The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-05-02

11dGt lSo!l IOONGI on SIlIlIy at al
this wooing, ground bis teeth some
times as she rode by with The hand
some stranger on thehorse lie taught
her how to ride, but always smiled
at last in confident content, and said
to himself: She will hirt with that
city chap to the end OF the chapter,
but she will be my wife at last. "
He told her so the day of the
husking, when he was helping her
fasten the cedar festo0ns. Her face
was tenptingly near his asshe raised
it to lift to him sore more of the
greens and they were just beneath
the kissing wreath, too, but when he
would have claimed his just and law.
full dues she stopped with a pretty
protesting "Piease," and as She
turned her flushed face away he
could see the full white throat culver
little as with a sudden contraction,
and the lips trembled strangely.
They were all alone in a big fragrant
place Just for a minute, and as he
stopped suddenly and caught her
with a moose OF the green rope he
was drapjng and asked if she had
| forgotten thai she was to be bis vie
some day, and when instead OF the
usual spirited protest she only
laughed and told him softly thai
when she was quite sure she was
ready she woul give him the kiss
she owed him, he freed her and
went on with his whittling and lam
merinS.
That had been a trying day for
Jamie. She had helped her mother
with the baking and her father with
the barn decoration. She had ridden
twice into the village for some for
gotten ingred ent needed for the
mysterious processes going on III
the big sweet pantry, and worse than
all the rest, Adolphus Comstock
had proposed to har in the littlepa
lor, where she sat polishing the scar
let apples for the supper. 1t was all
so sudden, and everything was in
such a hutter that she didn't know
what she had told him, but was
dimly conscious OF turning away her
face when he would have kissed her,
and faltering out something about
giving him the kiss sometime when
sure she could be all to him that he
asked her to be.
jamie was horribly afraid atnight
as she thought it all over while she
braided her lo"g, glossy hair into a
coronet tor her graceful little head,
that she had half promised to marry
two men, and the worst cf it was
she didn't quite know which one she
did care the most for. 1t was toe
bad for Harrison to say what lie did
when she had so much to do and nc
time to think ii out at all. and after
she had one proposal.
But already the people were com
ing, and there was no time to think
then, so she flew into a dark blue
| gingham dress, with a broad collar
turned fba,5=k--~llLom her soft, wbjr
throat, and knotted Nrrr--.--1-SS-rFct ~. rib
bons, tied a red apron around he1
trim waist and tripped lightly down
the stairs and through the moonlight
to the barr, where she met her
guests with her merry, glad greeting,
and there seated herself on a big
corn shock, with her small, shapely
head outlined against the yellow
corn heap at her back, and hot
bushes sweeping over her face,
Something evide tly was the matter
with jamie, for the little brown hands
that usually were the swittest Of all
at the work trembled provokingiy as
she tore the yellow husl<s away, with
the soft eyelashes resting against her
warm, flushed checks.
Such a laugh as arose when jamie,
of all others, found tn first red ear,
but the girl herself grew strangely
pale for an instant then with a
bound she flew as a deer round and
round the room, in and out among
the workers. One by one the pur-
suers dropped out of the race, ex-
cept Harrison and Adolphus. The
people knew pretty we'll the state Of
affairs between the three, and watch
ed with brea HESS interest the result
OF the race, which seemed to them
significant and prophetic.
The girls stsps gre slower, aad
at l?ngth findiovoei rfl ia a corner
where there As 10 escape, she
caught>~e- he testoons and halt
clinbedc rev herself up to the
top of Z Aat corn heap, where
she poisS 5rnet and faced them
like a frig6TShed bird in a snare.
Adolphus wlhld have dashed up
after her, but Harrison put his big
brown hand commandingly on the
others should { and babe h,m wait
~ l, ,.ie, he said, in the old
tone, come down
lick."
= waited, but
: 20 her
anion-
Why,