Evening journal., 1890-01-07
BEING ENGAGED.

The departure Of Parrot Smith, that daughter
felt that she would almost be willing TO forego /
the pleasure Of hearing man ask If he
might ume to see her Sunday night, if that |
pleasure were TO result in such gaze as this |
She could not account for her suffering from
such a guilty feeling when She was not guilty |
Of anything, unless it were Of being so at
tractiye that gentleman desired her society |
At this thought she bushed, and then com
mon sense whispered to her that she was not |
attractive.
1t was Of no use to try to look her mother |
in the face, and she gave up the attempt. |
After terrible silence Mrs Green cried out |
Il never declare | never didw
Mehitable trembled.
'He was a-weighini the ROSTERS, she said,
feebly.
He want a-weighin' no ROSTERS when
you m he was stan'in' by the fence, without
bein' nigh no ROSTERS, was the stern reply.
Mehitable felt that there was nothing for
her TO say, and 50 she said nothing. She only
tried TO hold herself so that her mother should
be as little aggravated as possible.
Has that man buried his second wifeln
Gle has"
"Oh, gracious landin
Here Mrs. Green deliberately withdrew
her hands from the back Of the chair, sat
down in that chair, and then, with ostenta.
tious carefulness, began to unite the hand
kerchief from her head and to fold it on her
knees. When she had done this, she looked
up at her girl and made this inquiry:
"When i he bury herln
"About six months ago.
"He's been mourner ever sence, s'posel"
II spose so,n dejectedly came from Mehit
ables lips
rrba eoo,. tbi,o, ,,,as a,,,s,a ,-c,r,r, - ,,.a,,
herself in some way She knew that she had
a right to receive Mr.. Smiths addresses, but
this knowledge was Of singularly little avail
to her.
She was immensely astonished and indefn-
ably alarmed when her mother said, rising
to her feet as she spoke:
1--WE mustn't be a foolin' here If we want
TO get them bunnits sewed fore the man
comesn
Mehitable eagerly sat down to the straw
work For two hours she expected, every
time her mother opened her lips, to hear
something more Of the dread subject. But
no, Mrs. Green was remarkably amiable, and
''the gentlemen were not mentioned in any
way.
so the days passed, and nothing was said.
| Il viii be guessed that Mrs Green had not
only inherited the Farnsworth look, but the
Farnsworth shrewdness as well What she
said to herself was; ''If / go aginst that
Parrot Smith, she'll talse up all the more for
him, 80 III hold my tongue"
She was one OF those exceptional women
who, having resolved to hold her tongue, can
do 50.
Thus 1t came to be Saturday night. When
Mehitable went upstairs to her cold and dis
NAL room, she stood with her small kerosene
lamp in her hand before her foot-square look
ing glass. She was meditating the act Of
doing her hair up in "crimps.n She had not
hitherto had any occasion for crimps, but il
seemed 70 her now that the time had come
for this adornment. When she had gone To
the library that afternoon she had stopped
into tho store and bought pair Of crimpinl
pins. These instruments were shaped like
very stout hair pins, each furnished with q
slide which confined the hair. When she had
como into the house she had felt as If hel
mother could see these articles, although they
were wrapped up at the bottom Of her pocket
and her circular was over her pocket Sh'
never felt exactly certain how far he
mothers knowledge extended.
1t was cold in her chamber. The win'
made a loud whistling when it was that sid
Of the house. At this moment, however, tn
occupant Of the room was not cold Sh
hooked at herself full front, quartering. an
: tried TO see her face in profile, with but poo
SUCCESS Finally, she set down the lamp
with dreary sigh.
"rm jest fright, that's what be,r sh
= said aloud.
I, She held the crimping pins for long tim
in her hand She wondered how they woul
/ make her look She wished her mother wer
3 going to stay over Sunday somewhere. an
then she, Mehitable, might experiment wit
> those pins But her mother never wer
. away. She was always there to oversee ever,
thing. Mehitable shuddered at the though
2 OF what might be said when her hair WI
/, seen done up in those pins.
Then a kind OF convulsion of couraf
{ came to her, and she did what she believe
to be the bravest act Of her life y
/ twisted her hair up Ia those instruments, al
9 without waiting 30 consider what she hi
d done or what she should do on the morro'
she burriedly crept TO her bed.
y When she went down stairs the ne
e morning, Mira Green did not seem to $50 tn
y her girl had her head bound up in hanake
d chief which carefully concealed her bros
ie Tho excessive amiability continued even
It TO the time when Mehitable came from b
@ room after their hate dinner, in her b
Is black wooden dress, and with wavy nuff
y iFDn gray hAlF OVER tal AoAcAooNs -
rs Mrs Green experienced a shock at that II
IS ment cannot be doubted, but she did .
ne make IT manifest
The two women sat 10 the kitchen. 7
elder one had book Of the Psalms, IN We
large print, open on her lap. She appear
to be reading diligently. The younger y
ho3ding Bible, but she did not even ma
y, the pretense OF perusing IT. She was thu
O. ing that the FIRE was ready to touch on"
the sett'n' room stove, and. wondering D
ho hong Il would be before the room would
~ warm n M Smith should come. And II
came, what would he sayi She bad d
the barn chores full half hour cartier v
she had ever done them before, and
er- mother had made no remark.
II he came, what would he sayl Tins qS
bis tion REQUIRED again and again. She CO.
ws not, by any possibility, put it from her mi
It hunned over and over IN her thoughts
It is pitiable to have 70 relate that Mel
IT. able had never had Sunday night compal
in all her life She had q hazy belief Z
this was very sad fact, and she hoped
ct it might mover be said with truth Of her ag'
hat Surely somebody had driven into the va
i've somebody said whoa very loudly and
the phatically
the 81 guess we're goini to have callers, M
able, : said Mrs. Green sweetly. You
right N light the sett'n' room stove, ~
20 to the door"
ke. While Mehitable was "lightfng the ste
am. her mother ushcred into the kitchen MIR.
ard phonso Smith Hesaid be guessed he mi
was y well take out his boss n stan 1t IN the %
AZ A. twas kinder bftini ont