Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-14

daining the ordinary real or assumed
| ignorance of the ingenue of her class, she
| generally exhibited to her admirers with
| perhaps the single exception of the mas
| teri a laughing consciousness of the state
| of mind into which her charms had thrown
| them. She understood their SpaSsion if
she could not accept it. This to a bash
full rustic community was helpful, but in
the main unsatisfactory; with advances
| so promptly unmaSked the most strategic
| retreat was apt to become an utter 1out q.
Leaning against the Intel of the door,
her curved hand shading the sparkling
| depths of her eyes, and the sunlight
striking down upon the pretty curves
of her languid figure, she awaited the
attack.
81 haven t seen you, Miss Greasy
! since we danced together-a month ago. -
''That was mighty rough papers, - said
| Greasy, who was purposely dialectcal to
| strangers, considering that you trapsed
up and down the lane, past the house,
twice yesterday
"'Theu you saw me?'' said the young
man, with a slightly discounted laugh.
~ did. And so did the hound and so !,
l reckon, did Joe Masters and the hired
man And when you pranced back on
the home stretch, there was the hound,
| Masters, the hired man and Nav all ON
| Your trail, and Paw bringin' up the rear
| with Il shot gun. There was about Il
| half-a-mile of you altogether. She re-
| moved her hand from her eyes to indicate
with Il lazily graceful sweep this some
what imaginative procession, and
laughed.
You are certainly well guarded, -
said Stacey, hesitatingly, ''and looking
AT you, Miss Greasy he added boldly,
- don t wonder ut it -
''Well, it is reckoned that next to
Paw : boundaries IN pretty well pro-
tected from squatters and jumpers.
Forceful and quaint as her language
was, the lazy sweetness of her intona-
/ ton, and the delicate refinement of her
face more than atoned for it. 1t was I'M
conventional and picturesque as her gest-
ures. So at least thought Mr.. Stacey,
and it emboldened him TO further gallan-
try.
''Wen, Miss Cressy, as my business
with your father to-day was to try to
effect compromise of his boundary
claims, perhaps you might accept my
services in YOUR own behalf.
(which means, - responded the young
lady pertly, 1.-the same thing to me as to
Paw. No trespassers but yourself.
Thank you, sir She twirled lightly on
her heel and dropped him that eXagger-
ated courtesy known To the school chill
dren as a ''cheese. - 1t permitted in its
progress the glimpse of pretty little
slipper which completed his subjugaton.
"Well, if it's only a fair compro-
mise, - he began laughingly.
Compromise means somebody giving
up Who is it?' she asked
The infatuated Stacey had reached the
point of thinking this repartee if possible
more killing than his own.
a" Ha, That 5 for Miss Cressy to say -
But the young lady leaning back
against the Intel with the comfortable
ease of being irresponsibly diverted,
sagely pointed out that that was the
function of the arbitrator.
"Ah well, suppose we begin by giving
up Seth Davis, Ell! You see that m
pretty well posted, Miss Greasy -
"YOu alarm me, - said Greasy sweetly.
''But l reckon he had given up
He was in the running that night at
the ball. Looked half savage while |
was dancing with you. Wanted to eat
me. -
Poor Seth. And he used to be so
particular in his food said the witty
Cressy.
Mr. Stacey was convulsed. land
there's Mr.. Dabney-Uncle Ben he
continued, "eh? Very quiet but very
sly. A dark horse, Ell? Preteuds to
take lessons for the sake of being near
some one, Ell? Would he were a boy
again because somebody else is girl?''
II should be frightened of you If you
lived here always, returned Greasy
with invincible naivete. ''but perhaps
then you wouldn t know so much. -
Stacey simply accepted this rs COM
pliment. "And there's MasterS,' he
said Insinuatiugly.
"Not Joe:'' said Cressy with low
laugh, turning her eyes to the door.
eyes, said Stacey with quick I'M
easy smile. All! | see we mustn't drop
him. Is he out there?'' he added trying
TO follow the direction of her eyes
But the young girl kept her face stu
dously averted. lis that all?'' she
asked after pause.
Well-there : that solemn school,
master, who cut me out of the waltz
with yOu-that MI. Ford -
Had he been perfectly cool and i'm
partial observer he would have seen the
Slight tremOr cross Cressy's soft eyelids
even i'll profile followed by that mOmen-
tary arrest of her whole face, mouth,
dmpleS and eyes, which had overtaken
it the night the master entered the ball
room. But he was neither, and it passed
quickly and unnOticed. Her usual 1.-THE
but languid play of expression and color
came back and she turned her head lazily
toward the speaker. ''There'S Paw
coming. | suppose you wouldn t mind
giving me a sample of your style of ar
bitrating with him, before you Try it on
me?''
"Certainly not, - said Stacey, by no
means dispeased nj the prospect of hav-
ing so pretty and intelligent witness in
the daughter, of what he believed would
form an attractive display of his diplo-
matte skill and graciousness to the father.
81 Don't 60 away. I've got nothing to
say Miss Greasy could not understand and
answer
The jingling of spurs and the shadow of
McKinstry and his shot gun falling at
this moment between the speaker and
Greasy, spared her the necessity of re-
ply McKinstry cast an uneasy glance
around the apartment, and not seeing
/ Mrs. McKinstry looked relieved, and
even the deep traces of the loss of
valuable steer that morning partly faded
from his lndan-red complexion. He
placed his shotgun carefully in the cor
ner, took his soft felt hat from his head,
folded it and put it in one of the capa-
cious pockets of his Jacket turned to his