The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-03-15

time she drove after butter and eggs.
Mrs. Briscomb persuaded her to stay
| to supper, and the hired man had un-
| expectedly presented himself at the
| table.
He was very pleasant-looRing-al-
| most handsome, in spite OF his rough
boots and his ill-fitting clothing-and
| he was not half as awkward and red
headed as Hank Grimes.
He did not eat with his knife, either;
| nor scrape his chair on the floor; and
the few remarks he made were sensi-
BILE, and even grammatical.
Miss Stone almost disliked to call
| him .Eben," but Mrs. Briscomb had
f, introduced him as Eben, and she had
no choice.
1t seemed quite natural that the hired
| man should politely and respectfully
offer to drive her home. She had
| walked down, since the day was cool,
| and it was growing little dark.
1t did not seem at all unconvention-
all, either, that they should take the
longest road, in order TO see pretty
| ravine which Miss Stone had described
| to the hired man.
But when they had reached the ra-
vine they had quite forgotten it. They
were talking interestedly Oh other
| topics.
''You gre fond of farm-work and the
| countryp Miss Stone was saying.
Very" Eben rejoined with much
enthusiasm.
"You were brought up on farm?"
! she added
"Well, no; not entirely" the hired
man responded.
But you chose farm-work because
you are fond of it," said Miss Stone
warmly. ''In that respect we are ex-
actly alike; love it! suppose" she
added gently, "that you were obliged
| to choose something's"
'I-yes, support myself" Eben
responded. with his eyes on his COM
| panion's fair face.
| at is nothing to regret-indeed it is
not" Miss Stone declared comforting
| ly. 81 admire anybody who is indie
| pendent aud ambitious; they're the on
| ly people | do admire"
'Oh, that is very good in you!" the
| hired man murmured, tucking the robe
more closely about her.
And | suppose you haven't had
many advantages?" Miss Stone pur-
sued with sympathetic softness.
'Well, I've had-some schooling, :"
the hired man admitted.
'1t isn't so great a loss," said Miss
Stone earnestly. 'Many of our best
| and greatest men had very few educa-
cational opportunities. 1t sounded
somewhat trite when she had said it.;
but the hired man was looking at her
with warm gratitude. ''Nouhing is to
be regretted but Incidence and lack of
| principle"
You are very kind" Eben said in
| softened tones
The moon was just rising; the daisies
| in the fields shone white under it, and
the scent of the fresh crops filled the
| air.
Certainly the hired man was not to
be blamed for driving past Miss Stones
gate whcn they had reached it, with a
| glance at his companion which was
the perfection of respectful Difference,
nor was Miss Stone to be blamed for
| not noticing the gate.
She wondered, when she had gone
to bed that night, whether she should
not have noticed it, and whether they
past nine.
But she went to sleep quite sweetly
| and peacefully Form view of her
stauch beliefs she felt a pleasant tri-
| umph in the fact-she had found Mrs.
| BriscOmb's hired man remarkably
| agreeable and-nice. She should tell
Mrs. Briscomb about it the very next
time she saw her.
She did not see Mrs. Briscomb again
however. Eben came over with the
| butter and eggs. He brought them in
small quantities, and came often con-
sequentiy; and he came when he had
no butter or eggs to bring. And Miss
| Stone, quite necessarily, saw good
deal of him. He came with Mrs. Bris-
combs carriage sometimes, and Miss
Stone could hardly have avoided driv-
ing with him occasionally.
She thought, at the end of four weeks,
| that she must certainly 90 to see Mrs.
Briscomb and tell her how delightfully."-
her own hired man had proved her
| theories.
Eben was, to say the least, extremely
interesting. He was bright and appre-
| ciative; he was pleasantly humorous
on occasion; and he was very well in
formed on surprising variety of SUBJ
jects.
Miss Stone pictured long success
sion of studious nigh,-vioils. She
could hardly wait to tell Mrs. Bris-
comb.
1t needed only distant locomotive
to bring matters to climax. Eben's
horse saw it as he and Miss Stone
drove over the track one evening, and
reared and plunged.
Miss Stone screamed family, and
ciung to the hired mans arm, and
when they were safe on the other side,
| the hired mans arm was round her.
''Wi i'll you let me take care of you
| always, Miss Stone-Gertrude?" he
whispered in stereotyped phrase. Il
know you VIII"
Miss Stone turned a pretty, yearn-
ing, dubious face upon him.
WHAT will people say?" she muir
INJURED.
II thought you didn't care" said the
hired man, in tender reproach, loosen
ing his arm.
81 DON'T don'tr cried Miss Stone,
pulling it tightly again, You are all
| want. l don't care for anybody.
And we shall live out here on little
farm of our own?" she said presently.
"Well, perhaps-summers," said
Eben.
''What shall we do winters?" said
Miss Stone, wonderingly.
well, I've thought of going into the
| newspaper business" the hired man
rejoined lightly.
And she laughed in fond enjoyment
of the joke.
The remark occurred to her three
days later. She went into the city to
do little shopping, and to break the
news of her engagement to her guar
dian.
She told herself vehemently that she
did not dread the process in the least;
she was certain that it would not make