Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-12-09

lie boundsd down the stairs. sprang
INTO the sleigh. scixcd the rims. and. ~
he men jump.i from the horses heads.
vts on with furry of snow and .
hurrAh from the crowd.
am not dab at tho classics. 20 ! viii
not say how. having plunged like Cur.
thus into this gaping sleigh ride. now
at like Marius. amid tho ruins u my
wardrobe. but did tumble all its con.
tents into the middle % tho floor and
then eat among them. hopeless u cram
ming into my small valiss half enough
Tor this all important Xmas visitl hut
.he wanted 30 90, was % risk my
neck for her sake--by her side. Delicious
thought 80 Just as the bells again
jingled a, the door jumped upon my
distsndci rortmantiau. sprung the lock.
and answered Tom with yell ~ Wild
AZ his own.
Now. perhaps ! should explain that
Tom Jones and had always bsen ohumA
Residents of the same village and chill.
drrn IL intimate friends. We bad thumbed
the same algebra. robbed the same or
,haris and bccn foggcd by the same
I.,lagogue. In fact. We had never bccn
Two weeks apart until bis appointment
To West Point. i've years before. had
SEPARATED uS Toms p-neycring industry
In running bound. o. "Coxzens." and his
assiduous cOurs. ~ "D-nny lIsycns. hai
scarcely bcen thoroughly rewarded. foe
his gradua,ion-,hiri In his cla~s count
ing frum the botioin-made him breyct
.scoad lieutenant In the United States
DoOmcrangN II had found me dignificd
but patient lawyer In the incipicnt me
trvpolis u PiketOu. Happy chancs had
thrown Tom AZ the Ar-,nal hear by, and
hal introduced his chosen friend 10 the
family circle ~ his Uncle Blythe.
There I soon b.csine ami dc maison.
Mayor Blythe-he was the rrversl chief
magistrate ~ riketon-was q brother
lawyer. aud a man ~ high social and
literary rcnown. lie hal capitally
chos~n library. warm heart. ccle-
bratssl cook ani . rarc assorimeni %
such wins. And then-heml-like Jeph.
ihAh u oil. be- hal zone fair daughter
and no more"
hut such dsngh,er'
Bette blythe was jus, turned of 10.
anil the most pcrfcc; mold % female form
divine. Of medium height. Just plump
enough Coz perfection Of rounded outline.
an.l with the ,iniest models % fect aud
hands that ever fell to the lot - wVman.
hsr iacr was stll her chiofest charm.
~, regularly beautiful. with scarce .
feature I'm u that would have been pro
nounced iine under critical analysis. there
wa. VT an indescribablc witchery Ia
that face. orin the character reflected by
IL. that bound me hand AMI FOO, from the
lrs, week know her. Tho-e rich. dark
oval lincs. with heavy LANDS % glO~y
hair. seemed % command. rather than
AK. a second look And who could look
twice and forgcp
u,sr~ uss m-rry d~.n IN ~ sye-
large. hnguid and black a. sloe-,hat
drew tinid mans heart right MP into
his throat and kept u kicking there with
forty -hor-s power. And then the face
va. bat an index % tbe spnghtly but
sound and well s,orcl minl her father
hal scduously cultivated during a long
widowerhooi. And the steady. tender
gleam that sometimes replaced the mis-
chiryous twinkle In tho~c eyes could only
have t-en drawn from tho well spring q
pure heart
With the arst month % our Acquain.
ancc b.san 90 believe ! carcl fOr Bct.
a. blythe: with tho seconi believed
lowell her. anl with the third knew
IL for a ccriainty. Gu the fourth month
hail told her ! A,lOrc,l bcr wildly; and
Cor three subsequent one- had come,
again anil again. o. the very threshold
~ REPETITION. Gentle and womanly,
,he hal gt lr.t told me gravely-the rcst
~ the face lemurr. whilc the eyes danced
n very witches' dance to the tune ~ sup
ErrsssSl nerriment-that, though We
were very excellent friends, we were still
almos, Strangers coull only acknowl
.l.e the truth - what shc said. ~ ]
prayed Tor forgiveness and for l0pe. She
gave the pardon, thr lardOn gave the
hop. AMI wanicr,G "a la a foorspara-
die. but thorgh We Lccame better and
better friends. though .hs Jet me mean
der unchecked through the most o1tcn.
rye feds u rhapsody anil lay the iallest
flower. n scuiimcni at her feet. yet the
hrst outright wOri spoke carried up tho
tatsrforvfngrr In arch warning. and the
ripe liI- formed the one word. "Remern
bcr''
could not believe Bcttie Blythe was
flirting with me. There was something
too genuine. too womanly. about her
whole being for that
She could never sioop. aid 20 myself
Cor comfort. 90 n little triumph In the
misery oi the hear she knew 30 be- hers
In all honesty and arlor. No, Either
she was trying io make a real friend
of me. or-delicious idea,-she was BE-
ginning TO love mc without admitting 10
20 herself. I was willing 10 take the
chances % the Grst - long as ] saw q
possibility of the second. And besides.
either gave me ~ much of her delightful
society.
Though no spoken word ever passed b.
tween us on the subject there was YET
that ..muts conyerse % kindred souls.
AMI Tom Jones apparently sympa,hired
with me most completely. Bette and hs
were fast friends. and Mayor Blythe per-
mitted her 10 90 anywhere under protec-
ton Of Cousin Tom. In whom be placed
unbounde,l confidence. During the burn
ing days of that August many charm
ing picnic had we In the grand old woods
about Pikston. In the mellow evenings Of
autumn many never 10 be forgotten
sail ON the little mirror Of lake. And
what teas were those on the old 'erAn-
da, with the soft brccrs signing through
the vines In sympathy with tho beatings
OF my heart. and the light Just undecided
enough for me to imagine any crprs-
sion In her face that best suited my ar
dent longings. Later. when the early
SHOWS began TO fall. how merry were
thoss sleigh rides In the mayors sober
family sleigh, drawn by the sober family
horse. Tom always acting Jehu' And
when the icier breath % winter blew
over the little lake. shectiny u with q