The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-08-01

utter q word.
As weeks went on he sank deeper
and more hopelessly into the morass of
his infatuation.
He set to work to learn shs sign Ian
guage. He would 40 anything to meet
her upon heY own ground.
One afternoon he started out for q
stroll. lie left the town walks and
struck for the cpeh country. He de-
cided he would skirt the institute
grounds and return by another road.
He had quite cleared the suburbs
when, not far in advance, he saw an
object which for a moment seemed To
turn him to stone in his tracks.
Upon a narrow, rude stile leading to
a field hetcnd stood a Dis
tress was in every line of her silva hs-
urc.
With q violent plunge of his heart he
saw II was Miss Wcstlander. At The
sound of his approaching steps she
quickly turned her face in his dircc-
tior, She looked as if upon the verge
OF tears.
At the same moment the secret of her
distress wa. revealed. A goat that was
pretending to cross the track near by
lifted his nostrils, scanned the new
conner resentfully and took several az.
gressive steps in his direction.
Rawlcigh had a cane and was ny no
means intirnidatcd. But a. he adj
vanced the goat lowered his horns and
prepared to charge. This he did al
once and with such directness and FSrte
that Rawleigh had no alternative but
to dodge him, aim a wild blow at him
and run.
The stile was the only refuge Az
hand He reached it with Commend
able alertness Two lower steps were
missing srd he scaled the rickety flight
at q bound.
He found himself suddenly standing
by Miss Westlander's eide on that mar
row space,
He did not speak, for of course she
Could not hear. Then both began to
laugh.
isn't it absurd" he spelled slowly
with his fingers.
She nodded gleefulls.
II have been nero more than an
hour" she answered rapidly with her
fingers, pointing TO the goat.
Cant we sit down?' he asked in
pantomime.
There was just room, by sitting close
together, for them to perch upon the
top step. They adjusted themselves
there as if to consider the situation.
Miss Wcstlander's distress had 70,
acted into the keeneSt sense of the III
diculous. Her gray eye. brimmed with
mirth.
"Ifew long must we wait here?'
pointing to their cap'or.
81 don't care with a dash of en-
ultation he could not hide, and at which
she blushed.
do you understand me readily?" was
his next question.
She balanced her little hand in the
air with L slight, expressive shrug of
the shoulder, as if to say: ''Only passa-
bly,"
Il READ you perfectly" he said, but
you do half the talking with yonr
eyes"
But why did she talk so fast? Her
fingers few through letters and signs
until he was bewildered.
"Hold on" he cried, aloud.
''Ah-we read from the lips some
timcs-you said hold on"
Yes" he spelled, clumsily, pray
do take breath"
But she would not. Letters, gest- |
ures, changes of expression. often in |
terrogative, followed in 4 whirlwind.
''Oh, the witches are in you,- he ex-
claimed. 81 can't understand n word
you say" with a tespairing sign of not
having caught her meaning.
She still went on. To counterbal-
ance his chagrin he began a running
fire of comments aloud with the intense
satisfaction of knowing she could not
hear.
You little windmill. You talk me
blind. If you belonged to me ! should
enjoy being scolded like that. because |
should simply look away-like this
and he turned an immOvable gaze up
on their friend, the goat
She vas forced to stop for want of an
audience.
Presently the owner of the goat APP
peared with a rope in his hand. That
hostile creature ran to meet him with
a bleat and allowed himself to be led
away.
There was no longer any reason why
they should not escape. Rawleigh
helped Miss Westlander down from her
perch with a regretful sigh.
He walked to the gate of the insti-
tute grounds with her. lie asked leave
to call upon her. She hesitated plead
ed hat she was busy-and did not seem
to wish it.
lie ven home dazzled and confused
beyond anything he had Y known.
From this day on mere dreaming in
Rawleigh's passion was v He left
no means untricd to be near Miss West
lander. But in m way or another he
was nearly always thw arted.
But his opportunity came at last.
One of the banker W~estlander's
daughters was to be married. II was
to be a quiet wedding to which Raw
leigh as a special friend of the groom
was invited. He was certain he should
meet the lady of his heart there.
lie sent her n bunch of roses aud
asked her to wear them. He supplied
himself with a tablet, so as to avoid
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