Wichita eagle., 1889-07-04

"Alice! Al-icel Oh. Alice.'
Don't let Us CO." said.
And we didn't. We continued our work.
"Alce! Q, Ahcei ALICE
Wegave it up. We knew she would screech
till we came; so we went.
"Come and sit here with Us and stop prowl
ing around" said Fan.
YES don echoed the others
There was nothing else to do; so we sat
down. There was but one seat for me- 1t
was a chair on low fat sled used to push
the girls on the ice in winter. 1t was placed
with its back to the water and on the edge Of
the platform.
Notwithstanding the desire Of the party to
have US join them, no sooner were we seated
than two Of them went OF to sit elsewhere;
then, two others followed and others, till all
were gone. What struck me as very singular
was that they took their chairs with them
There was no place for me TO sit except whers
I was sitting-on the sled chair.
Ny opportunity had come. deftly led the
conversation on to that subject which most
interested me. l began by telling Alice how
when first saw her 1 had
Don't you smell smoker she interrupted.
Mo- l replied, somewhat impatiently.
L
was saying. u knew that in you had found
one whom
There is certainly burning powder near"
she interrupted again; Il smell it.
you are mistaken | could smell pow
der if any one could, for bate it. Alice"
l continued, after brief paus-I took her
hand I knew lovers always take the lady's
hand when they propose, 50 took Ahces-
may not hope that those aesthetic tastes
which we share, and which can alone form
the basis of an ideal love, may not count
upon
had been so ratified by the explosions all
day that couldn't find language to express
what wanted to say.
Alice, - | commenced again, feeling sud-
den swelling of something in my bosom, my
whole heart-my-speak 20 me, AIce-teu
me that
felt the chair rise beneath me- ! heard a
deafening sound was tilted backward. /
rose few feet in the air. Ny head described
circle and then was suddenly doused in
cold water; and Alice, who had moment
before felt the warm pressure Of my hand,
saw the soles Of my boots as / sank beneath
the wave
They say drowning people think Of all the
sins they have committed. I know not how
this is, but I do know that while under
water during that uncomfortable ducking
thought Of all the sins others had committed
Its that cursed lieutenant, that diabolical
FanI7 They had deliberately placed powder
under the sled beneath the chair to blow
me up.
The fireworks that were expected on that
memorable Fourth CT July evening did not
take place. But other fireworks that had not
been anticipated did take place. The children
were sent TO bed A physician was hastily
called TO treat Alice, whose nerves had received
a terrible shock The older people vowed that
they must know who perpetrated tho outrage.
Old Mr. Flint stormed, Mrs. Flint cried.
Tom vowed that he'd thrash the perpetrator
within an inch OF his life if he caught I n
4 more uncomfortable Fourth Of July party
was never assembled under one roof.
The next morning Fan was packed of TO
SCHOOL where they took summer boarders,
only 70 De expelled at the end Of month for
general cussedness. The lieutenant joined
his company in the western wilderness; IVES
wounded in a skirmish with the Indians and
was back in sixty days. Alice nursed him.
It's absurd 70 suppose any woman can nurse
a young man, especially one who wears but
tons and who has been shot In battle, with
out being attracted 60 him, even If he Is
feud incarnate. Alice-the gentle, meek
eyed Alice-feu in love with tie scapesraoe
who had assisted Fan to blow ne up. When
l returned from trip On which went soon
after the Fourth found letter from A.
ice, Il announced her engagement with tee
lieutenant who, poor dear fellow. she said,
has suffered so much from bis wound