The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1890-03-06


where else 10 be-
Well. what eaBt be helped, cant .
what ia the use Of tsltipsS We nigh
lust Is well u ste the best Of il aud com
night down sod take What fun there !
goioe, 30 let's walk on to Betty Plum
mer. and tell her we will accept Der ityi
ts,ion for tomorrow night. aud so rieb
10 Tor . good time With the neighborhoot
youog folks l said at hrst never soult
do il. but then did not expect 10 sta,
here forever nov begia TO think we
may Bat let's draw the line at marry
lug, We will fiirt xiih the boys and have .
good time. Twill be something 10 take
up our time. Grandpa and grandma will
like all but the flirting: the ywIll begin "a
10 have hopes OF Us and thiok We are at
last growing sensible, and We can keep
dark about our real opinions OF folks and
things. hope. though, they will not play
kissing games Just think OF having grand
pa hired man kiss YOU! OF course, he's
Invited.
Betty Plummer sas quite overcome by
the sudden cordialiiy OF Mabel Tinabsm
aud her adopted sister, Mary Peck, and
the rest OF the day was 10 quite hn,ter OF
excitement over the event
Roland Holland and his friend. Jack
Staples, had chanced upon the Plummer
farm for their haItlng place 10 this neigh.
borbood while sketcbing. When they re
turned toa late dinner the voluble, gay
hearted Betty chsttered Of her morning
callers. and with country freedom soon
had given the young men full history OF
neighbor Tinkhan's oldest son who had
years ago left the farm and go o to New
York MS a clerk. and lately became what
the country people called stock-gamb
Ter; had been rolling in money few years.
and married u city girl, later had lived in
Europe few years, and then, just as all
gamblers do suddenly he began to lose.
and all at once found himself at the bot
tom OF the heap and glad enough to send
bis two girls to his old home, which bad
never been good enough for them to visit
when they had lots of money.
She told the young men that the girls
were real nice but couldn't do thing to
.arn a dollar and seemed actually proud
of i'll
Then she talked OF her valentine pa, ty.
and the young men having identified
Mabel Tinkham and Mary Peck as the two
,tylisb young ladies Of the morning epi-
,ode, entered into Betty's plans, and soon
bad given the guick witted country girl
,ome hints about valentine tricks. Betty
vas always ready for good natured joke
lud readily agreed to their suggestions.
In response to one Of these she went
,ver to grandpa TiDkhsm's on the evening
Il the thirteenth and told the girls these
ricks. One was for the girls to take an
arly morning walk on the fourteenth
nd the first man they met would surely
,e their future husbaudl Others were to
,e tried at the house. One of these was
O 90 ont into the dark. and standing on
he doorstep unwind ball OF twine for q
ew yards and holding the end Of the
" ine in one hand, with the other throw
be ball as far out into the darkness as
ossible, then begin to wind up the end
D their hand, repeating these lines:
wind this long line so very fine,
Hoping 10 find at the other end
The love | would cali my valentine,
The man Id choose for lover and friend.
Then, unless one was predestined old
laid, at the end OF the line would stand
efore the maiden her future husband
ho would yield the line to her, clasp her
! bis arms aud take his first kiss and dis
ppear in the darkness, and when the
'tes were propitious she would meet this
cry man. perhaps be introduced to him
the most prosaic aud orthodox manner; ,
nd surely some day he would come to
lain the band OF the maiden he had kiss ,
, in the dark ,
! shall go for 9 walk before tomorrow 9
corning, Mary; will you go too? cried {
label. gleefully.
Indeed will not. You'll be sure to |
eet some body's bred man driving the 8
,ws to the spring for wster. replied Mary.
,ornfully. q
Then she continued, will control my /
0 patience TO zee my hero until evening q
shall throw the ball Of twine from our 4
4ck doorstep, and let it roll down the I
ope into the garden, asd then gently I
'sw my hero up to give him that sweet 1
.trotbal kiss. and rs it is hardly proper j
accept anything from a stranger, | will s
turn i, at once, aud Mary joined 10 the 2
neral laugh, b
Betty went home aud reported. z
Early The next morning Mabel went a
i for walk and for half a mile met no a
e, not even a hired man driving cows d
water, nor milkman going toward the b
Ilsge, b
ss she turned corner, she O
me face TO face with the dark, nous %
shed stranger she had seen q few morn il
gs ago posing so gracefully beside the "
,ne wall a. he lifted his bat aud passed al
ound the coruer. u
Mabel was not more romantic thsu the
iiusry gifl, yet btr hear, ihrobbed
IRE rapidly aud the ficb color svsyed o.
OK aud forth Ia ber sbapely cheeks, as .
g wondered n there could be anyihiog y
such happenings. aud queried mentally q q
~ aud over sssin, Who could be be,
ere from. aud With whom was he stay " y
10 that neigLborhood. and would she -
ybs sometime really meet aud speak -
ID bimg
Bot IL sss tim- 10 feiUtu ftr breakfast "