The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1884-03-20


long and short of it is that You've pro-
missed to do it. says l.
eyes, he answers. 4 suppose it'll mako
stir; but that can't be helped. I've promised.
None of her folks nor ours must know any
thing about our engagement yet. On
Thanksgivin' evenin' Pm to call for Anna
with the sleigh. l want you to come along
too, Eben. Wen go straight down to Battle
Hill, to Parson Latham's an have the kno,
tied. Then we'll come back an let it out t.
the widow an Jenny and Ruth. After tina,
the hull crowd of us will pile down here, an
have tho pleasure of seein father an mother
an everybody here open their eyes. That's
Annals idea As l said, don't specially al
mre it, but, still, give in to it
Thinks me, Master Frank, there's
some game here that clever girls up to!
Mebbe-an' mebbe not But l told Juniper
I'd 60 with him Thanksgivin
night. You two can sit in the back seat and
I'll drive said. June laughed. See here,
June l says a moment later just as we went
up the stairs L hope that you'll never let
Anna know how it was that you picked her
out from her sisters
June blushed an stammered something
like 'Cert'inly MOTT would have come out
this way in any case'-an' went into his room.
HIM. thought, I'm not SO sure of that.
must give you a good talk tomorrow
"When Tried to talk, however, June
wouldn't hear to me. He knew what he was
doing'-so he persisted. Anna was the girl
who would make him just the wife he wanted;
an the Stone farm was all ready for 'em to
move in right away He had rather taken
fancy, he remembered, to Ruth at one
time, but that hadn't amounted to anything
said no more, but kept up quite a-thinkin'.
THE night before Thanksgivin' OF that
year was as clear as n bell There was three
feet O snow all over the country. At o'clock
June an drove to the Gaylers' door. Almost
before I'd got the horses STILL figure all
tightly wrapped up slipped out the gate.
Poor Anna She seemed terrible nervous as
June helped her into the seat by him.
"'Oh, June l heard her say 1 almost wish
I'd never thought O. this silly plan
June did almost all the talkin' while we
spun down the street and out on the Battle
Hill turnpike. Anna sat with his arm half
round her, and seemn' for the first time to
realize that she was takin' an important step
in life.
Il hardly looked at 'em after Anna was
in her seat BY juno The horses was
in complete gale. l had to give
reins an everything else to make 'em behave.
The parsonage at Battle Hill is only two
miles-an' a-half from our village. We fairly
flew over the road. Then, just before we
passed the big gates that led to Squire
Loftuss place, Dollar gave a lunge That
set Prince a-goin'. Before l could help it.
they wheeled sharp, overset the sleigh, an
ran themselves up to their shoulders in a snow
bank. There they stood. We, meanwhile,
were pickin ourselves up as best we could.
"In the name Of goodness l heard
Juniper shout in voice that frightened me
half to death. l scrambled up and looked
at the other two. 1t was bright moonlight.
There stood Brother Juniper. In front of us
was the person who'd come with us in the
sleigh--Ruth Gayler.
Before either of us could say word she
burst right out a-cryin'. Then followed
the queerest, the most mixed-up and
gnerally surprisin' explanation Of
what had took place an how it had come
about, that ever expect to hear in all my
mortal life. Most Of the time Juniper just
stood there, pale and bewildered. l put the
best part of tn, bad questions there was to
ask, holding the horses heads. 1t must have
looked a curious picture.
"Our hired help and Lucretia Tabh who'd
been dressmakin at the Gaylers' for couple
o weeks, off an on, was great friends. That
night when Brother June had drawn that
lot-we'd ought both to have been ashamed
Of ourselves for such fooishness-our
Almira'd overheard the hull affair She told
Lucretia Tabb. And what does Lucretia do
but tell Anna; an Anna told her sisters
"At first, Anna was pretty we'll put out at
Brother June. Then when she an Jenny an
Ruth talked it over, they couldn't but laugh
and call it all real joke on June.
Then they put their heads to-
gether directly, to find out way to
punish June for coming to one Of them with
an offer under such circumstances That
was why Anna'd contrived the stolen we'd
ding.
when they first planned ii out, Ruth (who
had plenty of mischief in herr was perfectly
willin' to undertake the part arranged for
her-she to meet brother June, instead Of
Anna, in the dark. That'd be easy the girls
had all much Of a height, fgger and voice.
When we'd reached Parson Lathams steps,
she was to pull Off her wells and make low
bow to poor June an say, MIR. Juniper Kit
terry I've brought my sisters compliments
an she hopes that the next time you ask a
girl to marry you, you'll know whether you
love her or whether any of her sisters
mightn't do just as we'll - especially,
she hopes that you won't toss up
for her Then she was to hold out the
identical piece Of paper with Anna written
on it. (Almira bounced on it, while she was
sweeping, the day after twas written.) An,
last Of all, Ruth calculated TO say, Come,
June; jokes a joke. We don't bear no
malice, not even sister Ann. You mustn't
Just drive me back home