Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-02-21

dropper, what happy iittie SUN
pleton might be!'' "Serious, TOMB!
she said aloud: SPIN literally ser
ious as the grave. You've made
m .tay at Oakland very pleasant;
we given me glorious ilrivesand
ills and FIN no end obliged. But
III gard to this new favor you
pre- use to confer upon me, no, no,
ToL I must decline it, thank yon."
g. vor! Really, Daisy, I fail to
see now I've provoked that sar-
casm."
"Let's not talk about it, Tom
All, we're nearly home
"Bnt, Daisy, | must talk about
it," pleaded Tom, Selling her hand.
"DO you mean YOU never can care
for mei Oh, Daisy, Daisy. don't
say itfn
His manner was eager, his tone
perilouSly sweet, though now at the
door, lie made no movement to
alight; it seemed as ifhe could not
slet Daisy Jill she&hld promised
to love Ii
"Don' be absurd, Tom," cried
she, al ,st besi'le-herself with the
fear lest she might yield in spite OF
everything. "I'll never marry you
never! never! Why, Tom Ray
mond. I'd as soon marry that hen
COOP"
RIO do Daisy justice, she hardly
knew what she said. Bent on con-
yincing her ovcrwise lover that she
asnot b :. to he had for the ask
ing, she al hurled the hen coop
INTO hsr ,entance simply for en-
phasis. It wounSed Tom beyond
all exp ssiou. TO offer himself to
yoal lady as a husband, only to
be rejected by her as a hen-coop-
this he felt was 100 much for hut
man nature to bear. Without fur
Their dallyins he helped Daisy dis,
mount, and drove away with u curt
adiru.
Wretche.l Miss Daisy gazed af-
ter him with lack.luStre eyes. feel
ing as spiritless as a glass of yes
terrlay's soda water. How angry
he must have been to have left her
10 unlock the door for herself.
And, oh, dear, what allied the
key, Would it never. never turn'
Oh, for strong tillger<!-rom'S fin,
gers! Presently it dawned upon
Daisy that there must be some oh
struction in the lock. BY the aid
Of the moon she peeped in at the
keyhole and saw the trouble. In
locking the door on the inside aunt
Abby had forgotten to remove The
key! Daisy pulled the bell frantic
ally till the peals echoed through
every room, pulled it TIL she broke
tue wire, but no sound of answer
ing footsteps came. Far away in
the north chamber aunt Abby was
laying on her good ear, sleeping
the sleep Of the innocent.
"She never hears anything when
she's on n left side,n groaned
Daisy. /" ii she may not turn over
tor the ght. Oh, what shall | do'
Sh, osse;l pebbles against her
ann easement, and shouted her
name :saln and again; then desls-
ted in,,sudden terror. What II the
tramp were still lurking i'll the
neisiborhond, ami should appear
ut 4er call! She fitted around the
house like Il. midnight ghost, only
10 find every door and window last
She locke in at the lighted dining
jooin, ano the apretlzing lunch
nwaitiJs reminded her tlatsh
was laiat id had eaten no sup
per. -.
Hungry and hopeless atmidnight
in thu country, where tramps were
md where po &c were not! Here
was a sltn;.tin for a girl dellcately
feared and II tllrally timld! The
nnly light to b 'Seen in the village
was at DR.. RI monds, a quarter OF
mile away. Daisy knew it must
have been left burning for Grace
md Tom. Grace could not have
,een home long, for she and Jack
All come the long road by the
I'LL.
If I can only get there before
the lamp goes out" murmured
Daisy, speeding along the street.
What could she do better than to
beseecIl the RaymondS to shelter
her. She knew no other fimily so
well, and, besides, no other family
Was awake. After what had pass
ed, she shrank from meeting Tom,
bnt she shlanl iarmore from meet
ing the tramp whom her excited
fancy Was perpetually evolving
from the shadows. What with fear
and haste, she reached the thresh-
hold breathless. Pushing open the
hall door, little yagrant that she
was, she stole in upon Grace, busy
in securing the parlor shutters.
"Hush, Grace; don't scream
don't rouse anybody" she cried il
a hysterical whisper. ~ thought
maybe you'd let me sleep with you.
I'm locked out"
"Loelled out, poor doarr'
eyes; III tell you all about it
presently. Can't l 60 upstairs frst'
I'm so tir ~
"You'rc White as a sheet, bird
kin. Run p to my room. III fol,
low as SO, as Tom comes III. He
is at the q lble feeding Lady"
IT