The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-01-10
COUSIN TOM. +"
MARY | ain astonished p

!
OF course, the grave, elder sister was
astonished. In truth and in fact she
lived in a chronic state of astonish-
ment, for Mary was always doing some
thing to astonish her friends and rela-
tives.
Miss Ruth could scarcely credit the
evidence of her own senses in the hazy
glow of the August morning, when she
came out of the shadows of the little
south porch and discovered that yon-
| der moving object, half way up the
branches of the huge old pear tree, was
not spray of leaves, nor a cluster OF
sun-cheeked pears, but Mis-. Mary
Thorne, comfortably perched in the
crook of the old tree, her curls all
tlecked with the silted rays of sunshine
that came down through the shifting
canopy of leaves, and a book in her
hand
I don't care - said the little dam
sci, laughing saucy defiance. Its the
incest place in the world up here. l
feel Just like bird with the leaves
iluttcring againsg my face and the wind
blowing SO softly, and intend to stay
here. Wouldn't you like to come up
here, Ruthy? It's easily done. Just
put your foot on that knot and then"
Ruth who was thirty and weighed a
hundred and sixty pounds, bristled up
with amazement.
Mary Ihornc. are you crazy? Come
down this instant"
Indeed shan't ?; said naughty
Mary tossing ths silky shower of hair
away from her forehead, and glancing
down with eyes that shown and spark
led like two blue Jewels.
'-But We are all going"
'Nes, understand; you are all 60
irs in tliumPhal procession to the
depot to render an ovation to the great
Professor la Place, the wisest, sagest
and grandest of mankind to whom the
Thornc family have the unutterable
honor of being second cousins, and to
escort him soiemnly for months So
iourn at Thorne hall Oh, dear" ejac-
ulated Mary, Il wish | could run away
somewhere and hide. l hate this par
agon Of prime percision. | shant mar
ry him if he asks, and | mean to be-
have so badly that he won't dream of
it. No, ! am not going with you. l
hate close barouches and its too warm
TO ride on horseback. l shall stay at
home"
And Mary settled herself SO snugly,
with one tiny, slirpered foot swinging
down, and her pretty head close to a
nest of blue speckled birds eggs, that
Ruth gave it up with a sigh of despair.
We'll, then, have it your own way,
YOU incorriglble romp. | wish you
weren't too big to shut up in a dark
closet, or to have your ears well boxed"
1t is pity, isn't it," said Mary,
dcmurely.
"Of course it is, Mary If cousin
Tom Bradley comes this morning, be
sure to explain to him why we are
absent-and behave like young lady,
mind y
"All right :" said Mary, dauntlessly.
Il always liked Tom. We used to have
grand romps together"
She sat there in the old pear tree,
prettier than any hamadryad that might
have haunted the messy old veteran Of
the garden, her cheeks touched with
sunshine and carmine, her dimpled lips
apart, now reading line or two from q
boo! in her Jap, now looking up, rapr
in glrlish reverie, into the blue sky, as
it sparhled down through ever-movine
leaves, and now breaking into a soft
little MARBLE OF song, to which the yer,
robins themselves put their heads or
one side to listen.
The carriage had driven away long
since. She had watched it beyond tht
curve of the winding road the darl
mantle of shadow was slowly falling be
fore the creeping sun-glow across the
! velvet lawn below, and the clock in tn.
old church spire among the far
woods had chimed out eleven.
And still Mary Thorne sat there il
those forked branches of the old pea
tree.
Suddenly there noated into her leaf,
sanctum punSent, aromatic odor
which made her lean curiously forward
shading her eyes with one hand, tn
better to penetrate the green foliage
below.
Not the late monthly roses, not tn
amethyst borders of heliotrope, not thu