The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-01-11
= From the New York Scribner.
BEING ENGAGED.

BEING ENGAGED.
When Mehitable's mother leaned on
the chair back and looked at her daugh-
ter. after the departure of Parrot Smith.
that daughter felt that she would al
most be willing to forego the pleasure
Of hearings man ask if he might come
TO see her Sunday night, if that pleas
IRE were to result in such gaze as
this. She could not account for her suf-
lering from such guilty feeling when
she was was not guilty Of anything, I'M
| less it were of being go attractive that a
gentleman desired her society. At this
thought she biushed, and then COM
mon sense whispered to her that she
was not attractive.
It 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:
81 never, | declare never did -
Mehitabie trembled.
Gle was a-weighin' the ROSTERS" she
said, feebly.
Gle want a-weighin' no ROSTERS
when you m he was stan'in' by the
fence, without being nigh no ROSTERS, "
| was the stern reply.
Mehitable felt there was nothing for
| her to say, and so she said nothing,
| She only tried to hold herself so that
ner mother should be as little aggravat-
ed as possible.
elias that man buried his second
wife ~
''He has,"
| "Oh, gracious land -
Here Mrs. Green deliberately with
| dew her hands from the back OF the
| chair, sat dc wn in that chair,
| and then. with ostentatious care
uluess, began TO unite TIE handker-
| chief from her head and to fold it on
| her knees. When sic had this done she
| looked up at her girl and made this in
quiry:
| Nv hen d. he bury her ?''
| "About six months ago"
| Giles been moarner ever sence, |
s'pose?"
| ~ s'pose So" deiectedlv came from
| Mehitable's lips.
The poor thing was endeavoring to
brace herself IN some way. She knew
tHGl sue Ilti d fiSil W IeCeiNS WI
| Smiths addresses, ont this knowledge
was Of singulariv little avail to her.
She WIS immensely astonished and
| iGdefnably alarmed when her mother
| said. rising to her feet as she spoke:
| eve mustn't be foolin' here if We
want TO get them buunits seWed lore
| the man comes
Mehtable eagerly sat down to the
| straw work. For two hours she expect
| ed, every time her mother opened her
| lips, To- hear something more on the
| dread subject. But no, Mrs. Green was
remarkably amiable, and "the gentle
| men" were not mentioned in any way.
So the days passed, and nothing was
| SAID 1t will he guessed that Mrs. Green
| had not only Inherited the Farnsworth
| look, but the Farnsworth shrewdness
| a. well. What she said to herself WAS:
| "If @ aginst that Parrot Smith, she'll
| take up ali the more for him, so I'll
| hold NY tongue
| She W one Of those exceptional wo-
men who, having resolved TO hold her
! tongue, can 10 50.
Thus il came to be Saturday night.
| When Mehitab'e went upstairs to her
| cold and dismal room she stood with
| her snail kerosene lamp in her hand
| be orc her ioot-square looking glass.
she was medItating the act OF doing
her hair NJ III 'crimps." She had not
| hitherto had any occasion for crimps,
| hit it seemed to her now that the time
| had come for this adorDment. When
| SIC had gone TO the library that after.
| noon she had stopped into the store
ard bought pair OF crimping pins
| These instruments were shaped like
| very stout haiTpins, each furnished with
a pfr Ia NH he
| she had come into the house she had
| elt as if her mother could see these ar.
ticles, although they were wrapped III
at the bottom of her pocket, and hel
circular was over her pocket. She
| never felt exactly certain how far hel
| mothers knowledge extended.
| 1t was cold IN her chamber. The
wind made loud whistling when j
was that side of the house. At this
! moment, however, the occupant OF the
| room WAS not cold. She looked at her
| self fully, qusrtering, and tried to see
her face in profile, but with poor sue
ess. Finally, she set down the laml
| With drearv sigh.
"I'm Jest fright, that's what / be-
she said aloud.
She held The erimping pins for lon.
time in her hand. She wondered how
l
wished her mother were going to stay
over sunday somewhere, and then she
Nehitable, might experiment witt
those pins. But her mother never wen
away. She was always there, to over
see everything. Mehitable shudderec
nj the Ihought-ot-wha bat might be sale
| when ner hair was seen done up il
| those pins.
Then kind of commission of courage
came 10 her, and she did what she be
| heyed 10 be the hravest act of her life
She twisted her hair up in those instru
ments, and without waiting to conside
| What >le had done or what she shout,
10 on the morrow, she hurriedlv crep
| 70 her bed.
When she went down stairs the mex
morning, Mrs. Green did not seem t,
see that her girl fad her head boun,
up In q handkerchief which CAREFUL,
| concealed Ter brows. The excessiv,
amiabilty continued even M to til,
time when Mehltable came from he
room after their late dinner. in he
best black wooden dress, and with
wavy tiutt OF iron gray hair over he
| forehead. That Mrs. Green expert
enced a shock ST that moment canno
be doubted, but she did not make
manifest.
The two women sat III the kitchen
The elder one had book OF the Psalm
IN very large print open on her lap. Sh,
She appeared TO be reading diligently
The younger was holding Bible, but ST,
did not even make pretence Of perus
iEg II. She was thinking tina. the fir
wss ready 10 touch oil" in the sett'n
room stove. and wondering how long i
would he before the room would b,
warm II Mr.. Smith would come. And
# he came, what would he say? Sh
Lad done the barn chores full hall
hour earlier shan she had ever dom
them before. and her mother had mad
no remark.
If b. came, what would he say? Thi