The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-05-05
LITTLE WASP.


XIV friendship.
@A @~ "Do / think 60
~ AxAW quctte can he true. No /;
L11E1 but Little Wasp can
But q greater fiirt never lived ~ cried
my companion. 'She talks to all the
fellows about, and l dare say half of
them think she is i'll love with them,
lust as / do" he said, dsshing the ash
from his cigar against the tiye-barred
gate over which We were both leaning.
81 don't think Little Wasp a coquette,
in the real and true sense" | observed.
"She talks to every fellow, | know, but
she behaves all the time rs if uncOn-
scious that she's doing anything out of
the way. But then American girls are
not like English girls
''There again. said Jack, facing
round and looking at me * il ! We're his
bitterest enemy instead of the most for
bearing friend in the world, and indeed
/ had proved myself this: for had | not
listened Ia his meandering talk about
Little Wasp for hours together, and
never pronounced myself bored!
1t will he Judged from this that l was
not one Of the ladys favored gentlemen;
and indeed was not. | got none of
her smiles. and a great many of those
sharp little answers which had gained
her her nickname: answers which, COM
ing through loss beautiful lips, might
have exasperatcd Il man. But her inno-
cent air and exquisite loneliness made
everything she did or said appear right
Mt the moment. 1t was afterwards, upon
reflection, and when her face was not
there 10 bcwitch one, that one called her
cruel and unfeeliDg, and all sorts Of
other names one wo,Ll have been
ashamed even to think i'll her presence.
But am depressing.
had spoken of her being American,
and Jack had turned upon me angrily
with: "There again she and her moth
er have come from no one knows where,
and are no one knows who; ami here am
I, belonging to one Of the Oldest families
Here l interrupted him. had no
particular ancestors to trace my descent
from. and 10 coat of arms to brag about
and as knew by heart all Jacks ances-
tors as far back as Adam, did not want
to hear any more of them: which Little
Wasp would have said directly was jeal-
ousy.
"All right, old fellow" said Jack. I'm
not going TO give you the tree this time,
and you come of better stock than do
or you wouldn't DE what you are"
! was considerably Modified by this
remark, and relaxing the severity Of my
contenance, ssid: "You were about 10
Observe"
YES" said Jack, II WAS about to oh
serve that am ready to die for that
girl"
I'm which respect" replied, "you
are not SO distinguished from your fell
! lows rs by your tree"
Every likely" he answered mourn
fully. But after all, the question at
issue is, which of us is she ready to die
/ for!
How / remembered that remark later
on, when knew the end of the story,
Little Wasp die / said, laughing.
"She'll live her summer-day life and
then just disappear, 10 make war and
anarchy in heaven once more, the little
witch One cannot think of Little Wasp
dying"
for" asked Jack, with some asperity.
: II wonder how many of the fellows
have asked her. L replied with great
calmness. IF you mean business, ]
must say you're taking it uncommonly
cool. Somebody will be carrying her
off, sting and all, while you are thinking
about it. There WAS Captain Fisher
round there tonight as passed the
gate"
"Look here" said Jack, "I'll go
round there tonight, and the old one IS
so anxious to marry the girl off her
hands that she won't deny me admis-
sion; and it'll be a hit OF a test when |
tell her L sail 50 soon for Melbourne.
By the way" he said, breaking off sud
denly, and looking at me with a whim-
steal puzzlement on his face, 81 hope
the old one won't want to be included in
the bargain.
"On that point can set your heart al
rest" l replied. "The old one has car.
ried off her own prize. Thomson told
me about it She's going to be married
quietly"
80 much the better" said Jack
"and if you'll excuse me, old fellow, Tn
of.