Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-01-14
THE LOVE-LETTER


his black eyebrows together until they
formed an ominous black bar across
his forehead and nearly frightened his
bright-eyed daughter out OF her senses.
But Mary Bergamot stood bravely
10 the gunssof her little citadel.
NO, father" said she. ''Oh, how
can Won ask nue., father, when you
know ! don't love him and never
camp"
Never is long word" said the
squire.
Mary. "But, indeed, mean it. "
"You mean it, do you?" said the
squire, in slow and measured tones.
Now, let me tell you what 1t isn't
that YOU don't like Hawkins Jessup,
but that you've been goosey enough to
90 and fall in love with that young
IDIOT, George Lake!'
Mary turned very red,
"Papa!
There's no use mincing matters, F."
said the irate squire. IAN artist, in
deed! Why doesn't he go into white
washing and calcimining and earn
decent liying?"
Duts papa
Needn't attempt to argue with me,
missh said Squire Bergamot, sternly.
"I'll have none of it, and so | tell you!
If George Lake comes into my house
he'll be put out of it pretty quick! And
so you may tell him. "
So saying, the squire strobe out of
the house.
Mary looked after him with soft, sor-
rowful eyes. She was delicate, oval
faced girl, with sunny brown hair and
straight features as unlike the rotund
and positive sources as light TO dark
ness. But, rs she put down the iron
from which she was doing up her
fathers shirts Squire Bcrgamot
would have thought it crying sin to
employ laundress while his daughter
enjoyed her ordinary health--she
leaned mp against the window where
the arrow Sunbeams came in through
the lremuiotls veil OF heartshaped morn
ing-giory leaves and drew from her
pocket a note written in strong, mas
cuhne hand
Ny DEAREST MARY: | love you. viii
YOU promise 10 be my wife, spite of all OPP
position? Will you tell me so with your own
lips? Ever yours, faithful to death
GEORGE.
How her eyes glittered rs she read
and reread the short and simple lines,
pressing them finally 10 her red lips
Il do love him! | will be his wife!"
she murmured. "And ] will tell him
so the very first opportunity | get.
Only papa!'
momentary cloud stole over her
serene brow at this, but it was tran
sient.
81 don't believe in elopemcnts, said
Mary Bergamot, still riviting her eyes
on the sheet OF paper in her hand. 81
never did. But il papa still persists in
opposing our marriage | will leave my
home and 90 out into the world hand
in hand with George"
just as this revolutionary thought
passed through her mind the door
creaked on its hinges. A heavy, we'll
known footstep sounded on the TIRES
hold.
Its papap' cried Mary.
In her CONSERVATION our poor little
heroine could not find the entrance of
her pocket in the multitudinous folds
OF her dress For q second she was in
imminent danger of detection; then
she hurriedly thrust the incendiary
document into the yawning mouth OF 4
paper-bag of choice seed-corn which
hung by the kitchen window. At the
next instant Squire Bergamot was in
the room.
Mary" said he, "go upstairs to
the lett-hand corner of my middle
oureau-drawer and get ME a clean
pocket handkerchief "
And Mary went out with dubious
glance at the nail on which the bag of
Early Sugar Corn" hung.
When she returned the room was
empty and Squire Bergamot was just
Climbing up into his lumber box wa
gon IN front Of the picket fence.
bring it out here. said the squire.
I'm going over to Miss Polly Peppers
70 get my empty cider cask, She might
mad the sense to return it herselfn"
lie slowed the pocket-handkerchi
away IN his pocket and was just taking
up The reins, when Mary rushed out
again, crimson to the very roots of her
hair
Father, that bag of seed-corn.
'Oh, it's all rights all right, "
t"O squire pldClul1. pIOiulscu
little to Miss Polly Pepper, and this
IS already shelled."
But, father" gasped poor Mary,
let me tie it up first.
a 'Nonsense!n said the squire. II
Jest folded over the top and it'll go as
snug as thief in 4 mill, right atop Of
n my bags Of meal
\ Away he ratified over the stony road
\ a5 he spoke, and poor Mary ran back
INTO the kitchen to cry herself into a
second Niobe
n "pa' my letter. my letterT sobbed
n 71ei why was | such an idiot as to
\ pat it therc?"
I Miss Polly Pepper, a gaunt spinster
= very uncertain age, and a very
certain iaGrmity of temper, opened the
A oSs OF seed-corn as the squire drove
A Night a-brou-ht it before" said
4 ne Promised it to US last fall.