The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-08-07

obliged to shut tho door Of my room,
and say distinctly that / wished to be
alone.
'.AIl right; then I'll sit here" Ike
would answer, and station himself on
the piazzs of the hotel, close by nay
window. Even at night / could hear
the scraping of his chair, that was al
ways tipped back against my closed
blinds. When went to Crabb's farm
be would trudge along by my side, his
flat face perfectly expressionless-
neither glad or sorry, nor observant nor
reflective. At the gate he'd say, ''Well,
Neto York, I'll leave yer now; but he
always rejoined me on the way home.
L staid in Hicksville a week; then, all
my notions being highly honorable, /
resolved. rs Lizzie was motherless and
| very young, to speak to her father be-
fore committing her to promise. Yet,
as we stood by an open window in the
moonlight, did say,
''Lizzie. I adore you"
'Tm awful tond of you, too," she re-
sponded, and gave me kiss from her
fresh lips.
At this went straight to the front
porch, where her father was smoking
his pipe.
'Mr. Crabb," said I, 81 wish to
marry your daughter. My name is well
known on the Comet. l hope the al
lance will please you."
"Ya'as," answered Mr.. Crabb; "I
suspicioned you was hangin' round for
that. But no, sir; we had a newspa-
per chap in Hicksville before. Joe
Johnson was hard ease, and he said
the newspaper business dragged man
into drink. No, young man; Lizzie
sha'n't marry no one O. your trade"
"'Traae?' 1 am writer, not a
drunken printer"
"Ya'as, know. o, we amt green
to Hicksville. But if the men that
print are low set, what must it be
when yer git down ter the writers?"
"But the writing is much higher
work than the printing" 1 explained.
"Look here" said Crabb, 'yer can't
tell me that man like Joe johnson,
that can print whole newspaper, beau
tiful and even and slick, clear through
from to lizard, amt higher up in his
trade than a feller who jist writes out a
few lines. 0, we amt so green to
Hicksville! No, / don'twant no writers
to marry my daughter; not when man
gittin' on in the blacksmith line is
willin' ter have her." Then, turing to
Lizzie, he asked: "Do you like this
writin' feller better'n Ike Carterp''
'Lizzie," reminded her, "you said
you were fond of me-"
"Well, so am," she answ cred hesi-
tatingly, and she looked radiant in the
moonshine; 'thatis, l feel awful friend
ly to you. Then Ike and l had a quar-
rel, and wasn't glad to show him ]
could have city beau?"
"Well, now," inquired her father,
"what sot yer to quarreling with Ike?''
''Why, it was to the picnic" Lizzie
answered. like tried to kiss me, and
ran away through the woods, and
wouldn't let him"
'.Ha! har roared the father; ''that's
young folks all over. But what made
yer so disobligin' to Ike, Lizzie?
"Don't know said Lizzie, archly.
'just for teasin', 1 suppose, for Pm
real fond of Ike. and 1 never refused
him kiss before"
''Lizzier' cried. The shame and the
surprise, as my eyes opened to the fact
that pretty Lizzie was an ignorant girl,
with most crude notions of delicacy
would let me say no more.
so, like you, too," Lizzie continued,
kindly; "but Ike, you know-well, he's
always up to somethin', chasin' me OF
foolin' round I'd rather marry Ike, il
| he's WILLING TO make mn
Stunned beyond the power of speech
l simply walked away in perfect silence.
On the dusky road Ike Carter overlook
me, as usual.
'Look-a-here," he began, with
strange volsbility, I've been listenin'
and heered everything that was said
up ter Crabb's, there" Then, planting g
himself before me, he went on: "Say,
New York, I've kept my eye on yer,
night and day, and if Lizzie had took
yer l meant'-and there came express
sion into his face at last, and plenty OF
it-.'I meant to kill yer like dog; al
it is'-he spoke swiftly-"I'm goin' ia
fix yer little for comm between mo
and my girl"
The moon was serene in a quiet sky,
but as Ike spoke she seemed silver into
a thousand pieces, and every piece
danced before me as 1 lay felled to the
ground. Then I remember being set
down upon the deck of New York
steamer. Somebody found me there
bleeding profusely from great cash in
the head and 1 was tucked up in berth.
In the morningI awoke in the city,
and went straight to the Comet Office.
1t was closed; the editor-in-chief had
made off. taking all the funds, and that
was the end of the Comet "I'm glad
of it," said 1 and engaged myself at
once in counting-house. Briefly, !
turned in briskly to business, had boy
ish, healthy tastes, played ball on holi-
days, and never dreamed of matrimony.
Perhaps the sad experiences of those
few weeks had taught me lesson in
common-sense, or perhaps some pres
sure upon the brain was suddenly re-
moved by the hard conclusion from Ike
Carter's blacksmith fist and the whole
some blood-letting. At any rate, be-
came properly balanced young man,
and without heartbeat used to call
on Jack and Eleanor after they were
married.
So matters went for eight years,
when, one evening at a reception, met
a most queenly beauty. "By Joye!''
thought, "wouldn't she grace mans
houser She was tail, every motion
was delight, aud she was full of wit
and spirit. But we were not intro
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