The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-02-06
QUITE A MISTAKE.
'Pve Only to Ask, and the Little
Lady's Mine"

"Well why not, my dear Jack, when
I've only to ask, and the little lady's
mineP I'm immensely taken with her,
but I've hung off about
The dip of advancing oars drowned
the rest Of the sentence, but Miss Daisy
Campbell in her hammock behind the
alders had heard enough to destroy her
peace. Fearful of betraying her pres
ence by the movement of finger, the
girl lay rigid as marble, watching with
strained eyes two fragrant blue wreaths
of smoke gliding past her retreat, till
through an opening in the bushes far
Their up the brook she caught a feeting
glimpse of birch canoe beneath the
smoke, and of the smokers, two gay,
sunburned youths with guns and fish
ing-rods. Tom Raymond sat in the
stern, tall, handsome Tom, who had
but now boosted of his easy conquest of
herself. In that moment of wounded
pride and fierce Indignation Miss Daisy
thought that she could have cheerfully
seen him drown.
"'Oh, she's daisy" hummed Jack
McKeen; and as the mocking tenor
smote her ear the quivering listener
thought she could have seen Jack
drown, too-the saucy, idle telD-tale!
Why need he proclaim to the birds of
the air and the fishes of the water that
the lady in question, TOMS little lady
to be had for the asking, was no other
than herself, Mrs. Blunt's city niece,
little Daisy CampbellP How indicate,
outrageous!
And yet the song hurt her far less
than Toms words. If Tom, Tom Ray
mond, could speak SO lightly of her,
why might not Jack sing what he
pleased and all Oakland listen? So
that was the way Tom'was in the habit
of talking about her! She had heard
before that young men by themselves
were excessively free in discussing their
lady friends, and now she had proof of
the fact. Unmannerly, detestable
creatures, especially Tom!
"I've only to ask, and the little
lady's mine," those were his very
words" moaned hapless little Daisy,
hiding her hot face among the ham
mock cushions in an agony of humilia-
ton. She had always felt that if Tom
had fault it was self-conceit, but she
wouldn't have believed he could be so
conceted as this. What had she said
or done to warrant this boastful asser-
tionP She would challenge Aunt Abby,
she would challenge Toms sister, to
say that she had ever been silly with
Tom. If there had been any Stiffness,
IL had not been on her side, unless
truthful Daisy WINGED at the recollec-
tion-unless-Well, perhaps she did let
Tom hold her hand an instant longer
than necessary the day he helped her
over the fence, and she wished she had
not chung to him in the thunderstorm.
But at eighteen what girl likes to be a
prudeP Though, for that matter, had
she not more than once during their
summers acquaintance snubbed Tom
for trying to make love to her? Still,
he'd only to ask, and the little lady
was his. That was his version of the
story, and he had gloated over it to
Jack. Daisy lifted her tousled brown
head detiantly, and sat bolt-uprght.
81 won't be crushed-I a0jU 7aotr'
she cried aloud, dashing her tears right
and left I'm 90 to Pinafore tonight
just as i'll overheard nothing, and if
he chooses to ask for the little lady,
why, he may She's sure of her own
mind at last. She'll have her answer
ready"
Springing from the hammock, Miss
Daisy walked with martial tread
through the garden into the kitchen to
help Aun Abby shell the peas for din
ner.
You must have been lying in the
sun, child, said that lady, glancingup
from the pan in her lap. ''It's bad for
your eyes and bad for your complexion.
| don't believe that's good place for
the hammock"
-" It's a horrid place." responded
Daisy, falling savagely to work I'm
going to ask Abram to hang it where it
was before"
Abram was the intermittent help of
the Blunt establishment, who carried on
the farm and came night and morning
to milk the cow. From the day she be-
came q visitor in the household he had
been Miss Daisy's willing slave, and
now that Mr. Blunt was temporarily alb
seat, the honest servitor took it upon
himself to look in at odd hours ''to see
If Mss Blunt and that posy-faced little
niece OF hern needed doing for.
May be fresh buttermilk viii help
that sunburn," pursued Mrs. Blunt,
still misinterpreting the cause of Miss
Daisy's heightened color I'D try it.
You'll haze to go to the Falls as red as
hollyhocll"
Despite her chagrin, Miss Daisy
smiled at the misuse of pronouns,
knowing perfectly well that if she were
to look like, a fright her aunt would re-
greS,s more than she. For a sensible
woman, Without undue personal vanity,
it must be, admitted Mrs. Blunt had
complacent enjoyment of the beauty of
her stylish niece from the city.
Il hate to leave you alone so late in
the evening, auntie, " said Daisy. throw
ing handful of empty pods at the
chickens by the door-stone. I'm afraid
you II be nervous about the tramp that
called this morning"
Nonsense, my dear; Tn not one of
the nervous sort / always stay by N.Y.
self nights when your uncle Goes to his
lodge meetings. If 1 get tired and
and sleepy, l lock the doors and 90 to
bed. When l lie on my good ear /
can't hear sound, you know, and your
uncle can come in without waking me.
but how does he get IMP"
ooh, he takes key; we have two for
the frontsdoor. There's the extra one
over the clock. You'd better have it to-
night; then, if | don't feel like sittingup
for You, / won't. You won't be likely
to get home before twelve"
BY twilight Miss Daisy's turbulent
crimson had softened into sea-shell
pink Aunt Abby flattered herself that
she had never seen the child handsomer
than when, in flmy draperies, she
1ioated down the piazza steps to Tom
Raymond 3 waiting plaeton.
1.-The infatuated boy looks as if he