The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-06-04

here and there; and occasionally she
would lay Toms flowers against the
dress to try the effect. When she was
for some time before she pinned the
pretty blossoms at her neck with the
great hair brooch which had been her
mothers: then she threw her shawl
over her head SO that she might not muss
the flowers, and she tripped down the
street to Sally's house.
The big kitchen at the Walters home
was clean and shiny, and the bare
floor smooth as wax: rows of chairs
were set along the sides of the room.
and the bashful. red-faccd beaux and
country bellies were sitting in an en-
barrassed silence which was broken by
an occasional giggle.
The organ was at the end of the
room and Tom Jones stood near it tun-
ing his fiddle. Everyone looked ex-
pectant and eager as the hostess bus
tied in and led Miss Smith to the organ.
Tom gravely called:
places for fust set"
And soon everybody was on the
floor, and the fiddlebow scraped away,
and the organs deep tones emphasized
the time by little crash of chords at
every second note.
"Fust lady balance to the right hand
gent'-called Tom. cheerily, and then
he leaned over and nodded toward the
posies at Miss Smiths throat: I'm glad
ye wore EN-" whispered he.
Miss Smith blushed to her eyes and
struck whole handful of false notes,
but nobody noticed it and the dancers
danced on, obedient to Toms call,
through figure after figure, ending
with Gran right an left; you done al
SO well You can do it agin, agin," and
then Tom called "!Seats-all," and there
was a stampede to the water pail and
dipper which stood on u chair in the
corner.
When supper was announced, Tom
stiffiy gave his accompanies his arm
and they followed the rest to the din.
ing-room. The chairs were all full
and was left only a wash bench, and
they were laughingly told they mus,
share that.
AS he helped Miss Smith to II,
cakes and pies and the variou.
dainties, Tom told her that he was go
ing away, and she mrrmured that The
young people would miss him sadly
Then he asked her If she would mis-.
him, and she murmured, even lawer
that she would, and then he followed
that up with another question which
he half whispered and she answered
very low-quite under her breath, bu
he understood it, for he looked yer,
proud when he led her back to thu
organ after supper.
When the party 'broke up every
body came to bid Tom good-by and h
said: Boys an girls, you'll hev to sa
good-by to Miss Smith too, fur She
goin' with me-"
Everyone was delighted and SUI
prised. of course, and wondered how /
all happened, only Mandy Null an
Mrs. Walters shook their heads an
said despairingly that it seemed to
bad for the village to lose all its musica
talent at once and six Of the girls S.
/" cretly determined On the spot to appl
for the position of organist in tho Sur
day-school.
WITCH ION hlSStO MISS smith On I'll
doorstep that night he told her that
he had known how very easy it was I
propose he would have done it twent
r years before, and she said: "Oh, Tom.
and ran in the house. When Tom cam
to pack her organ for its journey to
new country they discovered that til
tremolo-stop was broken and the key
5 would not respond to its doleful CON
mand. Tom puttered over it in vair
v until Miss Smith said: Never mine
Tom; don't care a bit if it's neve
a tixed-I only used that stop when wa
$ lonesome and sad. I'm glad it ism
'Vox' thet's broke. Somehow II seem
e kind of a good sign, as though WASH
S goin' to need the lonesome one n
more. 'Vox' is joyful-let me sho,
YOU" and the little woman pulled GU
Y the stop and sat down at the organ an
: played Old Hundred with will.
) MARIE MonE MAEsH.