The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-21

dangling with compliments about her path
| 10 and from the station all the season, 1t IS
! only natural that she should feel certain
anxiety on the introduction of black eyes
| and brunette beauty on the scene. Toms
attentions have already plunged the sta
| tion-master into a savage gloom, whose
outward manifestations take the form OF a
| strange hostility to the baggage of lnno-
| cent passengers; and if Squire Porter had
! known what terrible thoughts racked the
| soul of Billy Johnson, the englne-drlver,
| he would never have risked the safety OF
his family on the rails behind that one of
| Letty's lovers, who, to tell the truth, was
| the most favored.
| AS the case stood, however, Letty'S heart
| had expanded toward Tom Porter, under
the light attentions of that young man, just
| enough to permit her to owe him grudge
| should he transfer his fancy; and this
with an intuition not surprising under the
| circumstances, she foresaw would be the
\ result.
To say that Lefty turned with gratitude
| and satisfaction to the assured affection of
| her engine driving admirer would be to do
J injustice to her capacity for ambition which
the Squire's son had aroused: and as she
futtered her fan she blew up little flame
of animOsity against all of them together.
Nor was she far wrong in her estimate of
| the situation. The houses of Porter and
Amden were in no way aver5e to an alll-
ance that seemed the most natural thing In
the world, and a match whose possibility
| had been foreshadOwed in the winter gay
cites of the city would receive impulse in
the rural festivities of the summer to the
qualification of all concerned.
The goSSips of Smyrna soon had this bust
! ness, as well as much more pertaining to
equally private affairs of the neighborhood,
high and low, satisfactorily arranged. 1t
was not determined by this authority
whether the wedding was to take place be-
| fore the close of the season or early i'll the
winter. Preference was generally given
| to the later date; and this was the news
which Sammy one day brought his sister,
the development of the talent of gossip
| bearing having a commencement in early
youth among the Smyrniotes.
Sammy was, indeed, a precociOus child,
and would perhaps have been more val
| liable member of society than one ought to
be at his age had it not been for the COM
pensating circumstance that his precocity
was wholly unreliable. He was at once
| useful and dangerous, amusing and eXas-
perating; and never did these qualities
expand and glorify themselves as among
the events with which he managed to con-
meet himself this summer. The mysteries
of telegraphy were never too deep for his
probing, as the arcana of love was not too
sacred for his investigation and mastery.
He not only had, for a small boy, Won
derfuily accurate comprehension of his sis
ter Letty's romantic tendencies, but he also
developed a practical usefulness as the
Ariel TO speed with her messages, and the
Caliban to scrub the corroded metal ele-
ments of her battery.
While the summer days passed quietly
and hotly enough at the station,
the augmented household at Squire
Porter's spread itself over the country
round about in daily junketing of
the most hilarious sort. Such genius
for picnics, such a talent for fishing,
such an endurance in mountaineering as
! Miss Van Amden showed herself to possess
would have captivated the great Pan him.
SELF and Tom Porter, who was wOrshiper
of the woodland deity, found his devotion
turning more and yet more strongly toward
this handsome priestess. Talk of the
glamour of gas-light and hot-house flow
ers, of the infatuation of the dance in
crowded bathrooms, of all the destinations
of stereotyped fame. why, a young woman
of good parts can work more havoc in a
fortnight of rural pleasuring than in
whole season of artificial campaigning.
If Tom Porter did not confess to this fact
in so many words, it was none the less true
that Miss Van Amden conquered him with
in a week after her arrival at Smyrna, and
dragged him a willing captive over hill
and valley, attuning his soul to what he
imagined to be concord with nature, but
what was in reality the romance of his own
heart. 1t was on their return from
mountain party, filled but not surfeited
with picturesque views, that the two found
themselves in advance of the rest, walking
alone.
"There are the carriages just ahead of
u.s." said Tom. Suppose we sit down here
and wait for Milly and the others:"
''What pity we left them SO far be-
hind :" suggested Miss Van Amden, affect
iY,rr 70 hnr hot Of
Sedate angle.
Mot Il bit of it; had almost forgotten
they were anywhere in the world, " replied
the young man. eagerly and unsuspecting-
ly accepting the suggestion his companion
had so delicately limited. Let's imagine
we have quite stepped out of it ourselves
for few minutes longer. They will come
soon enough, and then we go home to dinner
and civilization again"
ado | look very uncivillZed now" asked
the girl, CHANGING up in Toms face as she
sank ON an old tree trunk by the side of the
road.
mo, l can't say that you do.' replied
Tom, with glow of genuine admiration.
st is something altogether better than
that"
''Sit down here by me, and I'll spare you
telling me what it is. You were never
very bright in analysing your impress
sions."
analyze we'll enough, Florence" said the
young man, seating himself, not BY her
side, but on the moss at her feet. If at
first | couldn't tell myself what made our
trip SO pleasant up this mountain two
weeks ago. believe l know it now"
"Do you?" she said softly, as as if I'M
conscious that Toms hand had sought
hers, and displaced a frond of sweet-fern
in order to possess her fingers.
"Yes; know it only too surely, Flor
ence. May l tell it to you:"
Florence'S firm brunette face, with its
lightly disarranged hair, in which was
stuck fiery cardinal flower, seemed more
beautiful than ever as it was half turned
from Tom. Her eyes, rather than her lips,
gave the desired permission. Tom had
now both her hands in his, and was gazing
with lovers admiration at the lovely
cheek whose curve rounded against the
dark hair so softly. He was no epicure in
sentiment, and was very much in earnest
just then; but he delayed one instant
heart was humping furiously, and in
another moment he would have become
eloquent. at least to Florence's ears, had
not sudden splash, accompanied by the
shrek of a childish voice, broken in upon
| the silence and the sentiment of the Occa-
sion.
Perhaps there was no necessity of for
NAL completion of Toms remarks; certain
lY there was no opportunity. For the cries
| continued, and the young man was speedi-
| ly daShing down the hillside, through the
| bushes, toward the stream that flowed a
few rods from where the lovers had seated
! themselves.
1t was the work of an instant for Toms
| long arms to drag out kicking and s5rug-
| Cling boy from what might have bean q
/ watery grave had the brook been deeper,
but which was earthly enough in fact, to
| judge by the amount of clayey soil clinging
to the wet garments OF the involuntary
| bather.
| s.There Won are. Sammyiv said Tom as