Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-08-15

picked a bunch of apple blossom $
and fastened ;'em in her belt. I
don't suppose she'd picked an ap.
pie blossom before sence she was a
little girl, she'd got sosthrifGy.
81 saw her goin' BY, and she &C.
tually had a little plnky colorin her
cheeks; whether she'd caught it
from the apple: blossoms, or the pink
feather, or from feeling yoang, |
can't say. Icouldn't scarcely be.
Ilieve my eyes that twas Prudence
Hathaway.
elbow folks did stare at her in
church! Aud most Of EN- agreed
that a prettier girl hadn't been
there for a good while. I'm
glad to know there wasn't many
that said, Observation-Disclosures that
old-maidish Prudence Hathaway to
deck. herself out like rhatE There's
some such people as that every;
where, you know. -. -.
ssThere was a stran ger in church
.that-daE,-a e ne i ing x61As man
That had stopped all night at Che
hotel; nobody appeared to know
who he was. AS they came out OF
church, he went up to Prudence
and says, takin' off his hat:
/ "'I suppone you don't remember
met And Pm sure [ shouldn't have
known you except for the pink
feather! But 1 hope, as Johns
friend
81 am glad to see any friend Of
Johns, said Prudence in her quiet
way. She couldn't remember that
she had ever set eyes on hlm, but
size thought he mightbe one of the
village boys that had been away
for years, and remembered her
childish fancy for pink. When he
said he was a friend of Johns, she
remembered that John had written
that the young man who was to be
his partner was going into the
country for bis health. But how
could he know that she liked plnks
Prudence puzzled a little, but she
thought she should fud out, in a
minute or two who he was, and
twasn't best to let on that she
didn't know.
..She was generally grave and re-.
served, but to-day she seemed to
have blossomed out every way. L
don't believe in settin' too much by
vanities, but don't suppose there
ever was girl that didn't appear
easier in llermanners for feelin that
she looked we'll.
ssPrudence chatted as easy and
gay as could be-, and the stranger
walked along home with her, as q
matter Of course.
"When Prudence introduced him
to her mother, she jest;said he was
a friend of Johns, and kind of give
him chance to up aud tell who he
was but he didn't; he seemed to
think they knew; and Prudence felt
kind of mortified because he didn't;
and Mis- Hathaway was so glad to
ifsee a stranger, bein' real ociable
and Ftalkatiye, and SEEM but few
folks, that she didn't care who he
was, especially as he knew. john
that was her idol. He told 'em
John was we'll, only .workin' too
hard. which might have made 'em
suspect somethin' was wrong, for it
want q mite like JOHN Hathaway
to work too hard.
The stranger staid to dinner. 1
don't suppose they had anythin'
more'n cold pickup Sunday noon;
but Prudence put great bowl full
of lilacs and apple-blossoms in the
middle Of the table, and the win.
dows were open, and the birds
singin', and kind of blossomy
smell blowin' IN; and settin' Oppo-
site Prudence, and blossomed out
in her pretty looks, I guess the
stranger was satisfied.
SHUT, right in the midst Of it
what should come pokin' in at the
window but Tommy Streadley's
stupid head.
"'D[andany Wheelock wants her
bonnet-'n' her beau, tool says he,
"It come over Prudence like a
flash jest what it all meant! She
turned as pale as a ghost.
".I think you have mistaken me
Tor Miss Wheelock,' says she, with
little, sickly attempt to smile.
"sAnd you amt Miss Wheelocka'
says he. well, / havn't seen heI
since she was a little girl of twelve;
but I've been thinkin' never saw
anybody that had changed Sc
much You see, twas the pink
feather that misled mel"
"And he laugheda little, and went
on exp1ainin' that Mandany Vince.
locks cousin, john Doane, was q
great friend of his, and that he WAS
comm through here on business,
and likely to stop over Sunday, be
wanted him to go and see Mandany
The cousin wrote to Mandany about
Fit, and Mandany said she didn't
ldare to have come if har stepfather
. was at home, because he got SO down
on young men (Which was true
enough, for Mandany was always
having a dozen strings to her bow,