The Red Cloud chief., 1884-04-04
faction but for a tableau not down in

faction but for a tableau not down in
the bill.
The haryes: noon was shining like a
calcium Is we crept stealthily On our
ta-. tip-toeS TO the door of nv Cousin
THIS chamber. There she lay fast
a-.cep. Ike the princess in the fairy
tale, and there Were We IA e 10 face 10
face with John was the first 10 spy it
"A tn Y col of reddish gold sprLwled
out Oh The dresser.
When we carried Captain Dan the
scanda.ous news / think he had q wild
notion to box US for our pains. He
laughed. too-laughed till the fishing
was spoiled, and made Us promise
never TO raise our hands again to harm
a hair of her head. Then papa. being
in Il proper mood, We lured him behind
the granary door and con.ided in him
a well-a confidence that led to the
horrible discovery that Cousin Till and
our Captain Dan had been something
than friends.
Wasn't she to blame?" asked John,
who had heard OF such Goings On rs
counting involves, and liked to air his
knowledge.
well. yes, honey. l think there's no
doubt about that: but young people
don't need TO talk of such things, SO run
and forget it."
Not talk. indeed, We talked of moth
inc else: and if Captain Dan wanted
Cousin Til, we made up our minds he
$40 49, -, hara b.r S.l,n -. -na%
big farm, and sulkS, too, in the bar
gain.
How we argued. how We planned.
and how n last we made up our minds
what to do and how to go about it!
Our plot began with a message.
Would Captain Dan meet papa that
evening al sunset by the bend? OF
course he would. and for the rest OF that
day We confined our energies TO stealing
everything we could lay our hands on in
the way of ropes and brides and
strings. That evening when the sun
lay in g,lden splendor on the water.
and the swamp-frogs wera piping their
dismal refrain, Cousin Till strayed off
to the beach. as usual, with a cloud of
white wool over her bronze locks and
4 blue-ani-;.old burns in her hand.
We took q notion to stray that way
ourselves. only we n..de no such Sc
ductive picture with Biily's bride be-
tween us. and the great thong of tink-
ling >leigh-bell> dragging along ia the
sand. We found our chance when she
stopped to PICK up 4 pinkish pebble.
and before she could say Jack Robin
son. old Billy's bride was laS>ooing her
soft white throat, and John was strap
ping her arms 10 her sides with the
string OF noisy bells. I think she con
sidrrei il fun o. n rough Sori n first.
and humored our frol.c so far rs 10 let
Us shove her along TO the Ben,l. She
laughed OUT gayly ct Diyie's fierce
efforts in the way of c~lutchings and
Aggie's vicious outings from behind.
But when she saw Captain Dan wait
ing impatiently before us, and when he
saw her-and us-and Wien John
handed Over the bride with the unnec-
es>ary assertion that ''there she was.
and no mistake" and when they both
flushed up like honev->ucklcS, and she
hung her pretty head while he un-
wound her from the mu>ty ropes and
still she did not move. and when At last
We left them there with the sun flooding
them both with its diving blessing. how
triumphantlv We scampcred down the
beach 10 the chorus of
' A corn-S:alk fiddle and a shoc-S,rin- bow.
II you catch d petty girl don't you lei hcrgO-"
4 simple story; YES. so simple that
except for Captain Dan himself | never
should have remembered. For one
thing il happene | 50 lonC ago. | never
realized how lon. until | net him face
face, and the poor Gear dIu not know
So gray. so sorrowfullv old-Should
a man look like that at fOrtv?:
And when. AT last. | beat it into his
memory that | was one of the seven
of his marriage. and asked him
dared he forget, ne turned on NE
with 4 most startling contempt for 20
and with a sigh that was sol
even for 4 cUuntrynlan lost in the
noises of a town:
Forget. Why. I've been wishing
every day for the last fifteen years that
| had let the whole gan of vol 90 &c
the bottom Forget yod? No suca
Il never occurred TO me before. ont.
that | come 10 think of IL. c 'uSin
Ill wasn't exactly the >ort OF womal
To make a successful home. and rs for
him-if only he had not interfered how
better off De would have been al
he botto:a. Minnie Say lancaster, IN
The Continent.
A Preserved Snake.