The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-06-19

OF cOrni and she might know by TINS blme
person to say a word against Miss Eva's
doing what she had q mind tot at least 1
would say it to nobody but Miss Eva her.
SELF" and b young fellow marched out OF
the room With an air of being Justly n
her eyes, not at all displeased to see how
handsomely he bore himself.
!" tell your declared Mr.. Fuller. when
Billy had gone, civilian Wentworth is not
q fellow to be made q foolof either by HIM
self or by others.o
Nobody ever said he was, that I know
of" retorted his wife, who found it in her
mind to make an answer, though the re-
mark demanded none.
"There, now, mother" said the farmer,
s~oothingly; and he ~straightway entered
into an explanation of his position
to his daughter, and showed how he had
only been DESTROYS of discussing the
matters of wealth and worldly position
illustrations from their -acquaintances, but
with no intention Of making special appli.
cations, or calling in question the propri.
ETY. of Eva's riding in Phillips buggy; and
when his wife had persisted in introducing
this matter, all that he had claimed was
that what Eva should do was of conse-
quence to others besides herself. "And Pm
sure, Eva" he appealed at the end, you
wouldn't want your old dad to say he
didn't care a darn what you did or what
- VI Oat LoWn WOoA4 yOo
No, indeed, Eva wanted him to say
nothing like that; and she kissed the kind
old man and brought his pipe, as if she had
been the meekest and most obedient child
very loving and tender hearted, and when
she saw how her father, through his weak.
ness for words and evasive discussions and
his aversion to displeasiug herself, was
determined to admit nothing, she forbore
to plague him, and resolved to have salts
faction from Billy. He had carried him
self with so much independence, and even
something approaching disdain, during
their pleasant family dispute, that she had
no feelings of compunction on his account.
She had felt sorry for him for a minute or
two, but the feeling had disappeared as
soon as her mother had spoken. and now
she went out to where she knew he was
smoking cigarettes,-for Billy had not been
able to leave off this habit after turning
from a herder into a plowman-thinking
that her only object was to torment him a
little, and that they would then make it up
and love each other more than ever.
She found him, as she had expected, at
full length upon the grass, in his favorite
near the hammock. The hammock had
been procured only after a similar novelty
had made its appearance for the bene-
fit of the Misses Phillips, Roberts
sisters, and had been swung be.
tween its posts but a few weeks; yet
in that time Billy and Eva had become so
accustomed to staying there, in the long
summer twilight, that it would have been
a surprise to either had the other failed to
appear.
She gracefully took her place in the ham.
mock-for she was as 1.-THE and full of grace
as a leopard-and waited a while in silence;
not SO much for her love to begin-for she
hardly thought he would of his own accord
breach the subject she was anxious to dis.
cuss-as to enjoy the stiffness, and the soft
air slightly perfumed by Billy's cigarette,
and the gentle twilight hour. The light
had faded out of the west, vet the distant
level horizon that separated the sombre
earth from the descending sky was plainly
marked. The moon, just past the meridian,
had been growing brighter AMI brighter as
the wealth of color had faded from the
clouds, and the shadow of the house, as it
crept towards Eva and her lover, became
more and more distinct.
Eva ave a little sigh as she thought nov
pleasant their evenings here had always
been, and that tonight she had made up
her mind to torment Billy. He was, no
doubt, comfortably miserable already; but
she should take care, she told herself, that
they did not part in anger, and that Billy
should be made happy in proportion to his
misery before they separated.
"Shall I swing you ?" asked Billy, at1ast.
She threw him the end of a rope, which
ripened barley straw, and without disturb
ing himself he gently swung the hammock
and its fair burden back and forth.
"Did you want to talk with me ?" she be.
gan, holding the other end of the rope. 1t
was the next best thing to holding his hand,
she thought, and had the advantage of
affording him no assurance that she was
going to max him miserable only from
~wantonness.
"Yes.n
"What did you want to say?"
sit didn't make any difference"
'It didn't make any difference? Does it
now?"
cigarette, which he had taken the precau-
ton to roll in advance, without stopping
the swinging.
sO,o she said, after watching him a
minute, "you had something particular to
say, but have concluded not to say it,"
sNo; I meant I only wanted to talk to
you, and it didn't make any difference
what we talked about"
"How nice !" she exclaimed, with a sheer
so slight that it was entirely lost on Billy.
sBut them" she continued, ssyou said at
plain of to Miss Eva herself"
81 didn't mean that, and, if I remember
that wasn't just what 1 said"
swell, it sounded like that. What die
you say, then?"
sThat If 1 intended to complain of you
would do it to you, yourself.o
"Well, you called me MISS Eva,' and
} seemed very high and mighty, any way
| The tormenting and complaining were
, going to be more difficult to bring about
, than she had thought for-at least in thu
: way she wished. 1t was easy enough fol
her to find fault and be bothered at hi,
GOODNESS; but the mischievous delight sht
, had promised herself was not to be had il
this tanner.
81 always call you that to your fathee
| and mother.o
: Eva swung in silence a few minutes
then she said, as if taking up a new sub
t ject: "You don't seem to like Rob Phillip
> very WELL"
(; ing up. Whatever we talked about,
] didn't want to discuss him with you, Eva
n he broke out.
!, "Well, you needn't tumble me out on tn
ground, and o will please not swear a
y my friends" Billy dropped the rope wit
the hammock had somewhat ceased it
vibrations he began pacing up and dow
o by her side.
o 'sIf he is one of your friends"-be said
t at last, quite mildly. He was evidentl,
going to humble himself; but to see him i
this attitude was not so pleasant to Mis-
Eva as to see him naughty and defiant
n Then she was not yet ready to make hir
g happy, and had found the way in whic
u she could torment him to her hearts cor
e tent.
1 "Well, he is" she interrupted him, son
of my very best friends; and he is one VIII
knows what is due to others, besides bein
p a man who has ideas about something els
than corn and CATTLE"
Sand he's got a new buggy and fin
horses" went on Billy, taking up the NOTE
and giving it a bitterly caustic tone, "an
his father owns over two thousand acre
of land-it don't make any difference if h
did jump a poor widow-woman's claim
L just so he's got the land-and he's bee
v away to school, and he knows better thal
to waste his time plowin' corn and savir
y up his money for the sake of any one he
in love with. His father will give him
g farm and plenty of stock, when he's read.
to get married, and he can afford to hav
r ideas above doin' that. l know" he cor
r tinued, disregarding Eva's efforts to in
terrupt him, and stopping his walk-Evs
frightened at his vehemence, had raise
o herself in the hammock, and was holdin
on by the meshes-''I know your mothe
wants you to throw me over for him; sh
ua=zo. &c l;l-ol me- n;noa s;naa 20, hana.