The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-15
JUSTLY PUNISHED.
DY THOMAS BURKE.

I
the children of farmers and from school
Gays up had attended the country merry
makings together. No "husking' OF
'paring bee or "mite society" was com
plete unless James and Mary were there.
James Monrosc was tail, bluc-eyed
young man of five and twenty, with light
/ hair and light mustache, which latter
I oil the girls voted, 'just too cute for
{ anything As a truthful chroniclcr, we
must add he was quite conceited and
rather inclined to firt.
Mary Murdock was brunette, a charm
ing little bIack-cycd miss who, though
generally light-hcartcd, gay and laugh-
I ing, had more than once shown that il
was hardly safe to trcspass too far upon
her good nature. Her age was twenty
One evening in July there was an ice
cream festival i'm Paync's Woods near the
village of Barncsvillc and also near the
homes Of the two bctrothcd lovers, and
OF course, they were in attendance. 1t
was II merry gathering. Besides ice
Geam, cake, candy, peanuts aud lemon.
ado were offered for sale, ,all for the bereiit
Of the church.
Tho merry making was at it's height
when a sudden hush fell on the assem-
blagc and ell eyes were rivcted on gen
tlcman and lady who were slowly making
their way toward the head dispenser of
ice cream. The gentleman was bowing
/ right and left, and smiling with great ur-
banity, thereby displaying white and
glistening set Of false teeth TO much adj
vantage. Evidently he was on the best
of terms with himself, and as natural
consequence with all the world. Why
shouldn't Josiah Hurtom, j. p, the
wcathicst man in the ncighborhood, be
on good terms with himself.
But it was the young lady who attract
cd the lions share of attention. She
was, perhaps, twenty-five years of age,
very tall, with dark blue eyes, aud hair
dcnominated auburn 10y her friends, and
red by her enemies, of which last it may
be said she had her full complement. Her
form was simply perfection. When |
add that she -"as rich in her own right,
and the prospective hcircss TO another
large fortune, have, perhaps, said
enough to convince the reader that her
lines had fallen in very pleasant places.
Her name was Imogenc Burton, and she
was on visit to her uncle, Squire iIur-
tom. She had tired of Saratoga, she
had tired of Newport, the White Noun
tains, arsi Bar lIafbor, and therefore in a
sudden freak had left the latter place for
Barnesyillc, arriving there just in time for
the lawn festival.
After gazing with some degree of iu-
terest on the, to her, unusual aud anus
ing scene, she seated herself at small
table to partakc Of the cream and cake
her uncle bad provided.
She had Just dainty raised the spoon
to her lips when II blonde young man de
posted q glass of lemonade in her hap
and fell prone upon the grass at her
side.
II was James Monroe who had been
drafted in rs waiter for short period,
ana who had unluckily stumbled over II
chair standing in the shadow Of tree.
or course Miss Burton was angry, not
that her splendid satin dress was ire
trievably ruined, but at the awkardness
of the whole aliair TO have young
man fling II glass of lemonade on her
dress and then fall at her feet us if sueing
for pardon or her hand, and that too,
before II whole grove full oT laughing
strangers was very mortifying TO the
proud and pampcrcd lmogenc.
James arose to his feet with n scarlet
face and commenced stammcring his
apologies. At first she greeted all his
explanations with y curt sit is of no
consequence, sir" and superclious
elevation of the eyebrows, when suddenly
it occurred to her that as the young man
was of fair appearance he might possibly
be the means OF relieving her of her
ennui.
In fact she resolved to commence Il
Irritation with him then and there, and
so when he had for the fifth time ex-
planned how the whole thing happened,
and bemoaned his stupidity and awk-
wGrdness, glancing the while with rue
ful eyes at her discolored dress, she held
out her white bejewcled hand with great
frankness and smiled on him most
sweetly.
James, though highly delighted, was
somewhat taken aback at this sudden
change OF frost, but as he, AZ has already
been said, was rather inclined to flirt
himself, and was fattercd at her appar-
ent interest in him, he made no audible
comments on her changed behavior.
Taking a seat at the table he entered
into an animated conversation with her,
in the course of which she artlessly gave
him TO understand that she was very sad
. and very unhappy, and that she desired,
above all things, friend who would
sooth her when sad, rejoice with her
when merry, and be true to her till
death.
Miss Burton looked tenderly at James
as she uttered the above sentiment and
softly sighed. What wonder the young
mans heart beat violently, and his brain
was in whrli Was not he hebnob-
bing, so to speak, with the beautiful and
aristocratic heiress of whom tha whole
asscmbiage stood in awe, whose praises