Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-06-04
BARS .BACKSLIDING.
Marrow Escape from General Woo
Because of 1t.


Sunday afternoon in early spring.
The first thaw had set in; the sun
shone down warmly, and tho roofs of
the houses and barns and the few dirty
drifts of snow in the fence corners APP
pcared dazzingly bright beneath it.
The wheels of BARS two-seated buggy
dripped with mud, and the tall, red
horse was well spattcrcd. Stephen
Pinney's place was severely neat in all
particulars. The square house was
wingless; the yard was undccoratcd,
save for an evergreen bush set with
gcometrical precision on each side of
the walk, and an clliptcal flower bed
whose baroness was atoned for by the
large pink sea-shells which bordcrcd it;
the green paper shades in the front
windows were rolled up rs nearly rs
possible to the same point, and gave n
glimpse of chair backs set closc'aginst
the wall. The door opened before Biar
could alight, and u girl came out, She
wore n rcd-and-black checked shawl
over a black alpaca dress, and she
came down the walk with n stiffness
which Indicated consciousness of
being dressed up. Her thin, frccklcd
face wore pleased look.
Good afternoon, Louise" said
Biar.
Good afternoon" the girl respond
ed. "I was all ready, and L 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-leggcd, light-haired,
serious-visagcd young man. The mud
splashed upon them rs they started
away But Biar was excepting COM
panyn with Louise Pnncy, 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-scated one was all that Bar
possessed, except n lumber wagon, and
they would not have stopped at that if
it had been Il condition of their going.
II should think this was iirst-rate SUI
gar weather, said Louise, rs they jog
ged along.
You hain't tapped yet, 1 s'poseP"
"We're going up to the sugar-bush
tomorrow if this warm spell hangs on,
Biar responded
They drove on silently after that.
Neither was much of n talller, and it
did not occur to talk for the sake of
breaking the pause. They often rode
for miles without speaking and without
embarrassment from the silence
Bar flcked the horse occasionally with
the fraycd tip of the whip; Louise sat
quiet, her plain face lighted with Il Sim
pie content.
Mis- Baldwin's got visitor" she
said as they came in sight of long,
yellow 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- Baldwn'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 hcrPn said Biar.
He was gazing admiringly at young
girl who was standing at the Badwin's
front gate. She was fifteen at the most,
but she was tall and plump, and there
was n marked pretention to style and
gayety in her blue, silk-trimmed dress,
her white beads and the ribbon on top
of her head. She was pretty, too, from
rural standpoint-she had red cheeks,
sharp blue eyes and n profusion of light
curls, which fell about her round face in
the manner of an old-fashioned china
doll.
"Ho d do, Miss PinneyP" 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.
shes 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
Pinney's two or three evenings week;
it was necessary part of keeping CON-
pany. That week he did not come.
Louise put on her black alpaca every
evening, and took it of at 1880. Biar
never came later than 1880, and there
was no need of keeping it on after that
time and wearing il 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 Il 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 ilattered himself that he
knew a good-looking girl when he saw
one; but he had established an enviable
reputation as lady's man, and to keep
II untarnished it was necessary that
there should be no girl in the neighbor-
hood who had not "gone with" him.
lie had bestowed his preference on lilly
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
short, bony young man, with small
dark eyes and n 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 craYat and his celuloid cufl-but-
tons.
There's a smashing girl down TO
Baldwin's," was Lyman's opening re-
mark. IT was term which had been
frequently employed at the shoe-store.
Stephen Pinney, his wife and the
SHRED girl" were in the silting-room.
II 1t had been Bar they would have re-
tired TO the back part Of the house, be-
cause Biar was ''steady company" and
steady company was never infrnged
upon by the family in general.
al met her and Biar Gillctt out walk
ing Jest now" Lyman pursued. "Ihey
say they're going together"
Louise looked at him. Her thin
nlaala arraAU hot aud Than ..nloplauc
Stephen Pinney and his wife and the
tbo former i0or Oddpessed !. hSr remSrk 70 I" Lv
n,an baker ,' concerning ,ed Germ m the WORKING Tiorklng out
roadmastcr, and he didn't calculate to