The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-23
A Story About Counting.

The old folks couldn't stand it
much longer. There he was night
after night in the parlor with Jennie,
and all sorts of hours would pass and
he wouldn't go. don't think they
minded that 80 much, but it used to
worry them to be woke up with q
start every now and again. You
know how it is yourself, don't you?
You remember when you courted
sweet Jessie-for the matter of that
you may remember no longer ago
than last night-the long pauscs, the
meaningful pauses, when you forgot
that the old folks were overhead and
expected you to talk a good deal to
their daughter. Twill not give you
away. You know there were no air
waves possible when you had shut off
the supply necessary. You know
that Jessie suddenly said:
ooh, Willie! What will papa and
mamma think? We must make some
noise"
She than began to play very loud
ly on the piano. Will people ever
really believe that the old folks are
deceived by sudden noises and gay,
loud laughter and q commonplace
remark in n loud tone and all the
other transparent lodges sweet
hearts use when they are counting?
Why, they have been there them
selves, and they can tell when you
steal a kiss in the middle of u sen
tence. But those interruptions are
very useful. They break up the mo-
notony of the thing and give you u
chance to begin all over again. 1
dnre say the old lady smiles as she
sits at her knitting when Jessie opens
the door and cries:
"Oh, mamma, are you there?"
eyes" mamma says and-goes on
knitting. Mamma knows that Willie
thought he heard q sound outside
and Jesse had to give an excuse for
going out to see if it was her mother.
No. No. What if Willie does
steal q kiss or two and Jessie's hair
is just trife out of curl and her
cheek is just a little redder than the
weather justifes, and there's q long,
long hair of brown on Willic's coat
collar. Only as she sits and knits
she dreams OF the time when her
Willie came and courted her, and the
happy summer nights with their
moonlight and their balmy odors,
and the stormy winter evenings, when
the fire cracked with delight and her
brown hair rested on his shoulder rs
they sat and listened in silent happi-
ness to the roaring gale and the
dashiDg ruin. So court OH, happy
youth. The years fly past quite i;ist
enough and there are sorrows and
responsibilities, breads and fears to
come; for US all.
But the old man of whom l speak
was different. He didn't care to have
it acutely brought to him that his
days for spooning We're over. He
forgot how he had donejust the same
thing himself, forgot all except that
somebody else was having the
same fun he had long ago passed
through. So he said to Jennie that
il Willie could not go at ten o'clock
there was going to lie trouble. OF
course she told the young man like
a dutiful daughter what her pa said,
but it was eleven o'clock before she
told him. There was clock in the
parlor that struck the hour in a slow
legrctful way, as if to say. II hate
to tell you, but it is ten o'clock"
One day the old man brought home
u new clock and put it carelessly on
u little bracket Just over the sofa.
That night the clock on the mantle
began its usual rceretful chime and
rang out ten O'Clock. They paid no
attention, but seemed to put their
heads closer together, when five
minutes later suddenly from that
little bracket there came "banc-
bang-bang," like II tire-bell very
much cracked, and the young man
shot out at the front door like u
rocket. The old man had given him
five minutes grace.