The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1891-09-12

The courtsnlp begins and prospers
somewhat slowly, as courtships will
when carried on beneath alien eyes;
but one day he calls and asks her to
walk. Happily they are suburban and
natural. so Angelina assents; she is
lovely and light-headed, Tom gallant
and gay. He knows of path in ro-
mantle piece of woods, lovely bit of
forest with fallen trees and broken
ridges and purling, winding brook-a
little oasis of nature left in the desert of
advancing civilization for just such hap
py pairs as this. They talk of the last
dance they attended in the winter; he
tries sentiment, but she insists on re-
calling the Incidents of that evening in
very different way: sHow very pleas.
ant Dick Darcy was, and what a delight
full dancer! his step quite suits mine''-
which was not what Tom planned at
all. ':. r.. ~.s... :....-. #
How can he make a point while
hearing his rival praised? +-~
In the midst of her chatter about the
delights of the past season, she steps
on a root running zigzag across the
path, and hurts her foot. Instantly
our swain is all sympathy and pity.
Will she not show him where t was
hurt? No, of course not; she could not
do that, and, besides. how would it help
the matter? Then he signs and wishes
it was her rounded chin or pretty hands,
that he could make them well by an
old recipe his mother had when he was
little child. She, never thinking,
asks what it is, and when he says: "A
kiss" she exclaims: "Oh!' and trips on
ahead of him, blushing furiously, but
feeling pretty happy after all.
This episode was not in Toms plan,
but he thinks it a good one and be.
lieves he has scored point.
They come to fallen tree; this Tom
had remembered, and given it promi-
nent place in his proposed campaign.
| He would hold her hands and help her
over and-but the girl vaults lightly
across unassisted. and Tom says some-
thing rather bad under his breath as he
thinks that there was fine chance
lost.
They walk along in the cool green
shade until the brook is reached; then
he gallantly puts his foot into the shall
low water and tells Angelina to step
on it and so pass dry shod. But she
spies piece of rock and makes STEP
ping stone of that, declaring that she
could not think of crushing his foot be-
meath her weight. Tom looks at the
slender figure and springy step and
laughs at the idea of her hurting him,
but groans inwardly as he thinks Of
this being another planned episode
gone astray. The only results are a
wet shoe and the bottom of his new
trousers badly dabbled.
Angelina is sparkling as the sun
shine, as enticing as beauty, good
health and warm heart can make her;
but Toms courtship. does not progress.
She is a very will-o'-the-w isp along
conversational paths; as he seems near
ing the desired point, she is off and
away on some other line of thought.
| He follows and tries to take the lead,
but with the perversity of her youth
and sex, she avoids the very thing she
most would have, and will not allow
| him to say one word even verging on
| sentiment. At length Tom lapses into
monosyllabic replies, and looks as he
feels-very downcast and a little
gloomy. She watches him furtively,
and begins to take a less heartless
tone. He is quick to see the change,
so maintains his respondent manner,
letting it gradually harden into auster-
| ity. AS he becomes severe, she softens,
until, declaring she is tired out, she
throws herself on green knoll,
spreads out her pretty draperies and
prepares herself to be propitiated,
| coaxed and courted.
| Tom feels instantly that his chance
has come, and, honest gentleman that
he is, shows his joy in his face. He
throws himself down quite near to her
and falls to praising her dress, her hat,
the fit Of her gloves, the dainty chain
around her slender throat It is only
the beginning, and soon love makes
him eloquent, though his heart is beat
| ing furiously and he has forgotten
every speech which he had prepared.
No matter; her heart beats as fast as
his and every throb pleads Cor him as
he speaks at last he draws her
toward him. lifts the dropping head,
| takes one long glance into the soft
brown eyes and lets his lips touch hers
in the first kiss of love. His veins
throb, and, forgetting himself for an
instant, he holds her so close and tight
that she is frightened and begins to
cry. Then he feels as if he were a
criminal and pets and soothes her into
quiet.
They sit there long, hand in hand,
saying little, only feeling that the SUI
preme good has come to them and
that life is very beautiful
So it is that some men court and to
some women is granted the boon of an
exquisite association of blue skies,
green woods, messy knobs and running
! water with their hearts bright his
| tory. To all such the face of nature is
forever beatifed, for it is hallowed by
the sweetest recollections that belong
to the glory of youth, beauty and love.
| Some time ago the question was asked
of many writer's: ''What is the hap
piest time of womans life?" Perhaps
if they had answered truthfully they
would have said: "The days of court
ship, when I was wooed by the man I
loved the very best" For, though
dearer and deeper joys may come,
| there is nothing so beautiful. so joyous
and natural as cloves young dream"
Lee c. Hardy, in Once Wee
Two Miles q Day by Rail.
Some illustrations of modern railway
speed cited before the parliamentary
committee on the cross country railway
bill merit special attention, showing