The Opelousas courier., 1891-07-11
nMhz not eor asked Percy.

0lT0SeiI. e All VI Ll6 OGuCI 4CE-HS j
going"
s'Come now, say you'll go-just to
please us ~ said Ben. "We're going to
try for Miss Carlisle's basket, and the
lucky fellow has to stand treat. We
shall not know Der basket, of course.
All that is to be kept secrets but we're
going to guess. If it's like der, it will
be the prettiest n there. Under
stand2n
Mark nodded, and a sudden light came
into his eyes. To him Miss Carlisle was
almost an angel. The thought of her
awakened all the manhood in his
breast.
sssee here, boys" he said bravely,
"what's the use of my pretending to you
this way2 You know as well as I do
why / cant go. I haven't money to buy
anybody's lunch. Besides, my clothes
aren't ft."
ssPshawl Lots of the fellows will
wear just their everyday clothes, and
maybe you can earn two bits between
now and Thursday"
eff / can, I'll gor"
tsSure?"
t:Yes, sure. I've got two bits now,
but / wouldn't like to go to a place like
that with less than four bits
"Give us your hand on it."
Mark went on his way in a strange
tumult of feeling. What did it mean?
Perhaps the boys were not so bad at
heart as he had thought.
"Now tell us what you're up to,
Percy" said Ben, as soon as Mark was
out of hearing.
"What Clint said about the pumpkin
! made me think of it. You know how
| the boys bother Mark about Bettya He's
sensitive to ridicule, and if you want to
make him angry, ask him about his
TREND Betty. Now, ! mean to get Betty
to go and take a raw pumpkin for her
lunch, and we'll fix it SO Mark will bid
it off and get her tie"
"Will she do it?"
"I1l make the thing work some way.
You'll see.'
Before the boys left the bridge the de-
tails of the plot were carefully planned,
and they parted in high glee.
As the last boy vanished from sight,
there was a rustling in a thick clump of
willows that grew on the river-bank
close by the bridge, and Miss Carlisle,
with botany-case in hand and a queer
smile on her face, stepped out from their
leafy cover, and walked quickly up the
| bank.
So mysterious were the preparations
| that went on the next week that n
would almost think Christmas was Mt
hand. Each lady wanted to Guido her
| her neighbor in the tasteful arrangement
| of her lunch, and at the anne time keep
| her secret.
The boys plot throve well. Betty,
through Clinton's skilful diplomacy, was
induced to go to the festival and send a
pumpkin for her s'lunch.'
AS good luck would have it, Miss Car
Isle gave Mark an erraud to do for her
in the country, for which she paid him q
half dollar. It might have Leen pure
accident that she paid him the money in
the presence Oh Percy Drake.
Another apparent accident happened.
She made so elaborate q basket for her
lunch that she was obliged to take it to
school to work on at recess when the
pupils were out. Once, on hearing foot
steps, she slipped it quickly in her desk
without covering it.
A short time afterward, she sent Clin-
ton McKinsey to her desk to get q book.
He had the lid half raised when she
stepped forward to intercept him. II
was too latel He had seen the basket,
and noted the necktie of fringed white
silk which lay upon it.
There was no danger that Clinton
would not keep the secret. He ever
went so far in his self-conceit as to sus-
pect that she wished that he should
know which was her lunch!
The eventful evening arrived. The
church house was filed to its utmost Ca
pacity. The boy conspirators sat on a
front seat with their unsuspecting VIC
tim, Mark Grannis, in the midst. His
eyes sparkled, and his cheeks glowed
with excitement, for the four boys
seemed bent on nothing else than max
ing him have a good time.
Such unwonted comradeship was in
toxicating to him. He forgot all about
darned and threadbare best suit, espec-
tally after Miss Carlisle came in, and
smiling brightly at the group of boys,
tooka seat facing them, in the "amen
corner"
She wore a dress of dark blue, on
which a white silk tie showed very
plainly. There were white chrysanthe-
NUNS in her belt, and her hair glistened,
in the lamplight like waves of gold-at,
least, 50 Mark thought.
He wen forgot to be annoyed when
Ben Tyndal nudged him Significantly as
5etty Morley came in. Betty was v
abashed by q crowd. and elbowed her
way to the front, until she had found
q seat as near as possible to Miss Car
isle.
Betty wore a dress OF gaily Powered
red print, upon the breast of which was
pinned an enormous tie Of green cam
brio.
Miss Carlisle smiled upon her also, and
Betty grinned broadly Miss Carlisle
had paid her a call that afternoon, and
the honor of il was fresh in Betty's mind.
Soon the bidding began. Baskets,
large and small. fancy boxes and orna-
mental bags went off in rapid succession.
Az yet nothing had sold for less than
.sfour bits, or half a dollar, and several
had even brought a dollar. The ladies
were elated.