Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01
laughed and said, s'That's all right, JAMIE
for now, but you'll change your mind some
THE CITY LOVER.

day."
THE CITY LOVER.
Every one in Wilton thought jamie anG
Harrison were to be married-that is ever
one but Janie-when there came upon thu
scene Adolphus Comstock from a distant
| city, who was the son other fathers oldes
friend. He came for the fishing and the
sketching. but he stayed for something
| else.
He knew women only through the con.
ventional formal medium of society, and
was such an exasperatingly and Indifferent
cynical creature that he piqued most women
into Displaying their frivolous and leasl
attractive characteristics to him. He cared
more for his pointers than for his sisters
chattering friends; for trout brook, his
rod and flies. than any moonlight excursion
or picnic, with galaxy of pretty girls who
must be waltzed with and talked with. But
jamie knew the favorite haunts Of the
| speckled beauties herself and could give
him points on the fishing question beside.
Harrison had taught her,, She could
| pull her, skif steadily and still
| to where schools of bass hid in
the cool waters of the lake, and land
the gamiest of them without q scream.
and when she cleared q fve-rail fence on
the wicked little pony which he had seen
| her saddle and mount, his respect grew into
wondering, piquant interest. he liked the
| proud reserve with which this little rural
beauty met his advances, the pretty scornful
curl Of the red lips at his finest compliments,
and the naughty poise OF the small head as
| her eyes flashed charming negatives TO LIS
proposals. He fancied what a wonder she
would be once she learned her power; what
aqueenly beauty in the apparel which his
wealth could give her; what strong tender
woman, once her spirit were broken, and her
heart melted.
Harrison looked on grimly at all this
wooing, ground his teeth sometimes as she
rode by with the handsome stranger on the
horse he taught her how to ride, but al
WAYS smiled at last in confident content,
and said to himself: "She will hirt with
that city chap to the end of the chapter, but
| she will be my wife at last" He told her so
the day of the husking, when he was help
ing her fasten the cedar festoons. Her face
was temptingly near his as she raised it to
| lift to him some more Of the greens, and they
| were just beneath the kissing wreath, too,
but when he would have claimed his just
and lawful dues she stopped him with a
pretty protesting "please," and as she turn
ed her flushed face away he could see the
full white throat 1uiYer little as with
sudden contraction, and the lips trembled
strangely. They were all alone in the big,
fragrant place just for minute, and he
stopped suddenly and caught her with a
moose of the green rope he was draping, and
| asked if she had forgotten that she was to
be his wife some day, and when, instead Of
the usual protest, she only laughed and told
ooff II, hat NH cho q q
was ready she would give him the kiss she
owed him, he freed her and went on with
his hammering and whiting.
AT THE HUsKING BEE.
That had been trying day for jamie.
She had helped her mother with the baking
and her father with the barn decoration.
She had ridden twice into the village for
some forgotten ingredient needed for the
mysterious processes going on in the big,
sweet pantry, and, worse than all the rest.
Adolphus Comstock had proposed to her in
the little parlor. where she sat polishing the
scarlet apples for the supper. It was all so
sudden, and everything was in such hutter
that she didn't know what she had told him.
but was dimly conscious Of turning away
her face when he would have kissed her, and
faltering out something about her giving
him the kiss some time when she was sure
she abnld be all to him that he asked her to
be.
jamie was horribly afraid that night as
she thought it all over, while she braided
her long, glossy hair into coronet for her
graceful little head, that she had half
promised to marry two men. and the worst
Of it was she didn't quite know which one
Il e., I k0o ho1 1f
Harrison to say what he did when she had
so much to do and no time to think it out at
all, and after she had had one proposal.
But already the people were coming, and
there was no time to think then, so she flew
into a dark blue gingham dress, with q
broad collar turned back from her soft.
white throat, and knotted with scarlet rib
bons, tied a red apron around her trim
waist, and tripped lightly down the stairs
and through the moonlight to the barn,
where she met her guests with her merry,
glad greeting, and there seated herself on
big corn shock, with her small shapely
head outlined against the yellow corn heap
at her back, and hot blushes sweeping over
her face. Something evidently was the
matter with jamie, for the 1.-THE, brown hands
that usually were swiftest of all at the work
trembled provokingly as she tore the yellow
husks away, with the soft eyelashes resting
against her warm, flushed cheeks.
Such laugh as arose when jamie Of all
others found the first red ear, but the girl
herself grew strangely pale for an instant;
then with bound she flew as feetly as a
deer round and round the room, In and out
among the workers. One by one the pur-
suers all dropped out OF the race, except
Harrison and Adolphus.. The people knew
pretty we'll the state of affairs between the
three, and watched with breathless interest
the result of the race, which seemed to them
significant and prophetic.
KISS AND A BRIDE.
The girls steps grew slower, and at length,
finding herself in corner, she caught at
one of the festoons and half climbed, half
drew herself up to the top of the great corn
heap, where she poised, turned, and faced
them like a frightened bird in a snare.
Adolphus would have dashed up after her,
but Harrison put his big brown hand COM
mandingly on the others shoulder and bade
him wait Nov, jamie, ''he said, in the old
confident, sweet tone, "come down and take
your pick"
Just for second she waited, but in that
fatal second came back to her all the years
of sweet companionship, of helpfulness and
trust. Why, of course she couldn't live
without him; of course she was to be his
wife some day, of course she belonged to
him-hadn't he always said so, even by the
kittens grave, and just then the corn shock
she stood on gave great slide, and, with
out any effort of her own, she was in his
arms, and everybody was cheering and
shouting in the place. And right in the
midst of it all didn't Harrison say with
triumphant CLEAN in his flashing eyes, II
told you so, jamie; and now for the kiss.
She lifted the shadowy lashes just for q
second, with look in her eyes that made
the big, strong fellow feel as weak as
woman. and kissed him softly once, twice,