The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-04-03
Nettie seemed very glad to see ma

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Nettie seemed very glad to see me
and, l thought, rather embarrassed. a
she walked across the room, Opened
the window, and sat down beside Il
ohe looked very sweet and demur,
with her hands folded in her Ian ant
her brown eyes downcast, while be,
pretty curls played around her Shout
ders in the breeze and danced merr,
Jlgs on her white forehead. She wa
dressed in blue, and how l loved her
After tea l said: Come back into tn,
parlor, Nettie, l want to tell you some
thing"
perhaps you would rather 60 int
the garden, MIR. Rivers, the mum i,
shining and it is 81 cool and pleasan,
there"
drew her hand through my arm
and we went down the walk together.
l had planned out just how l should
propose, and had written an elegant
speech that would quite overpower and
confuse her, while l, in perfect self.
composure, would take the blushing.
sobbing little thing in my arms and dry
her tears with the aid of my waxed
mustache and pink handkerchief.
l delivered my speech with all the ell
oqaence l could command, and paused q
second for it to make the desired effect.
But it didn't do it.
Nettie burst into a peal of merry
laughter, which rang in my ears fol
many days, and, as soon as she could
stop laughing, said:
why, Nat! You great, strutting
simpleton; do you suppose that 1 would
marry you! When l marry I want a
mar whom I shall not be ashamed to
call husband--a man that 1 shall be
proud of; a man that has a more hum.
Bile opinion of Number One than you
have-a man too brave to boast of his
talents and power"
l tried to appear indignant and
walked away. As l walked home that
night | was, for the first time in my
life, heartily ashamed of myself. |
was afraid she would tell it, and every
one would be laughing at me-.
When | got home l procured an
anger and slipped out a little distance
the house, where stood a large
maple tree many years old. I glanced
cautiously around, and, seeing no one,
| knelt down and raked the soil away
from it with a stick and bored a hole in
trunk close to the ground, and
wrapping the little ring l had bough;
Tor Nettie up in a silken mop I stuffed
in the auger-hole and stopped the
hole up with a plug of wood.
scratched the dirt back to hide the
place, and shaking my fist at it, ]
,urned away.
My love for Nettie began to decrease
aster and with much less ceremony
han it had taken form. You can
carcely imagine how mean I did feel,
nd the last straw was added a few
weeks later in the shape OF ali invita-
ion to Nettie's wedding with Phil
You bet | didn't 60. They
moved out West and l wandered
round nearly all over the continent,
l could find another girl who
ould take Nettie's place in my heart.
At last l found her after a great
cal of conceit had been knocked out
t me, for Nettie's lesson proved .
God n She was q sweet, dainty lit
e widow, and l loved her quite as
luch as l had loved Nettie. By and by
whispered my secret to her and met
18th a favorable reception. And ten
ears from the time Nettie refused me
was married to little Mrs. Arnold,
not until afterward did | know
at | was Nettie Garnett's third hus-
md. But she was all the dearer to
Chicago News.