The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-06-04
BARS BACKSLIDING.
Marrow Escape from General Woe
Because Of It.

uIONc uON III tlc ihuSiuN lossu anu SeOPPSe
at Stephen Pinney's front gate. 1t wa:
Sunday afternoon in early spring
The first thaw had set in; the sur
shone down warmly. and the roofs Of
the houses and barns and the few dirty
drifts of snow in the fence corners ap
peared dazzingly bright beneath it.
The wheels of BARS two-seated buggy
drippcd with mud, and the tall, red
horse was well spattered. Stephen
Pinney's place was severely neat in all
particulars. The square house was
wingless: the yard was undecorated.
save for an evergreen bush set with
geometrical precision on each side OF
the walk, and an elliptical flower bed
whose baroness was atoned for by the
large pink sea-shells which bordered it;
the green paper shades in the front
possible to the same point. and gave a
glimpse of chair backs set close aginst
the wall. The door opened before Biar
could aiight. and a girl came out. She
wore red-and-black checked shawl
over black alpaca dress, and she
came down the walk with stiffness
which indicated consciousness of
being dressed up. Her thin, freckled
face wore pleased look.
Good afternoon. Louise" said
Biar.
Good afternoon, the girl respond
ed. Il was ali ready, and thought
there wasn't no need of your getting
out and coming in.''
She climbed into the buggy unassist-
ed, and sat down on the front seat be-
side the long-legged, lght-haircd,
serious-visagcd young man. The mud
splashed upon them as they started
away. But Biar was excepting COM
pany'' with Louise Pinney, and it had
not entered their heads to omit their
usual Sunday afternoon drive because
the going was bad. Neither were they
disturbed BY the lack of single buggy.
The two-seated one was all that Biar
possessed, except lumber wagon, and
they would not have stopped at that if
it had been condition of their going.
81 should think this was first-rate SUI
gar weather." said Louise, as they jog
gei along.
'.You hain't tapped yet. s'pose?''
-''We're going up to the sugar-bush
tomorrow if this warm spell hangs on, y
Biar responded.
They drove on silently after that.
Neither was much of a talker, and it
did not occur to talk for the sake of
breaking the pause. They often rode
for mics without speaking and without
embarrassment from the silence.
Biar fiickcd the horse occasionally with
the frayed tip of the whip: Louise sat
quiet, her plain face lighted with a SIM
pie content.
''Nfis' Baldwin's got a visitor" she
said as they came in sight of a long,
ycllow-painted house. ''She's got her
cousin from over in Jacksonville; Mandy
Sawyer's her name. Her folks are
away from home and she's staying to
Mis- Baldwin's while they're gone. l
was down to Mis- Baldwin's yesterday
and she introduced me. She's real
lively acting girl"
"Is that herr" said Biar.
He was gazing admiriRgly at a young
girl who was standing at the Baldwin S
front gate. She was fifteen at the most,
but she was tall and plump, and there
was marked prctention to style and
gaycty in her blue. silk-trimmed dress,
her white beads and the ribbon on top
of her head. She was pretty, too. from
rural stapdpoint-she had red cheeks,
sharp blue eyes and profusiOn of light
curls, which fell about her round face in
the manner of an old-fashioned china
doll.
'.Ho d. do, Miss Pinney?" she called
out.
Biar was staring at her broadly, and
she gave him pert little nod. He
turned to look back at her as they drove
on. and she returned his gaze boldly,
shaking back her curls jauntily and
swinging herself on the gate.
''She's pretty good-looking," said
Biar; but that was feeble expression
of the admiration with which Miss
Mandy Sawyer's blooming charms had
overpOwered him.
Biar generally dropped in at Stephen
Pinneys two or three evenings a week;
1t was necessary part of keeping con-
pany. That week he did not come
Louise put on her black alpaca every
evening, and took it off at 7:30. Biar
never came later than $50, and there
was no need of keeping it on after that
time and wearing it out. She did not
know why he did not come, but she had
full trust in him and his non-appearance
did not arouse her suspicious. But Ly-
man Baker came in toward the end of
the week with piece OF news,
Lyman Baker had been mildly atten-
tive to Louise before Biar Gillett's sue
cession. He had not admired her par
ticularly-he fiattered himself that he
knew goOd-looking girl when he saw
one; but he had established an enviable
reputation as a lady's man, and to keep
it untarnished il was necessary that
there should be no girl in the neighbor-
hood who had not ''gone with him.
He had bestowed his preference on Tilly
Dillingham; of late; but he was leaving
lilly severely alone at present because
she had .'other company" when he had
invited her to the last sociable. He was
a short, bony young man, with small
4. dark eyes and prominent tooth. He
had clerked for a month or so in a shoe
store in the nearest town. and his met
ropolitan experience showed itself in his
spotted cravat and his celuloid cuff-but-
tons.
There's a smashing girl down to
Baldwin's," was Lyman'S opening re-
mark. 1t was term which had been
frequently employed at the shoe-store.
Stephen Pinney, his wife and the