The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1889-04-12

She brought one forward Thornton sal
down. He dropped his hat as he did so
and picked it up with red face. Then he sat
still. He would have tried to speak, but he
could not; his tongue fell thick and immov-
able
"lts showing, amt ii ?" said the school
teacher she bore the marks of diffidencc
herself in her timorous voice and look.
| Thornton nodded it was vii he could do
| He stared at her fixedly, almost vacuously.
His mind wandered back and slrove to
anchor itself on something. Once he had
spent an evening at Bissel's, on the occasion
of a party and taken her hand in one of the
games once he had overtaken her, in wagon,
on her way to school, and given her a lift.
That was al He thought it might have
been less hard for him il there had been some
thing more, but that was all his morbid self
distrustfulness had allowed him.
The ticking of the clock on corner stand
filled the silence. 1t was n round, nickle
clock, and it licked so loudly as to force it.
selfupon them.
That's my school clock" said the teacher.
81 am all ready for tomorrow. There are
my books over there with it, and the regis
ter"
The school director dropped his miserable
eyes to the faded stripe in the carpet at his
lctli Dut ne ulu DOl see IL HIS nat SHOOK WIN
the trembling of his hands
"rve ben thinking how many I'll have,
likely" the schnol teacher went on. His
misery impaired itself to her in degree of
nervousness, and she let her work drop. 81
had twenty-five this suMmer there's always
more in winter amt there p
He managed to say yes. His eyes were
wandering about the room now, his lips
parted rs If for mir. He saw new pane in
the window, clumsily pu,tied, camphor
bottle left on the mclodeon, a break in the
cane seat OF Il chair, small tub filled with
white asters still in bloom. He continued
looking at these.
They're real late, amt they ?" said the
girl. They're mine. | potted 'em myself,
and guess they'll last best part o. the
winter; I've heard they will, took care of. Do
you want one?"
She put down her work and went and
picked one. Then, with shy laugh, she took
the scissors and went back Ia them
Maybe your motherd like a few she
h'aint got 'em, has she ?" she said.
She made a bunch, and tied it with her
black thread. Thornton watched her; a
slight girl in cheap and well worn dress,
her dark hair in girlsh braid, and her eyes
mild. This she was, but who shall tell what
he saw? Ills agony rose, eliminated as she
turned to him he clutched his hat till its stiff
brim cracked. She was coming toward him
with the flowers
There, maybe she'd like a few" she re-
peated faint hearedly; but he did not hear
her. He felt his face atlame like fire, and
choking in his throat. He struggled to speak,
and did make an inarticulale sound at which
she looked at him in wander. He looked
at her pittully. and then fell s,umbliDgy on
his knees at her feet and buried his face
in her skirt, and cropping for her hands, pull
ed them down till they pressed HE throbbing
head and rested there, her happy, wondering
tears falling upon them.
"Bashful2" said Dave Kinney to Hanks,
tue storekeeper. "pd like to know what's
your idee O hashfulness. Why Jim Thornton
walked out q this store that night and up
to BiSsel's straight as string. and told that
school teacher that, OWN To circumstances
that he didn't have no control over, she
couldn't have the school this winter, ner
likely there couldn't nobody else neither, but
if it'd he any consideration to her, she could
have him; told her that right up and down,
and didn't make any bCnrs of it. If Jim
ThorntOn's bashful, wy, the Teller that aint's
what I'd like to sec"-Franh LeSlie's.