Wichita eagle., 1888-06-24
AN OLD TINE Girl.

fitted Fanny Howe" said Grandpa West
one rainy morning. as be stood shaking of
the drops from his great coat on OF,
kitchen stove.
Yes, replied I, as filed pan with
apples and prepared to cut them, land
more shame to him. too Brought he,
] clear to an engagement. and then left
| town with another girl, and without one
word to Fan"
''Shamei" repeated good Grandpa West,
with an indignant fash from eyes blue
and clear as at 81; Its disgrace to any
Christian church to let one of its members
| 60 on 80 Time was when be wouldn't
have gone scot free, as he has now"
But what could have been doner" in
quired.
"Done9 He'd have had the full broad.
side OF church discipline on his shoulders
fifty years ago BE ought to be dealt
with as Harmon Page was" concluded
grandpa. meditatively,
"How was that" inquired I. interested
at once
Il wonder If you've never heard that
story" said he. with a curious glance
understood better afterward See here:
1t s rainy day. and mother won't be ex-
pecting me home Hand over knife, and
I'll help you with your apples and tell
that yarn at the same time"
Well pleased with the plan, took an.
other pan. and our fingers Jew as grandpa
went on with the true aud authentic his
tory of Harmon Page
You see. be began, "all this hap
pened fifty years ago. and Amityville
wasn't then the slow going, dull little
place It Is now 1t was comparatively
new, and YVES as lively and enterprising as
the new places of the west are today
There were a good many old aristocratic
families though, and tell you they held
their heads high The very meetin house
slips mad to be gagged accordin to the
rank of the buyer and tell you old Dea-
con Avery would never have got the scowl
out of his forraId if Squire Page had hap
pened to have seat In front of his
Deacon Avery had daughter, aquiet,
gentle girl, with slight. graceful figure,
and a face-weli, you don't see such faces
now 'days-a clear. fine complexion, with
a delicate pink trembling up to her lips
when she was spoken to. Her eyes were
great impid wells. changing with every
thought. and her hair was soft chestnut
brown. waving about her face in it's own
maynard style.
''She was a lovely girl became q pro-
fessor young and YVES always to be seen
in the end Of the deacon's pew every Sun
day rain or shine She never had much
company. for there was kind of dignified
reserve about her that Kept the fellows at
distance. But when she was long bout
Is or 20 Harmon Page began to go with
her.
BE was a handsome. high spirited
chap. lively and full of talk, and as diff
ferent from Mercy Avery as two persons
well could be. But they loved each other;
there's no doubt about that Many's the
time I've seen her grand eyes sparkle and
pretty cheeks flush at Harmon's witty
speeches TIL she was really brilliant And
be. with his proud spirit, always grew
strangely gentle with Mercy
80. in spite of the rivalry that had al
ways existed between the two families, TO
one would have disturbed the two had it
not been for Virginia Wake. She was
cousin OF Col Ford's first wife, and came
there vtsitin from the south
Virginia was called handsome girl,
with her brunette face, flashing black
eyes. and heavy black curls she was never
tired of jingling around her neck She
had good deal. too. of what you call
style. and Amityville folks who didn't
know as much Of tho ways of the world
az they do now were completely fasci-
mated with her taking ways. The young
fellows in particular lowered around her
like moths around a candle
All except Harmon Page. He had en-
gagged himself to Mercy. and at first gave
the newcomer the go by. The Pages and
Fords had family feud OF good many
years standing which kept them apart
for one thing. and Virginia had plenty Of
company besides Harmon.
But suppose Harmon's indifference
piqued the girl. and she snubbed the other
boys and exerted ell her charms on Har>
mon.
She came in the fall, and along about
Christmas time the peighbors began to
notice that Virginia was mighty thick at
the Pages.
The two houses were pretty near to-
gether, and she used to run over to
BOTHER Pages on some excuse or other
twenty times day Perhaps t want
strange that Harmon began to be fattered
by 1t. He had as good turnout as any
chap IN the place. and he got in the habit
You see. positions everything In more
there handy. while Mercy lived at the top
hills. with q dreadful hard road leading
to it.
Whether she knew how much Harmon
was taking the other girl was not known:
some thought not. She didn't get out
much. except to meetin', tina. winter, and
she hsd enough Of her fathers spunk
about her not to let on that she saw Har>
mon foolin' with Virginia Wake ct tbs
uoouin's-
There was splendid sleighing that sea-
sou-the kind we don't have these days
and some of the young folks wanted to
have q general sleigh ride. twas put of
from time to time, till twas finally set for
one Thursday night
1T was the night of the regular weekly
prayer meeting. and after the time of the
ride was ali settled Harmon. who was the
only professor IN the party, tried . little
TO have it changed But Virginia Wake
declared. With Q wicked shake Of thcse
ing.ing curis. that ahe could say her
prayers Just a. well In . sleigh IS she
,ould cooped up IN that stupid barn OF s
meeting house
Everybody though. afterward she
ixed the ride for that night to show
Mercy Avery the power she had over Har-
non Page.
Well. the party started from Amity-
lille long shout FIVE clock They were
ii In q big two horse load. except Viz
-inis and Harmon
She bad arranged for them TO SO ahead
q his cutter alone. and I'll admit they
rara q snianiid looking eonnlaz-ha With