Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-11-01
SHE SWEETLY SMILED


roiht l1ouron was crowded as usual,
and people were streaming through
the cars in the hurried search for
vacant seats. Little Mr.. Tom n.
oddy, who was just setting out on
his two days vacation, knew there
would be this rush, and SO was
among the first to scamper off the
boat, Chamber into the nearest coach.
and preempt the best middle seat
ON the shady side of the car. Then.
alter the miserable fashion of his
KIND, he proceeded to cover the
entire seat with himself, his over
coat, his cane and his valise.
This exercise of selhshness accom-
pllshed, he drew an evening paper
from his pocket and pretended to be
absorbed in the base ball reports
AS he read, however, he could not
help being conscious of q persistent
shadow that fell upon the sheet.
Other shadows went forward and
backward like jostling silhouettes,
but this one stayed. CHANGING out
OF the corner of his right eye he saw
a small black-gloved hand resting
upon the top of the seat just where
his overcoat lay. and then, curiosity
leading him further afield, he glanced
still more, and found that the hand
belonged to one of the most charm
ing women it had ever been his I'M
deserved good fortune to see.
Her face was rather pale, almost
sallow, indeed, but lit up by O pair
of great black eyes that were as lum
nous as child's and as gentle
as doves. The nose was short,
straight, but rather too stout; the
mouth was full and red, with a pro-
voking little droop to the lower lip,
and the chin was round and slightly
double. The eyebrows were heavy
and the hair was black, with a cop
perry tint at the edges. The dress
was black, relieved by three great
damask roses at the bosom. and was
so draped as to show, with some de-
gree of accuracy, a little but we'll
rounded figure.
1t may be repeated that little Mr..
Tom N. Oddly felt that he had never
before seen so bewitching a creature,
and when seen she looked at him in
a pleading, timorous way and asked
in n low voice if "this seat was engag-
ed" he swept his things out of the
way with n single movement, and de-
clared himself delighted to be able to
say it was not. She thanked him
with little faltering smile and
sat down.
She was unprovided with current
literature, and so little Mr.. Tom N.
Oddly, as the first advance toward
his determined plan of making him
self agreeable, offered her part of
his paper. At this she stiffened some
what, then prettily declined the offer,
saying that 1t hurt her eyes to read
on the train. As she said 80 she
turned those beautiful orbs of hers
upon the young man. and Just to
show that he knew what was proper
under the circumstances, he replied
that no book or paper that had yet
been written was worth spelling those
eyes over. She threw up the lids
little more at this, then smiled again
and lifted her shoulders in something
very near a shrug.
Little Mr.. Tom n. Oddly observed
this-he was very observing young
hazarded the remark that
she was n foreigner.
NO" she replied, II was born in
California.
"Ah, indeed" said he, with fine
spirit, $50 was $50 that we are q
native son and daughter OF the Gold
en- West, and therefore related"
CHATS quite ingenious" she re-
care youa lawyer"
"No, he answered, getting rather
red in the face. "I'm connected with
Messrs. Stock, Tie & Co."
II have a-tiiend who deals there"
said she, sweetly; ARE you one of the
partners?'
"No, " he replied, feeling warm about
the ears; 81 have charge OF the sus-
pender department"
"Oh, that must be very nice," said
she; ''such apleasant, clean business,
isn't it,"
yes" he replied, but without any
very great enthusiasm, for this was
a subject on which he did not partic-
ularly care to converse. He did not
mind it when he was with the
fellows" who earned their living in
the same estate of life," but at pre-
sent, when he was deeply possessed
of the necessity of making an i'm
preston on this beautiful creature,
he felt that the topic was one that
ought to be changed as speedily as
possible. So, grasping his cane in
such way as to bring n flashing
ring within range of those lovely
ewes. he asked their owner il she was
going far.
"To Santa Rosa" she said; "and
you?'
"Oh, I'm going on back of Clover
dale for a little roughing it," he said
with delightful airiness, although he
forgot to add that the scene of the
roughing was his mothers ranch.
"Does it hurt you-to rough it?"
she asked, with such gentle interest
that he thought he had never met
with ANYTHING quite so tender and