The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-05-23

j A week passed by, and Jenny was
never out of Hiram's thoughts. One
fday he went to the village, and while
there, standing in front of the post
office, Elnathan Rogers drove by with
the deacon's mare.
4 s'pose now he's got Jenny he
thinks he's got right to the whole
property muttered Hiram. Il wish
to gracious the old mare would put her
feet through the dashboard i
That night the singing school met at
the Academy. Hiram came late. He
used to sit with the tenors just behind
jenny Bates. Now hechose different
seat, and tried hard to sing bass. He
could not, however, help seeing Elna-
tlan Rogers pass peppermint lozenges
IL Jenny, and also to write something
+ q the blank leaf of his singing book,
which she read and answered.
| sOf course he'll go home with her to-
| nght, thought Hiram. sIt'll be the
tlst time I've missed it for year. He's
'elcome, though.
sAll intermission he kept his seat, and
Hsre was a grand bustling about the
door, and an eager pushing among the
yqng men to make sure of their favor
ite- Hiram was trying to make his
wa through the crowd, when he found
hirself at the elbow of Jenny Bates,
anC the same moment the hateful voice
of Elnathan Rogers was heard in the
wods:
Shall see you home tonight, Miss
Baes?'
No, SIR was the prompt answer.
{ shall walk home alone
Hiram was totally unprepared for
his.
perhaps it's one of her fits he said
T. himself. 'The deacon said she had
m; that nobody knew but himself.
I'm glad she mittened him, though
The word mitten reminded Hiram
tlat he had left both his on the seat in
tie school room, and stepped back just
the candles were being blown out.
Here's Jenny Bates singing book,
h heard one boy say to another. 'She
vent off in such hurry tonight she
f,rgot it.
'Give it to me- said Hiram, who re-
nembered what had taken place that
evening, and with eager look sought
ont the written message that had pass
ell between Jenny and his rival. They
we're as follows:
Tell your father he cheated me when
Ibought old Jenny. I thought by her
name she must be good for something,
but she kicks and bites ten times worse
than he ever told me. l wish now I
hld spoken for the Jenny in the house
instead of the one in the barn.
And the answer:
Il guess the horse is as good as you
deserve. AS for you choosing betwixt
the two you mention, you won't be
able to do that this year. You have
got the only Jenny you can ever get
from my father
A light broke in upon Hiram.
well of all the internal fools I ever
heard, am the biggest A dog would
have more sense. It's not too late now,
thank heaven
1ThA, drnqrt;ne o9zew1 ostsEtAd. AS
hand, rushed down the stairs, two at a
time, and up the road which lead to
Deacon Bates. If he was not too
late he was nearly SO, for Jenny was
lust opening the gate of the front yard.
Stop, Jenny!' he exclaimed, pant
ing for breath. Here's your singing
book. You left it on the seat. tried
to overtake you.'
you needn't have taken the trouble,
Mr.. Jenkins I guess no one would
have stolen it, said Jenny with great
display of dignity and making show
of going into the house.
Don't Jenny Wait-wait just a
minute. know I've acted like fool ;
but just let me explain.
Jenny hesitated a moment, made
another start towards the door, then
turned and went back to the gate where
the discomfted Hiram stood waiting.
'Well,' she said in as freezing tone
as she could command.
Now don't look and talk that way,
| Jenny Bates. You know never would
have acted as 1 have if l hadn't thought
had a reason for it. 1 thought you
were going to marry Elnathan Rogers.
'What business had you to think any
such thing?' asked Jenny, firing up.
"a pretty explanation that is I and
again she turned away from the gate.
Stop! Let me tell you. Can't you
listen minute?' said Hiram in desper-
alton. He felt there was no other way
than to make a clean breast of it, and
plunged into his story at once. Word
for word he related the conversation he
had heard in the horse barn, and the
effect it had upon him. He was deep
ly in earnest, and in closing, humbly
appealed for forgiveness. He saw hel
tremble and put her hands to her face
Poor girl, she pitied him ! His heart
rose and his hand was upon the gate tc
open it, when a peal of laughter, loud
er and longer from being so long pen
up, rang Out upou lHC HlSnt all, oiiioo
startling him out of his boots and wax
ing the deacon and his wife from ;
sound sleep in the upper front BET
room.
Up went the window and night
capped head was thrnst out, with
demand as to what was the matter
Still Jenny laughed, while Hiram stoot
silent by the gate, angry and ashamed
not knowing whether to advance or g
back. At last Jenny found her voice.
Go home, Hiram Jenkins, she said
SAY your prayers and go to sleep, ant
if you want to say anything more to me
come up to morrow evening after sup
per. But mind, don't you go to listen
ing at any horse-barn on your wa
home, and she went off in another pea
. of laughter.
, Hiram did not wait to say goo
night. Whether he slept or said hi
prayers that night is not recorded, br
it is an established fact that eigh
O'Clock next evening found him i