The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-02
ntr 10 Dad, lfrgl ALL

M 10 DAD. lFTgl AL
!. 6on Creighton bsd. eot itirlssii Into
: serape, and, man.liks; ksd no ysry
definite ides how he was to-get out 81
Last winter, in . aush ofsnihusiasm,
he had rewarded Emily Cummingss
sersphic smiles BY An. oher. Of his hand
and fortune. and she, having been for
months an honest competitor, accepted
the prize With 8 show Of: tenderness
that was perfect In its way.
She was belle and . beauty, but, 70
give the poor fellow his due, he was- not
Very much in .levs himself. and had,
moreover, : faint Aestina :iioticn thst
hi. sl00, 900 had more to do With ,hsE
acceptanes than, any purely personal
merit Of 6is own. -, :, ~ ,,,.;, /,
However, the marriage in eli human
probability would have taken place, and
my little love story been entirely nipped
| 10 tho bud, had il not been for the grim
hand of fate, which beckoned, the un.
fortunate Con to alittle watering-place,
on a fishing excursion ostensibly, but
in reality 20 fall IN, love with pretty Lie.
tie Mabel Gordon:
He met her at some village gathering,
and it being q fixed principle If his B
attach himself to the prottiest girl in the
room, lie in the present case rdhefed 70
his purpose with rigidity which would
have been extremely amusing only that
it so soon became serious, for after two
or three meetings had followed the rus
tic soiree Master Con was fairly infatu-
ated, and innocent Mabel began to
think that her ideal hero had stepped
out from his "castle in the air" and tax
en- earthly lodgings forever and ever
more.
For week the dream was bright and
undisturbed; then Con began TO feel
uncomfortable.
With the prospect of being married
to one girl in month, he was hardly
dishonorable enough TO propose the
same course with anotherj but being
neither. very clever nor original; he
couldn't Gee the slightest loophole. So;
by way Of inspiration, perhaps, hs lin.
gered on at Mabel's side; and she, poor
child, was happy oven in the uncertain
ty.
OF course people talked, as they al
ways do talk; and some, more daring
than the rest, encompassed Con, and
looked unutterable things as they spoke
Of Mable's parentage.
Lives with her father and mother ?
oh, yes. But then they don't happen
TO be Der father and mother. She is
fhoir dA,nbSar,u 1ouoI,to,: an3 =. L.
who was her father-well, we dom
know, and the Blairs take care to give
us no information"
Then Con was awfa1iy angry.
He was just young enough to be
Quixotlc, and, of course, he wanted to
marry her, shame or no shame; to take
his little star-faced angel to himself for
evermore-to transplant his little field
daisy to more luxuriant soil.
He went up so see her, with letter
from Emily Cummings in his pocket
and an ominous guilty feeling about his
heart.
"By Jovel but this is cheering
scrape. Those Cummingses will be sf-
ter me like pack Of vultures; but all
know is that I'll never have wife If
don't get Mabel Gordon"
So, with trembling determination, he
went into her presence-pretty Mabel,
with her white face appraised and her
.yondrous hair falling around her like
q glorious golden cloud.
Il thought you would come, she said
shyly, the color family flushing her
fair cheeks. And then, though nature
hadn't made him SO, Con felt more ut
terly foolish than ever.
CAS- i'll could stay away !"he answered,
half reproachfully; then added pathet-
ically, "At least. unit, have to, for,
I'm going away in day or two."
I suppose Mabel had tho natural
coqnettis less of her sex; but at that
particular moment it deserted her en-
tircly. Her eyes wandered down the
rond, and she leaned mora heavily than
ever against the garden gate.
"Oh, are you?" worry faint and tremu-
lous, she murmured.
Eyes; but I'll come back again If any
one wants me-"
She stole one quick glance at him
from under her downcast lids.
"Do You want me, Mabel? Shall
come back to you?"
No answer came from the parted lips,
but think he knew she wanted him,
for, leaning over the garden gate, he
answered her silence by saying, every
we'll, dear, I'll be back in Q very little
while. and you'll be waiting for me,
won't you?"
1t was not very definite, to Say the
least of it.
! Any other girl would have preferred
Q more lucid proposal. but poor little
Mabel had one of those rare natures
which are satisfied to give all and take
almost nothing-to love prominently,
perfectly, and receive in return tri-
fling need of affection.
The world doesn't contain q great
many like her, and I, for one, am
heartily glad.
think the women who hold their
own, and anything else they can get,
are far more preferable; but then earth
and earth's children must be variegated,
and sharp as we'll as sweet.
Con went home that night ecstatically
but guiltily happy, and when he reached
home he found letter awaiting him-a
letter from his mother, the eldest Mrs.
Creighton, asking, or should say de-
manding, his instant return.
Emily is very ILL.," she said. "and
certainly your place should he beside
the lady Who in four weeks will become
your wife. In addition to this, am
afraid that some ulterior object causes
your long delay in that out-of-the-way
place. 1have heard. but totally dis
believe, rumor of some girl whose
pretty face has attracted your attentions.
It Aoated upon me with some appear
ance of veracity, and might have trou-
bled me had not known that could
trust your dignity as being member Of
the Creighton family and your honor as
being engaged to Emily Cummings"
Con crushed the letter in his hand
and tried to stare circumstances in the
face, but circumstances bafaed him, and
in state of semi-torture he retired to
his dream disturbed couch.
The next morning he returned to Lon.
don, leaving little note for Mabel IN