The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-06-13

you, Iom J!
MOP said Tom, roguishly.
'And you've grown so tall II de-
clare, Tom, you're splendid I
Il could return the compliment, if
dared. But where are all the rest of
the family? The honse below is as
empty as haunted hail..
'All gone to welcome that horrid,
poky old Prof. La Place, who has gra.
ciously indicated his willingness to pass
few weeks with us. Tom, do hate
that professor
'Hate him What for2'
ooh, l don't know, I'm sure. He is
a snuff-dried, conceited old wretch,
Ind I'll wager box of gloves he wears
sspectacles!'
Nonsense, Mary Why he is only
twenty-six.
Il don't care l know he is rheumat-
ic and wears spectacles, for all that.
And, Tom-now if you'll never, never
breathe word of this
q won't upon my word and honor =
sale Tom.
well, then, papa has actually got
the idea into his dear old head that l
would make nice wife for the profess
or, and
Mary turned away with crimson in
dignation flashing in her cheeks.
1T is too bad of you to laugh, Tom.
l never, never will marry that man 7
Il wouldn't if I were you,' consoled
Tom. But, Mary, wait and see the
man before you decide. He may be
quite decent fellow.
No! said Mary, shaking her head
and biting her cherry lips firmly. Il
hate him beforehand
what spiteful little puss you are !
said her companion, laughing.
NO, Tom, I'm not And the blue
eyes became misty. Il love papa and
Ruth dearly, and 1 love almost every
body. l like you, Tom; but 1 hate
Prof. La Place. And l want you to
promise, Tom, that you'll be my friend,
and not allow him to tease me into
walks, or rides, or tete-a-tetes, of any
kind. Will you?'
Would he? If she had asked him to
precipitate himself out of the pear tree
upon the steps below, with those blue
eyes fixed on his, he'd have done it !;
any man of taste would.
Il Ipromise = he said, and they shook
hands on it.
What a cozy place for a chat that
gnarled old tree was.
And when they had talked over
everything they could think of, it was
the most natural thing in the world that
Tom should recover the book which
had slipped down into the network of
tiny boughs, and read poetry to his
pretty cousin in the deep, musical voice
that maidens love to listen to.
And Mary sat there watching the
jetty curls blowing to and fro on his
broad, white brow, and the long, black
lashes almost touching his olive cheeks !;
and she thought how very, very hand
some Cousin Tom was, how much he
had changed in the last ten years that
had elapsed since she had seen him,
and she wondered whether Tom was
engaged to any pretty girl somehow
she hoped not. Now, why couldn't
Tom have been rich, like that horrid
Prof. La Place, instead of a poor stu
dent, and
And when the large, black eyes were
suddenly lifted to hers, Mary felt as
though he had read every thought of
her mind, and blushed scarlet.
Come, Tom, she chartered to hide
her confusion, we've been up here long
enough. Help me down and l will
show you the old sun dial that we used
to heap up with buttercups when we
were children
A rumble of wheels; it was the re
turning carriage, and Mary clung to
Toms arm.
'The awful professor i she whisper
ed. Now, Cousin Tom, be sure you
stand by me through everything
'To my life's end = was the whisper
ed answer.
But there was no one in the carriage
save Mr.. Thorne and Ruth.
1t drew up on the grand sweep be-
side the two cousins.
where's the professor?'
'He was not at the depot said
Ruth 'and-'
But Mr.. Thorne had sprung from the
carriage and clasped both the strangers
hands in his. n.
la Place, is it possible! 1! Why, we
have just been looking for you at Mill
Station
Il am sorry to have Inconvenience
you, SIR was the reply; 'but I came
by the way of Wharton, and walked
over this morning
Never mind now, so you are safely
here!' exclaimed the old gentleman.
Ruth, my dear-Mary, let me intro
duce you to your cousin, Prof. La
Place!'
Mary had dropped his arm, and
stood dismayed.
you told me that you were Cousin
Tom !
THAT is my name, and believe
am a distant cousin by relationship.
Now, Mary and the black eyes spark
led, don't be angry because l don't
take snuff nor wear spectacles. l beg
the other Cousin Toms pardon, who
ever he is but am very glad he isn't
here. Mary, be just, and don't hate
Cousin Tom because his other name
happens to be La Place.
But no doubt it was very perplex-
ing thing to have two Cousin Toms
and so, about six months subsequently,
Miss Mary contrived to obviate that
inconvenience by allowing one of them
to assume nearer relationship, and,
in spite of all her asseverations to the
contrary, she is Mrs. Prof. La Place.
For it's a solemn fact in this world
that whenever a girl says she never
never will do thing, she is pretty sure
to do it the first chance she gets; ant
Mary is no exception to the genera
rule.