The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-04-17

and vines that tangled their scarlet anc
green beauties over the narrow windows
and the pleasant sitting-room, and its
striped carpet, its pretty chintz cur.
tains, the old fashioned brass can.
dlesticks on the mantel- shelf, the
three simple T:Stares on the wall
q morning piece, where O
fat, red-cheeked widow held a primly-
folded handkerchief to her eyes, to
catch the pea-like tears that rolled into
it; called up, no doubt, by the sight Of
the very straight, very green weeping
willow that stood guard over a purple
tomb, and whose tassels almost brushed
the chubby, b~eet-colored cheeks of the
fatherless little boy and girl that chung
to her side.
And then she told me of her homely,
kind-hearted Aunt Mary-her rough,
blunt-spoken Uncle James-her eldest
cousin Edgar away at school, and
Frank, two years younger, whom she
remembered as q wild, m~ischievous,
bright-eyed boy, full of spirit, but gen
erons and impulsive to a fault.
But. my dear!" she said in conclu-
sion. "Ill wager by this time he is a
yerdant, gawky, overgrown fellew-a
yerltable country clown. BY the way,
Catherine, do you know 1 mean to try
my arts on him? A whole summer
without o conquest will be intolerably
stupid. and such q triumph would be a
novelty in the flirting world, worth
scheming for. Imagine a sun burned,
shock headed youth standing before me-,
grinning with bashful simplicity, hoist
ing first one foot and then the other in
sheeplsh embarrassment, and stammer-
ing u bis ardent ~love-avowal some-
thing after this fashion: "W-w-w. i'll
y-y-you have me, Cousin Alice?n
laughed in spite of myself at her
comical picture, but babe her have a
care; for coquettish games were always
dangerous ones, and she might be the
smitten n after all. She shook her
head at me with n merry, skeptical
laugh, but made me no reply in words.
She did not speak again until we had
reached the end Of our journey.
The pleasant blue-eyed little wo1nan,
who came down to the wooden gate to
meet us, was very like the picture she
had painted of her; and the motherly
way In which she SIN oothel back the
brown curls of her niece and kissed her
white forhesd, her kindly voice, and
above all, the cordial manner in which
she clasped my hand at introduction,
quite won my heart.
While We We're directing the coach
man about our baggage, a gentleman
and lady Oh horseback gallcped gaily
down the valley road, and nodded to
Mrs. Russell as they swept past.
my son Frank" she said, in an es-
planatory way, as they went by. 1--WE
were not expecting you until tomorrow
or he would have remained at home this
afternoon"
l turned and looked after the retreat
ing pair mentally comparing that tall,
elegantly-formed man, carrying his
head SO proudly. and managing his
spirited steed with that graceful, easy
skill. which is the beauty of horseman-
ship, to theshock-headed, bashful youth
OF Alice's fancy. / think she recalled
her own words, too, for her glance fol-
lowed mine, and the look Of pleased
surprise that frightened her whole face
did not vanish till the dust of their
horses hoofs had settled in the distance.
Deliciously cool and sweet was the
little spare chamber assigned to us,
and after o bath and n change of appar-
ell, l seated myself by the low, open
window, and leaned out through the
climbing network of roses to enjoy
the beautiful freshness of the summer
scenery spread out before my gaze. Al
ice was-lk know not where, though a
snatch of gay song, warbled III the clear
est OF voices, or q thrill of merry laugh
ter, occasionally b%etraying to me her
whereabouts. All at once I saw her
emerging from the barn-one foot slip
PEERLESS. q great rent in her frock, her
curls tangled with bits of hay, her gay
silk apron filled with eggs. She was
laughing and singing all in o breath;
butas she danced along, her foot slipped
on q pebble and she fell. I heard the
clash of the eggs in her apron and saw
the broken yolks and whites trickling
out upon the ground in little rills Of
gold and pearls. just as [ was going
to her assistance, I caught the sound Of
an amused mirthful laugh by the gate
and the next moment Frank Russell was
assisting her to rise.
What carelessnessl Six new laid
eggs everlastingly ruined! How shall
we remedy such a loss?" he said in a
merry, mocklng voice. "This is my
cousin Alice, / am sure. Even if / had
not been anticipating your arrival, I
should have known this face among o
thousand. You are very little chang
ed-so little, indeed, that I dare greet
you just as / used to years ago, and
stopping he kissed her blushing cheek
calamity.
They came into the house together,
chatting like old friends, and pretty
soon Alice came up to change her dress
for tea. She fingered longer than usual
at her glass and I smiled, in spite of
myself, at the painstaking care which
she manifested in dressing. That even
ing as we sat together in the porch,
Alice asked her aunt, with a mischiev-
Gus glance at Frank, who the young
lady might be whom we had seer on
horseback that afternoon.
ooh, she rs Annie Carter" was the
reply, II expect in a year from now
you will be able to cali her cousin. She
has been engaged to my son this long
while" And the old lady smiled good
naturedly over her knitting.
1 saw q shadow come over Alice's face
very faint, but still shadow-and no.
ticing that, a sudden pain struck coldly
to my heart-as instructive fear of what
the next few weeks would bring about.
Frank was smiling, but there was not
the slightest visible embarrassment in
his manner, as he composedly pulled off
handful after handful of leaves, and
rolled them up into balls to pelt the
big Newfoundland dog lying at his feet.
The events of the next two months
(for our visit had been Indefinitely pro-
longed) were but a realization of the
nrnnlletic dread that fol1 liko a nlo,,d