Passaic City record., 1891-10-03
THE SQUIRE'S BONFIRE.
BY 8. PHILLIPS GALE.

eIralBnI up lHIO ner IOreleaQ IN cOmlcal
imitation of my yellow ones, while her
ten white little fingers clutched the
braids of soft, dark hair at the apparent
risk of the dainty couture. "Little
Musgrave has just come over on the
children's donkey, to say that the Squire
is going to have bonfire this evening
and will we be pleased to go to lt9"
s'And where will he have it pray9 In
the back yard, or in the road before the
house9 That's proper place for such
festivitiesl And what does Little Mus
grave want to go riding around on that
absurd donkey for, as if he were an in
FAINT instead of q grown-up man; he
needn't make any more of his lack Of
inches than is necessary"
My scorn was increasing with the con-
trariness of the bowl of cream in my lap,
which would not whip as it ought.
"Cross- -patch," said Lucia, smiling
amiably, II suppose he rode the donkey
because it suited him, and the bonfire is
to be at Cool Sprins; pool, and we are all
to go IN the big wagon, and if you don't
look out I'll say that you've got the
mumps and can't go!"
"You would BETTER" grimly. Then
the cream beginning to gather, I began
to soften accordingly and to take some
interest in the affair before us, for Lucia
had evidently accepted the invitation
already, Little Musgrave having ridden
out of the yard during my TRADE.
'How are we all to go i'll that one
cart2 There are six at the Barrons'; he's
coming tonight, you know, and the
Bartletts and the Captain will go,I sup
pose, won't they9"
EYES, said Lucia; then flushing q
little, 81 am going to ride with Captain
Custer; he asked me to go this evening,
you know"
My cream-whipper dropped from my
hands this time. ''Lucia Bradstreet! !!
you are going to ride down there with
that mani And what do you expect me
to do with Ned Villars?''
"Entertain him." said Lucia, calmly,
''or perhaps he'll entertain you. I've
known him to amuse young ladies on
moonlight drives"
looked at the creature in despair, so
pretty and pink and smiling away in that
aggravating manner, just as if she were
not plunging me into the midst of the
worst mess of love affairs that any one
could imagine. Here was she, Lucia,
Just home from yea- in Colorado with
Aunt Susanna, and here was this Captain
Custer, whom she had met out IN the
western wilds, already prancing around
on his red horse, before our gate, day
and night, SO to speak, and now Ned
Vilars had written up to ask if he might
stay With us while he looked up some
Blank County records, indeed !-and
Lucia had been aoout with Ned every
where all last summeri OF course we
wanted him to come; he had been like
one OF the family ever since he and Tom
graduated together from Quincy. But
county records ds!-fddlesticks And
must pacify this youth, on the very first
evening of his arrival, while Lucia
ciddily whisked along just out of his
reach, on that little black horse which
the Captain was SO carefully training for
his sister. How devoted these brothers
can be sometimesl My brothers were
devoted, of course, always, but that was
different. They were my brothers and
they were not in love with Lucia, though
she was their cousin. But now picked
up my whipper.
"Well, I suppose if it must be it
must, I groaned, shut your goings on
are more than my comprehension can
take in!''
''Yes, I'm sad case," said Lucia,
shaking her head gently, and then she
swept off to see to the flowers and ar
range the table for luncheon. Nobody
knew how many extra persons there
might be these days, and Lucia always
insisted on a pretty table. 1t was de-
ightful to have her at home again, slip
ping so easily into the accustomed ways.
The old house had seemed lonely, and
the boys and Ihad grown a little dull
without Lucia's exciting presence. There
was always subdued sense of something
about to happen when she was around,
and now it was two furious lovers who
wele stirring up the waters of our peace
full life. Lucia herself had little air of
upusual elation about her, since she had
returned and felt sure that something
put of the common was about to take
place. 1t was one of these two men,
but which one2 Was she going to take
Ned Villars, or was it the Captain2 1t
was hard telling. sided with Ned. l
had always liked him, and he seemed to
me better adapted TO making Lucia
happy than any ofthe troops of admirers
who had been futtering around that
Ioung woman for three years past. Ned
leemed to me even handsomer, too, than
the Captain with his dark eyes and fine
military air. The boys favored Captain
Custer, declaring that Lucia needed a
irmer hand than Ned's and that Custer
would know just how to manage her.
But we were not likely to have the de-
>ding to do, since Lucia had a small