The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-10-01

I
and son sat in the little back room taking
"a bite" Of something before they went
to bed, the old man said to the young
one:
"Whatever you want you must go to
town and get. want you should be as
well rigged as anybody, and ixy things
become you"
dad, you are brickr cried the boy,
with the most respectful intentions,
whatever Lord Chesterfield might have
thought Of the style Of his address could
he have heard it; "and Q fellow must
talk to somebody. Do you know, like
her."
"BeulahT queried MI. spicer.
"Yes," replied Reu. "She's so pretty,
don't you think? If tried for her would
you mindH They're a little uppish,
but IL
We're as good as anybody, my son" I"
said Spicer Nancy Peeler's folks were
considerably palmer than ourn, though
she did well for herself. Go ahead, I'm
with you"
Most fellows fathers are against them
when it comes to that sort Of thing, said
/
Reu.
"well, I've only got you, my boy"
said Spicer. "All that's mine is yours,
and want you should be happy. All
that makes me sick is the idea Of being
parted from you. But il you like Beulah
and she likes you that wouldn't happen" I"
At this juncture, IL this father and son
had been Frenchmen, they would have
embraced. But they were Americans Of
the Americans, 50 old Spicer gave Reu u
thump on the back and Reu squared of
scientifically and tapped him lightly on
the chest, and both laughed little fool
ishly. And all the same the boy was the
light Of his fathers eye and knew it.
Meanwhile all this had not been said
without some little understanding be-
tween the young people. Beulah, amid
all the excitement Of preparation for her
first grown up party and the coming
home Of . blue silk dress with seven
founces and train, still thought more
of Reuben than Of anything else-what
he would say, what he would think Of
her in her new dress. Above all, whether
he would come early, before the others,
90 that they could have little talk.
She hoped he would, she thought no
would, and she was dressed very early
and on the watch for him, and il he had
come all would have been different, for
he would have told her all that was in
his heart and the answer would have
been cheering one. She was ready to
listen 10 him, and for this reason the
fact Of his nonarrival piqued her; and
when he proved to be not only not the
first guest but not the twentieth, she
was seriously offended and ready for re-
prisals. Yet it was not poor Reuben's
fault by any means. The boy had been
dressed very early, even to the flower in
his buttonhole, and had been duly ad-
mired by his father, and was about to
set forth in q gig driven by the hired
man in order that he might arrive at
his destination in his original spick and
span condition, when little Tommy
Briggs, the son Of their next neighbor,
who had been fishing in the Spicer well
with crooked pin and o spool Of bast-
ing cotton, slipped from the brink and
vanished headhrst beneath the water.
Mrs. Briggs, who witnessed the catas-
trophe from her garret window, went
into Mysteries on the spot. The old black
woman who supervised the Spicer htch-
en- fell down on her knees and began
to pray in campmeeting fashion, with
many cries and groans and shouts and
writings. Mr.. Spicer began to look for
his glasses in order to see what was the
matter, and the neighbors universally
shouted "help" and murder" In few
moments there would certainly have
been one little angel more had not
Reuben, tearing of his coat and vest
and throwing them on the grass, jumped
to the well brink, caught the chain.
gone down in the bucket and grabbed
Master Tommy by his curls, which his
mother had fortunately fostered.
To lift Master Tommy, gasping and
shriedng, within reach Of the brink,
where somebody took charge Of him,
and to scramble up himself was not a
very difficult matter. But what a plight
he was ini Wet to the waist; his patent
leather ties full Of water; his cuffs
soaked; his face dripping with perspira-
ton; the hair, to which the hairdresser
had given the most delicate touches, out
Of curl and rumpled; and to crown all,
Mrs. Briggs, who had been making over
o feather bed in the garnet and had
fallen into its depths in her excitement,
insisted on embracing his knees while
calling him the preserver Of her darling
child and praying heaven to bless him.
Gladly would he have gone without
thanks in order to avoid the large contri-
button Of fluff and chicken feathers with
which she endowed him, but nd Of the
grateful family, the neighbors who came
to talk it over and the strangers who
called to inquire what had happened,
Reuben put into the back room for re-
pairs and . serious consultation was held
with Mr. Trabb, the tailor, who was
good enough to step over.
"Well, SIR" said Mr.. Trabb. with q
diplomatic air, "them pants will come
out right. don't say all that fluff don't
complicate matters, but ! can bring 'em
round, only it will take time"
"How much, TrabbT asked Mr.. Spicer,
who was managing the affair.
"'Bout an hour" said Trabb, and car
ried of the garments.
It was two hours and a half before he
returned with them. Meanwhile 1t was
discovered that old Mrs. Betty, the
brewers stout mother, had been sitting
on the coat and vest, that the hat had
been rubbed the wrong way and that the
shoes would not dry. A toilet was
made at last, but by no means the spruce
! affair Of the early evening, and poor