Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-12-26
LEAP.YEAR.
BY LEIGH, NORTH.

1. my and good-looklng perhaps be-
You'd the average, leaning in a not un-
graceful attitude against the mantel,
with his back to large mirror: T: They,
On low diyan at the other side of the
room, alternately listening and replying
to his remarks, or whispering to each
other at some apparently irrelevant but
amusing subject. 20 1855.
eyes," he said, little defiantly, and
with a slightly heightened color, since
bis first remark had been received with
a peel OF laughter--"'yes, 1 would like
to know what it feels like to be refused.
I'd ask some girl just for the fun of
hearing her say NO, if I dared"
Adonis!" cried the elder Of the two,
with mocking smile, springing to her
feet and making him low courtesy
The girls dark hair loosened and fell
with the sudden motion, the brown eyes
were Drumming with mischief and nler-
riment, and the flushed cheek looked
very inviting -
II have great mind to kiss you,
Sauce-box," he said, by the way of an
swer. Zones cousins don't count"
The two cousins, so called, were q
pleasing contrast to each other-the
dark eyed, merry Kitty Glen, and her
fair, blue-eyed friend and cousin Mary
Neale. Neither was, strictly speaking,
cousin to Herbert Raymond, Kate, being
step-relation, and Mary only cousins
cousin; but as he had been on terms of
brotherly intimacy, especially with the
former, the pleasing fiction was always
maintained, and Herbert felt himself at
liberty to criticise the sayings and do
ings of either, to object to this on that
man of their acquaintance, and to act
generally in very brotherly manner,
while he had been persuaded from wear
ing many favorite neck-tie by Hates
rAillery or Mary's gentler protest
The talk ON this particular evening
drlfted to other subjects, and soon the
whole matter faded from the young
mans mind. Not so from that of the
two girls, who, with heads bent togeth-'
or in council, we're busy devising plot
against him. Time, however must be
allowed to elapse ere they carried it in
to execution, as they did not want to
be immediately accused of being the
,plotters
So Herbert walked with Kate, and
rode, talked, OF sang with Mary, all
unconscious Of any designs upon him;
and, truth to tell, he was beginning to
find in the hours spent with his blue
eyed cousin" new charm. TO "chahf"'
with Kate was fun. but the quieter
times spent with Mary, and even the
silent moments, seemed to fly with in
credible rapidly. Nobody surely ever
had such sunny golden hair, such sweet
little ways, as Cousin Mary he be-
gan to think, as he watched and studied
her more closely; and now and then he
fancied Cor was it only fancy?) that his
sudden or unexpected appearance
brought g. deep shade to that rose tint.
ed cheek, new brightness to the love-
~ eyes. At least if tits was deluslon
it was a very pleasant one, and he did
not feel disposed to put it away from
him.
Among the list of Herbertis acquaint-
ances was very pretty young widow
who had been q belle before marriage,
and was none the less facinating now
that she was again free. Report said
that her marriage had not been happy
one, but whether or no that had been
the case she did not seem disposed to
be in haste to resume matrimonial fet-
ters, though supposed to have hads al
ready several opportunities Of so doing.
In the course of acquaintance Kate
knew Herbert to have received several
notes from her. and rightly guessed that
be was familiar with her writing. The
arch. plotter selected this Mrs. Peto,
then, as one Of the unconscious victims
of this conspiracy, and obtained posses
sion of one of her notes from a lady
friend, and with considerable skill imi-
tated theipenmanship and style.
Another letter purported to come from
a Miss North, whom Herbert had once
met and expressed all admiration for,S
but who had not seemed torreciprocate
it; and one each from Mary and Kate
completed the list VAST by accident
or design that the last never reached its
destination? Mary's. enthusiasm over
the practical joke. seemed somewhat to
have waned,s and it required more than
one reminder from Kate to induce her
to fulfill her part of the compact, while,
in fact, at last Kate wrote the note
which Mary signed and addressed.
Three letters lay side by side at Her
berts plate as he came down to break.
fast one morning, besides one or two
business documents, and as his interest
in the post office was not usually very
extensive, he gave surprised little
whistle. :'a%$ =, }s.. .l5gs;,gs. w.
+ The first letter be took up was in An
unfamiliar hand, and he read as follows:
aMr. Herbert Raymond: .f (. !: 4, a. F
Sn -IrepIy st once to the proposal received
from you. No. sir. 4 So slight an acquaintance
as ours justities nothing Of the sort, and you
will pardon me if I stigmat 20 it as bordering
on the impairment. My father allows no vis-
itors at our house save those whom he himself
invites, andI fear would be very angry were /
to show him your letter "a beg, therefore, that
you will drop the natter assure you it is
not very pleasant ono to me- 5sS sF
s5$ oArHER1sE NORTH sstf
Much mystifed, and not little net
tied, Herbert laid down the letter and
took up tie next which ran:
MY DEAR Nh. ALMOND So You have :
curiosity Ia experience the sensation Of being
refused my dear child y S4a haye come
says. i've done mad MY dose 81 mat rimony;
and not oven your youth, beauty aud inexperi-
4, tempt me, have refused dozens
2.ssF and shall prob bly, contin-s
y nj H Asfriand OF mine says /
&'s ii The Bread Winners,
OF her sponse, had two
II dresses In instead Of
81 agsin that che Liked