Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-03-18
"COUSIN TOM"
BY G. W. S.

ment, for Mary Thorne was always
doing something to astonish her friends
and relatives.
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 among
the branches of the huge old pear tree,
was not a spray OF leaves nor a cluster
of sun-cheeked pears, swinging in the
blue empyrean, but Miss Mary Thorne,
comfortably perched in the crook of the
old tree, her curls all fecked with the
sifted rays of sunshine that came down
through the shifting canopy of leaves,
and a book in her hand.
~ don't care!' said the little dam
sci, laughing saucy defiance. otis the
incest place in the world up here. l
feel just like O bird, with the leaves
futtering against my face and the
wind blowing so softly, and l intend
to stay here. Wouldn't you like to
come up here, Ruthy? It'seasily 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 Thorne are you crazy
Come down this instant!''
"Indeed l shan't!' said naughty
Mary, tossing the silky shower OF
curls away from her forehead, and
glancing down with eyes that shone
and sparkled like two blue jewels.
"But we are all going"
eyes, l understand; you are all 60
ing in triumphal procession to the de-
pot to render an ovation to the great
Prof. La Place, the wisest, sagest and
grandest of mankind, to whom the
Thorne family have the unutterable
honor of being second cousins, and to
escort him solemnly to a month
sojourn at Thorne Hall. Oh, dear!''
calculated Mary, II wish l could run
away somewhere and hide. Ihate this
paragon OF prim precision. l shan t
marry him il he asks, and mean to
behave so badly that he won't dream
of it. No, l am not going with you.
l hate the close barouche, and it's too
warm to ride on horseback. 1 shall
stay at home"
And Mary settled herself so snugly,
with one tiny, slippered foot swinging
down, and her pretty head close to a
nest of blue-speckled birds eggs, that
Ruth gave it up, with g. sigh of de.
spair.
"Well, then, have it your own way
you incorrigible romp. l wish you
weren't too big to shut up in dark
closet, or have your ears we'll boxed
lit is a pity, isn't it," said Mary
demurely.
"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 p
"All right" said Mary, dauntlessly
II always liked Tom. We used to have
grand romps together"
She sat there in the old pear tree
prettier than any hamadryad that
ever might have haunted the messy
old veteran of the garden, her cheeks
touched with sunshine and carmine
her dimpled lips apart, now reading a
line or two from the book in her lap
now looking up, rapt in girlish reverie
into the blue sky, as it sparkled down
through ever moving leaves, and now
breaking into a soft little MARBLE Of
song, to which the very robins them.
selves put their heads to one side to
listen.
The carriage had driven away long
since. She had watched it beyond the
curve of the winding road; the dark
mantle of shadow was slowly follow.
ing the creeping sun-glow across the
velvet lawn below, and the clock in the
old church-spire among the far-of
woods had chimed out eleven.
And still Mary Thorne sat there in
those forked branches of the old pear.
tree.
Suddenly there foated into her leafy
sanctum q pungent, aromatic odor,
which made her lean curiously forward,
shading her eyes With one hand, the
better to penetrate the green foliage
below.
Not the late monthly roses, nor the
amethyst borders of heliotrope, nor
the spicy geraniums-none Of these
blossoms distilled that peculiar smell.
"My patience" said little Mary
Sits d cigar"
A cigar it was, and the owner there
of-she could see just a white linen
coat and a tall head covered with
black, wavy curls-stood on the porch
steps quietly smoking and INDUCING in
a heightened view of the garden
slopes.
"That's Tom Bradleyl" said Mary
to herself. "Now, if he thinks I'm
coming down out of this delicious,
cool place to sit up straight IN the hot
parlors, he's mistaken!. "Tom," she
called out in q silver accent of impera-
tive summons, and then burst into
merry laughter at the evident amaze
ment with which the stranger gazed
round him, vainly trying to conjecture
whence the call had proceeded. "You
dear, stupid Cousin Toni" she ejacu-
lated. "Don't stare off toward the
cabbage-beds. Look straight up here.
You may come up ifyou please; there's
plenty of room for both. You are
Cousin Tom, aren't you?" she contin-
ued, as sudden misgivings crossed her
mind.
"Of course I am; and you are Mary,
suppose"
MARY nersel. up with you, Tom
Catch hold of this branch-there
Now shake hands-You saucy fellow
didn't saB you might kiss mel"
'Well, couldn't help it; and, be.
sides, aren't we cousins?" said Mr..
Tom, swinging himselfcomfortably in
to branch just above Mary.
"Why, Tom, how you have
ChanQed!" calculated the vOunQ ladv-
pushing back the curls with one hand,
that she might better view the
playmate of her childhood's days.
Your hair never curled so before; and
what nice moustache you've got!
shouldn't have knownyou Toni"
.'Noi" said Tom. rogaishly, q.