The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-12-25
AN EXCHANGE.
Argyle Meriweather's Giving and Receiv-
ing.

M~erlWeatner, VINO udu Deen-dl-
though a few years her senior
her playmate, and for O. time
her school-fellow, always ready to
tease her himself, but quite as ready to
rome to her aid if anybody else did.
He seemed to look upon her in the
light of a possession, which he had a
right to have his own way with, but
was equally bound to protect. So it
was with great surprise that as they
grew older, and Argyle bloomed sud-
denly into a lovely girl of 16, withhair
of genuine gold and eyes of bewitching
gray, she found, after a slight contest
with Sam in which she had expected
of course to have to give up as before,
that Sam was very w~illingto succumb
completely to her will, feeling amply
rewarded if she smiled upon him or
praised him. AS soon as she beganto
realize this unexpected change of az
fairs-being like most girls of her age
O little tyrant-she seized the reins
and kept them-not always out of
sight. Her second surprise was to
find that there were some things which
even she could not make Sam do-for
which, with true feminine inconsistent
cy, she liked him twice as we'll as for
the many things in which he yielded
to her.
When Sam declared himself her low
er, she feigned q pretty establishment,
and said "No" positively, but would
have r~elented-so grievously did she
miss him during the two weeks
that Sam staid away, had not-unfort-
unately for Sam-her second lover
appeared on the scene and engrossed
all her leisure time and attention.
This was a stranger, an officer in the
army, and his name was Clarence Du-
pont, from Thibodeaux Parish, La.
He came to the neighborhood on a
furlough obtained by q slight wound
In his arm, and brought q letter of in
PRODUCTION to her father from his un-
Gle, an old friend and classmate of
Mr.. Meriweather's. After his first
call, he came frequently, for he was
staying with friends who lived at a
distance of a few miles only, and the
ride and talk with his pretty young
hostess was an agreeable enough di-
vertlsement for q summer day. He
began of course by making love, as a
courtesy due to the sex, but soon fell
over head and ears in love, after his
ardent southernfashion, and conduct
ed his wooing after q style very differ
ent from poor Sans slow and earn
est way. He was very jealous, and
IN complete dispair, or very ecstat-
&c, and on the point of announcing a
betrothal to all his acquaintance;
and Argyle, who had never given a
serious thought to marrying this
new admirer, found it equally hard to
restrain his hopes and fears. When
at last he would have a final decision,
ana received negative one, he took
his departure in the depths of gloom,
bringing tears of self-reproach to Ar
gyle's beautiful eyes and filling her
heart with alarm by threats of sui
eide, and hints OF q speedy death on
the bloody battlefield.
Argyle was very young, and she was
much troubled about it, and wished
that Sam had not been sofoolish him.
self-it would have been such q COM
fort to have him reason and laugh her
out OF her fears, o. even scold her Tor
her selfishness IL amusing herself at
the expense of another's pain.
~ will never be SO wicked again."
sighed Argyle, and she went off to get her
fathers shirts to mend-the mending
had been accommodating during the last
few weeks-as a proof of her genuine
and profound repentance. She perse.
vered in her course of amendment, as
illustrated by attention to darning and
repairing everything she could lay her
hands on, for the next fortnight,
and / regret to own that she found 1T
uncommonly dull, and there were mo-
ments when she would have relapsed
into former iniquities had not both
her lovers been safely out ofherreach,
and a long rainy spell kept others
from calling.
AT last there came bright, beautlful
weather in the early autumn. Mr..
Meriweather was reading his morning
paper. This was always a lengthy
occupation, consisting of an absorbed
perusal of the editorial columns, a
business-like investigation of extracts
from other papers, and letters OF or
respondents, and at the last q by no
means Indifferent review of the adver-
tiseinents.
Argyle, who had presided at the
head Of his table aver since she had
been left q motherless child Of 10 years
old, and poured out his coffee for him,
watched his proceedings this morn
ing with an interest quite new
in her pretty ladyship. Usually
she protested a supreme indifference to
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