Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-02-21


toned, and intend to have her come mp
on you-reverse matters for sake o.
change, you know"
"And what will be doing here?" he
asked eagerly.
you'll be lying down on the sand
waiting tor some one 10 come and roll a
piece of rock off your shoulder, which !
will take care to roll on so that you won't
be able to extricate yourself She will
think il has fallen On you from the ledge
above. will believe you halfkilled, rescue
you, bring you out Of faint, do all those
little kindnesses one is so ready to do for
people they suppose are dead OF dying
and after it is over and you feel suffi-
ciently rescued you can just propose, and
everything will be lovely. Now, that's
what call first-rate scheme. know
what your going 10 say"-for he endeav-
ored to interrupt her-"you want her 10
60 in bathing and get out of her depth
andyou plunge in and rescue her. But that
wouldn't do, for the simple reason that
Rick won't 20 in bathing. And if by
chance she ever got into the sea, Pm
willing to wager that she'd get out of it
quicker than wet cat 4; so you are the
one who'll have to be rescued. Now,
look around and select the size of rock
Pn to put on you"
Dick had laughed at first very scepti-
cally, but after little, for lack of any
other scheme occurring to bim he agreed
to accept this.
"Then we'll begin Immediately. | can
fix you up nicely and then Ill leave my
book little way of-by those other
rocks-send Rick after it, and when you
hear her coming Just call for help, and
she'll come, and her heart will melt at
the sight of youI suffering, and you can
strike while it's in that condition"
Dick obediently stretched himself on
the sand as she desired, and Mrs. Darcy
gently rolled up fair-sized rock and
laid ii on his cneot, having fret torn a
| little of his shirt and PIT q plentiful
sprinkling Of sand over him. Then she
took small box out OF her pocket, like
wise piece OF chamois.
What's that f1r:" he asked, suspi
ciously.
| "PJSjer, to put on your face, ufcourse.
You sec l intend 10 cara my bracelets,
and haven't neglected a single thing.
You must be pale, you know rel face
| is tos healthy sign ior man who's
been mashed by a rock"
Dick LAUGHED as she skillfu!ly applied
the powder, and then declared himself
| fixed.
Begin to groan the v, ry minute you
hear tUotstcp. for it's sure to DC hers,
rs all the rest have gone to camp meet
ine. Give Il Trial ,,roLn. Dick, just to see
If you do i; Il rI2Ni."
lie gave one.
"Yes, thai will dC-,uLdued, you know,
as if YOU could make il louder if yeu
wanted to.
Then she departed, and Dick was left
to himself.
Mrs DIrcy lad inconsidera.cly placed
him in the i'll glare U. the sun. 1t WAS
not very warm there with light breeze
from the ocean sweeping over him, but it
gave him kind of drowsy feeling after
he had lain there awhile, listening
breathlessly for RlcherS footsteps.
Then he began to wonder what he
would say-what form the declaration
would take. why, confused form;"
he said to himself, "for I'll naturally be
fiuttered, and probably she'll be the
same, and-and rather sorry for ME, and
will ACCEPT while she is confused, and"-
with which last word Dicks brain began
to get confused itself, and what with all
this serious thinking, and the glare OF
the sun, which was so uncomfortable
that he closed his eyes to shield them
from it, he gradually fell fast asleep
1t vas quite while before Mrs. Darcy
found Rick. She was not in her room,
and it was only after prolonged hunt
through the barn and garden anc the
shady orchard beyond, that she came
upon her and dispatched her
her on the errand. Rick proceeded to
the desired place, but instead of sundry
groans ard sighs issuing from the re.
cdmbent figure behind the rocks, there
came the sound Of a gentle snore.
Rick started, and then went softly
round the corner and peered cautiously
at her sleeping lover.
| The perspiration creeping down in
tiny streams upon the powder. gave him
a rather unearthly appearance, and
Rachel mistook his snores for those
sounds which person at their last gasp
beneath heapy rock might be apt to
give. Exerting all her strength, she
lifted up the rock with one hand and
dragged him from underneath with the
other, and then, woman-like, fell fainting
beside him.
The motion awoke him, and before he
could utter a word he was able to realize
how matters stood.
Tenderly he lifted her up ard carried
her down to the sea, where he bathed
her face and hands with the clear, cold
| surf Al lenOtS she npened her avas
and looked anxiously at him.
"You are not killed? Oh Dickp she
said, and fell back senseless in his arms
Dick and Rachel have been married
several years, but he has never dared to
tell either his cousin or his wife that he
fell asleep on that memorable morning
and looks upon the bracelets as simply
money thrown away. "For," he argues
whats the use of any scheme which
puts mar to sleep at the wrong tiue'
If it hadn't been for Rachels presence o
mind il fainting when she did I'd never
had chance to propose"