The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-05-14

pied faco, he did not turn ana lee 4
cover as the prudent man is understood
to do in such cases, but in q fOOl-hardly
spirit passed on and was-well. you vii
discover what later on.
The days drifted on in that particu
larly aimless fashion that seems to spec
tators to largely prevail in cOuntrifiet
little towns, but which, nevertheless, ART
days that TEEN with significant trides
and sufficiently important issues when
one comes to be an actor in the quiet
pastoral drama. During these day.
Fred Foster had become regular visitor
at the low brown house on the outskirts
of the town, and drifted from an indO-
lently passive to an indplently active
position in the society of the village.
There was pleasant charm about Ada's
hearty enjoyment of every rustic gay.
ETY., and. being pretty thoroughly under
her wholesome influence, Fred submit
ted to be led to the sacrifcial picnic al
tar, exhibiting under torture meek
ness and resignation that were at once
lamb-like and heroic. 1t is something
to which, in the hands of a clever wO-
man, we are all liable to come, SO l do
not consider this manifestation of in
herent weakness on his part.
Standing with reluctant feet
Where the brook and river meet
was Janey. Brown and slim, with the
unframed grace of willow branches
sweeping over still, dark pools, was
Janey, with streaming banner OF
dusky-bronze hair and a sluggish red
flushing duly beneath the warm brown
of her smooth, firm. cheeks. And one
great gift was hers; in the long, sweet
scented summer twilights my mellow
chords would thrill into undreamed-of
richness under the deft, magnetic touch
of her long, dusky fingers. She played
as birds sing, rs flowers unfold, as maid
ems dream, obeying law she knew not
ola command voiceless but echoing
through all time and space.
Not many strangers cast second
look at Janey when Ada was near. She
had none of that blooming beauty and
aggressive personality that character
lied the elder sister, but those who did
look twice were certain to look thrice
and again. 1t is my opinion that there
have been those who looked oftener
than was conducive to their own peace
of mind, but we won't go into details
now. Janey was about seventeen just at
this time, a large-eyed, dreamy young
person of no particular importance in
the busy household over and above the
daily busting of the best parlor; and l
do not have any notion that her opinion,
any more than mine, was asked when
+ red and Ada finally concluded to be-
come engaged-or perhaps it would be
better to be exact and say when Fred
to become engaged.
1t was only about a week after this
event that Aunt Prim, from
whom our pretty Ada had indefinite
expectations" took into her crotchety
OLD head that it was time for her to
make another attempt at dying. She
had been in the habit of treating her
long-suffering relatives to a deathbed
scene about twice per annum for longer
than care to remember, and if the
final event did not go off without
hitch it would not be for lack of full
dress rehearsals. Ada, who had an
eye to the main chance and recognized
the necessity of keeping firm grip on
Aunt ,Prim and her probable legacy-it
would come handy for the trousseau-
started off precipitately with big box,
little box, etc, while Fred stood bare
headed on the platform and endeavored
to look properly disconsolate as his
fiancee faded away in a halo of nasty
smoke, rejecting placidly that
Fred had delightful manners and she
hoped he would not get a sunstroke as
a reward of merit.
Of course, Fred was very fond of Ada,
else why should he want to marry her?
But, to speak the truth, which has
always been my practice, Ada was a
very practical as well as very exact
ing young person, and 1 suspect that
the poor young man furtively welcomed
the opportunity of Strengthening his
mental vertebra and drawing a long
free breath once more before settling
down to the cramps and kinks of the
condition.
twas, nevertheless, little dull with
out vivaciOus Ada at first, and in his
new capacity of engaged young man
Fred had not the hardihood to begin a
new Irritation with any of the rustic
bellies under the very eyes of his people
so he fell into the habit of
spending many of his spare hours in
the society of brown-eyed Janey, whom
he had hitherto hardly noticed. Surely
no one could object to that-and no one
did. more's the pity.
Well, don't suppose it will be hard
for any one with spark of romance or
in his or her composition
to guess what happened. Indeed, if
the romance and Imagination both be
lacking, little knowledge of human
nature will anwser every purpose. They
fell in love.
Of course it was a fatally miserable
thing to do, but the long list of such
casualties in existence plainly goes to
show, in my opinion at least, that the
organs of the head and the heart have
not even bowling acquaintance.
Of the two Janey was by far the most
innocent and unsuspecting-the woman
usually is at first, although she often
strikes balance by triple-plated mis-
doing after having taken the fatal
it was not until she felt
Fred's eager kisses on her lips that she
awoke to the knowledge of love that
was at once mightier than herself and a
cruel wrong to the absent and unsus-
pecting Ada. Fred being, it is safe to
suppose, more experienced in the symp-
toms of the tender passion, should have
realized their common danger and re-
treated from the serious companionship
before it was too late; but he didn't,
and the little pastoral was played out to
the bitter end and expiated with tears
and midnight vigils by the one and