Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-10-16
"COUSIN TOM"
"Mary, 1 am astonishedr'
BY G. w. S.

for Mary Thorne was always doing
something to astonish her friends and
relatives.
Miss Ruth could scarcely credit the
evidence of her own senses in the hazy
glow of the August morning, when she
came out of the shadows of The little
south porch and discovered that yonder
moving object, half way up among the
branches of the huge ole pear tree, was
not spray of leaves, nor cluster of
sun-cheeked pears, swinging in the
blue empyrean, but Miss Mary Thorne.
comfortably perched in the crook of the
old tree, her curls all ilecked with the
sifted ray of sunshine that came down
through the shifting canopy of leaves,
and book in her hand.
II don't care!" said the little damsel,
laughing saucy defiance. Its the
incest place in the world up here.
feel Just like bird, with the leaves
huttering against my face and the wind
blowing so softly, and intend to stay
here. Wouldn't you like to come up
here, Ruthyp It's easily done. just put
your foot on that knot, and then"
Ruth, who was thirty and weighed n
hundred and sixty pounds, bristled up
with amazement.
MARY Thorne, are you crazy? Come
down this Instant"
'In1eed l shan'tr' said naughty
Mary, tossing the silky shower of curls
nv f,OY,N har fArahaaI md r,la nj
down with eyes that shone and sparkled
like two blue jewels
"But we are all going :"
Eyes, understand; you are all going
in triumphal procession to the depot to
render an innovation TO tho great Pro-
fessor La Place, the wisest, sagest and
grandest of mankind, to whom the
Thorne family have the unutterable
honor of being second cousins, and TO
escort him solemnly to a months So
journ at Thorne Hall. Oh. dear!"
calculated Mary, II wish l could run
away somewhere and hide. bate this
paragon of prim precision. shan't
marry him If he asks, aud | mean to
behave so badly that he won't dream of
it. No, am not going with you. l
ndIC buO ClpoC OdlOuCuC, dDu IL . IOO
warm to ride on horseback. | shall
stay at home"
AID Mary settled herself so snugly.
with one tiny, slippered foot swinging
down, and her pretty head close TO
nest of blue-speckled birds eggs, that
Ruth gave it up, with sigh of despair.
"Well then, have it your own way,
you incorrigible romp. l wish you
weren't too big to shut up in dark
closet, or have your ears we'll boxed"
ut is pity, isn't it'" said Mary,
demurely.
"Of course it is, Mary If Cousin
Tom Bradley comes this morning, be
sure to explain to him why wo are
absent-and behave like a young lady,
mindr'
"All right" said Mary, dauntlessly.
81 always liked Tom. We used to have
grand romps together ~
She sat there in the old pear tree,
prettier than any hamadryad that ever
might have haunted the messy old
veteran of tho garden, her cheeks
touched with sunshine and carmine,
her dimpled lips apart, DOW reading
line or two from tho book in her lap,
now looking up, rapt in girlish reverie,
into the blue sky. as 1t sparkled down
through ever moving leaves, and now
breaking into soft little MARBLE of
song, TO which the very, robins them.
selves put their heads to one side 10
listen.
The carriage had driven away long
since. She had watched it beyond the
curve of the winding road; the dark
mantle of shadow was slowly follow
ing the creeping sun-glow across the
velvet lawn below, and the clock in the
old church-spire among the far-off
woods had chimed out eleven.
And still Mary Thorne sat there In
those forked branches of the old pear
tree.
Suddenly there foated into her leafy
saDctum a pungent, aromatic odor,
which made her Jean curiousIy forward.
shading her eyes with one hand, the
better to penetrate the green foliage
below.
Not the late monthly roses, not the
amethyst borders of heliotrope, nor the
spicy geraniums-none of these bios
SONS distilled that peculiar smell.
"My patience" said little Mary; ''it's
q cigar"
A cigar IL was, and thereof-she could
just see white linen coat and tall
head covered with black, wavy curls-
stood on the porch steps quietly smok-
ing and indulglng IN n heightened view
of the garden slopes.
That's Tom Bradley" said Mary
to herself. "Eow, il he thinks I'm
coming down out of this delicious, cool
place to sit up straight in the hot par
lors, he's mistaken! Tomr' she called
out, in a silver accent of imper.
ativo summons, and then burst into
merry laughter at the evident amaze
ment with which the stranger gazed
round him. vainly trying to conjecture
whence the call had proceeded. You
dear, stupid Cousin Toni" she ejaculat-
ed. Don't stare off toward the cabbage
beds. Look straight up here. You may
come up if you please; there's plenty OF
room for both. You are Cousin Tom,
aren't youP" she continued. as sudden
misgiviDgs crossed her mind.
''Of course am; and You are Mary,
supposed" !.
"Mary herself. Up with you Tom!
Catch hold of this branch-there! Now
shake hands-You saucy fellow! l didn't
say you might kiss mel"
well, l couldn't help 1t; and, be-
sides, aren't we cousinsp" said Mr., Tom,
swinging himself comfortably into q
branch just above Mary.
why. Tom, how you have changedr
calculated the young lady, pushing back
the curls with one hand, that she might
hetter viax., tha ,,1o vx,,ota If her child