Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-05-24
ave share our mutual woes
Our mutual burdens bear"

Then it suddenly dawned upon him
how easy it would be to say: MARY.
let us share our mutual woes; and he
couldn't dismiss it from his mind all
the evening. Every now and then. to his
great embarrassment, he got out OF
tune. To make matters worse, the pro-
lessor noticed it each time, and in
kindly tone offered suggestion which
increased Johns confusion. There was
no one in the class gladder than John
when $50 o'clock came and he and
Mary stepped ont into the moonlight
to go home. They picked their way
along the sidewalk slowly, cautiously
and in silence. John did not speak
for two reasons.
He was oppressed with the thought
that he had been particularly stupid
during the whole evening, and he was
repeating the sentence: MARY, let us
share our mutual woes" SO that when
they stood beneath the light in the
parlor he could put his arm around
her and say it without laundering.
Mary was silent with expectation.
How brief sentence would have
made them supremacy happy!
Johns ent-mindcdncss proved to
distract his attention from the icy
walk more than he should have al
lowed, and no less than half dozen
times Mary's feet slipped, but each
time she found herself borne up by her
sturdy lover. Each slip was accom-
panied by little shrek, and when she
was again safe her soft laugh was
music to him.
A group of boys pulling a sled
turned the corner ahead and dashed
past them. Her foot slipped, little
shrek. and she was down. But she
wasn't alone. In falling she had man.
aged to knock Johns feet from under
him and he had fallen too. Each
scrambled to rise quickly and their
heads came together with sound
bump.
John was in the throes of mortifca-
ton at his awkwardness, when Mary
said naively, as he helped her to her
feet.
1--WE seem to be sharing our mutual
woes"
He was amazed. The very sentence
he had been saving for under the gas
light! Before he could take advan-
tage of his present opportunity. how
ever. Mary seemed to realize that she
had been immodest, and she talked in
cessantly as they walked on, as if de-
termined that he should reap no adj
vantage from her remarks.
John made several efforts to recall
the opportunity, but was baffled every
time. Then he determined to wait I'M
til they stood beneath the gaslight,
but when they reached the parlor the
light seemed more brightly than ever
before. and his courage departed.
Once he made an effort but the first
word that came from his lips was
"woes." and the consciousness that
he was laundering caused him to blush
and pause before trying again. But q
sweet "What were you going to say?"
completed his embarrassment, and he
answered Nothing" and in despair
prepared to go.
A moment later, as they stood at the
parlor door exchanging the last words,
and as Johns hand was on the knob.
Mary turned her blue eyes to him and
said. with laugh:
You'll be sure to get home without
falling, for you'll have no one to drag
you down."
Johns face crimsoned. He was
about to protest that she hadn't
dragged him down, when he thought
of the lost opportunity after they had
fallen. He had n feeling that the sem
tence he had been trying to say all
evening would be singularly inoppor-
tune now, but he was determined not
to lose another chance. Despite that
feeling. and in sheer desperation, he
gasped:
MARY. let us woes our mutual
shares always"
Mary looked puzzled. For mo-
ment she didn't seem to grasp the pur-
port of the misquoted sentence. When
it dawned upon her, flood of crimson
passed over her face. her eyes fell. and
she whispered Yes"
And John. with a newly-acquired
courage, put his arn around her and
drew her to his breast Then John
was at peace, and Mary was perfectly
happy. The question had been asked
and answered, and she had fittingly
blushei. besides waving the privilege