Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-04-10

airy Importance; another stitch drops in
the fated sock.
They've done it at last" says Mr..
Darling, in low. compressed voice.
Its an accomplished fact. | heard EN-
myself"
AS he makes this last extraordinary
remark he looks over his left shoulder,
as though fearful of being overheard
"Who?r WHAT" says Mona and
Dorothy, in one breath.
"Why, Jack and Violet, of course.
They have had it out. They are en-
gagged
Mop SAYS Nicholas, meaningly.-
''How very delightful"
And YOU heard them? Molly, eX-
plain yourself" says his sister, Sc
yerely.
81 am going to- says Molly, ''if you
Will Just give me time. ooh, what
day I've been having. and how dear
You know l told you l was going to the
orchard for q stroll and with a view TO
profitable meditation. Well, l went.
At the upper end of the garden there
are. YOU know. some Portugal laurelS,
from which one can get splendid sur
Yey of the country, and In an evil mo-
ment it occurred to me that | should
like to climb one OF them and look at
the Chetwoode Hills. | had never got
higher than a horses back since my
boyhood and visions of my earlier days,
when l was young and innocent, over
came me at that"
'.Oh. never mind your young and in
nocent days; we never heard of them"
says Dorothy, little impatiently. DO
get on to it"
81 did get on to it, if you mean the
laurel" says Molly, with calm dignity.
Il climbed most manfully. and. beyond
slipping all down the trunk Of the tree
twice and severely barking my shins, /
sustained no actual injury"
''What on earth is a shin?" puts in
Godfrey, soto rOce.
part of your leg, just below your
knee" returns Mr.. Darling, undaunted.
swell, when | got up at last, found
capital place to sit in, with a good
branch to my back, and | was SO pleased
with my self and my exploit that | real
" think-the day is warm, you know
! fell asleep. At least | can remember
nothing until voices broke upon my ear
right below me-"
Here Mona and Dorothy grow sud
denly deeply interested, and lean for
ward.
II parted the leaves of the laurel with
cautious hand and looked down. At my
very feet were Jack and Violet, and, -
mysteriously-''she was pinning flow
er into his Coat!n
rs that all?' says Mona, with quick
contempt, seeing him pause. "Why,
there is nothing in that | pinned a
flower into y0ur coat only yesterday"
The pojrette Of this speech is not TO be
surpassed.
Molly regards her mournfully.
Il think you needn't be unkinder to
me than You can help!' he says, re-
proachfully. However to continue
There's way of doing things, you
know, and the time Violet took to ar
range that flower is worthy Of mention;
and when at last it was settled to her
satisfaction, Jack suddenly took her
hands in his, just like this, Mrs. Geof-
frey" going on his knees before Mona,
and possessing himself of both her
heart, like this, and said he"
Molly pauses.
cob N0llv WhatP" saws Mona: ''dO
tel us" one uXeS her eyes Un nIo.
"What darling little hands you havew
begins Molly, quite innOcently.
swell, reallyi" says Mona, MISLEADING
him. She moves back with a heighten-
ed color, discngages her hands from his,
and froWns slightly.
VI wasn't abiding to your hands;
though | might says Molly, patheti-
cally. Il WAS only going to tell you
what Jack said to Violet. what dar-
pered, with the very sillieSt expression
on his face | ever saw in my life: the
prettiest hands in the world. | wish
they were mine Gracious poWersn
sad to myself, I'm in for it, and |
was as near falling off the branch of the
tree right into their arms as | could be.
The shock was too great. | suppressed
Il grOan with manful determination to
suffer and he strong and"
"Never mind all that" says Doatie;
"What did she say"
by this time both Nicholas and Geof-
frey are cOnvulsed with delight.
Yes, go on, Noll; what did she say"
repeats Godfrey, the most generous en-
c0uragemept in his tone. They have
all, with a determination worthy of a
better cause, made up their minds to
forget that they are listening to what
was certainly never meant for them to
hear. Or perhaps consideration for
Molly cOmpels them to keen their ears
open, as that young man is so overcome
by the thought of what he has mWill-
ingiy gone through, and the weight of
the secret that is so disagreeably his,
that it has become necessity with him
to speak or die: but | believe myself it
is more curiosity than pity that
prompts their desire for information on
the subject in hand.
II didn't listen" says Molly. indig-
nantly. "What do YOU take me for? I
Crammed my fingers into my ears, and
shut my eyes tight, and wished with all
my heart | had never been born. If
you wish very hard for anything, they
say you will get it. So | thought if [
threw my whole soul into that wish
just then might get it, and find pres
emily never hal been born. So | threw
in my whole soul; but it didn't come off.
| was as livelya as possible after ten min
uteS' hard wishing. Then | opened my
eyes again and looked simply to see if
| 0ughtn't to look-anl there they
We're still; and he had his arm round
her, and her head was on his shoulder,
and"
ooh. Nolly!n says Dorothy, hastily.
"NCl, it wasn't my fault. was it? !
had nothing to do with it. She hadn't
her head on my shoulder, had she? and
ii wasn't my arm that was round her"
says Mr.. Darling, losing patience 3
little
Il don't mean that; but how could
you l9ok?n
Nv ell, l like that!' says her brother
"And nrav what was IN hannnn If
Olun II 1 gave EN- ten minutes; quite
sufficient in law. think. If they could
not get it over in that time, they must
have forgotten their native tongue. Be
sides, l wanted to get down; the forked
seat in the laurel was not all my fancy
painted it in the beginning, and how
was l to know when they were gone
unless | looked? Why, otherwise |
might be there now. l might be there
until next week, winds up Mr. Darling,
with increasing wrath.
1T is true, puts in Mona. How
could he tell when the coast was clear
for his escape unless he took a little
peep"
Go on. Molly" says Nicholas.
"N ell, Violet was crying mot loudly,
you know, but quite cOmfortablyE SO
then | thought | had been mistaken,
and that probably she had a toothache
or headache. or something, and that
the foregoing speech was mere spoon
ing; and | rather lost faith in the situa-
ton. when suddenly he said. Why do
You cryy And what do you think was
her answer? Because | am so happy
Now. fancy any one crying because she
was happyl'' says Mr.. Darling. with fine
disgust. Il always laugh when I'm
happy. And | think it rather a poor
thing to dissolve into tears because q
man asks YOU to marry him; don't you,
Mrs. GeoffreyYH