I'd rather marry Ike, il
he's willing to make up"
Stunned beyond the power of speech
I simply walked away in perfect silence.
On the dusky road Ike Carter overlook
me-, as usual.
"Look-a-here," he began, with
strange volubility, I've been listenin
and / heered everything that was said
up ter Crabb's, there" Then, planting
himself / IRE me, he went n 'sSay.
NeU York, i've kept my eye on yer,
night and day, and If, Lizzie had took
yer / meant'-and there came express
sion into his face at last, and plenty o,
it-"I meant to kill yer like a dog, as
it is'-he spoke swiftly-"Tm goin' to
fix yer a little for comm between me
and my girl"
The moon was serene in a quiet sky,
but as Ike spoke she seemed silver into
a thousand pieces, and every piece
danced before me as / lay felled to the
ground. Then I remember being SET
down upon the deck of q New York
steamer. Somebody found me there
bleeding p~rofusely from a great cash in
the head and l was tucked up in a berth.
In the morning. awCSe in the city,
and went straight to the Comet office.
1t was closed; the editor-in-chief had
made off. taking all the funds, and that
was the end of the Comet. .Pm glad
of it," said I and engaged myself at
once in q counting-house. Briefly, ]
turned in briskly to business. had boy
ish, healthy tastes, played ball on holi-
days, and neyerdreamed of matrimony.
Perhaps the sad experiences of those
few weeks had taught me a lesson in
common-sense, or perhaps some pres.
sure upon the brain was suddenly re-
moved by the hard concussion from Ike
Carter's blacksmith fist and the whole.
some blood-letting At any rate, l be.
came a properly balanced young man,
and without a heartbeat I used to call
on Jack and Eleanor after they were
married.
So matters went for eight years,
when, one evening at a reception, lime,
a most queenly beauty. s.By Jove!m
thought, wouldn't she grace a mans
houser' She was tall, every motion
was a delight, and she was full of vii
and spirit. But we were not intro.
duced, and I was about going home,
yet L fingered near the piano until she
had finished a capitally rendered song.
Suddenly she turned toward me, struck
a..few chords. and then, her lustrous
eyes laughing into mine, she sang, be.
meath her breath, the old tune OF
Johnny Sands" But for words
what! My boyish verses:
But yesterday 1 fain would stay
The rosy Hours fieetness."
midget" 1 exclaimed, unhesita
tingly.
Ford. "I heard your name and my
memory is good. What a silly boy vol
used to be, and what a terrible child
was! / wonder if we've both i'm
provedP''
Suppose we become acquainted, ant
we'll find out?' said I.
We became acquainted in shor
order, and I married Nudge, and she'i
q handsome woman to-day. So, aftel
all, If / hadn't been a crack-brainet
youth, I might never have been a happ,
man.-Fanny Foster Clark. in Harper
Rnznr.