The Portland daily press., 1892-12-22
An INDENTURE.

Tom Barrett and I had been chums
almost as long as we had been cousins
which / must confess was nearly twenty
four years. Tom was six months younger
than l, and | ruled him with a rod of
iron. But one day-the day when |
became twenty-four years old-the
worm turned. He told me that he loved
me.
s'Of course" remarked coolly. SIN
your relation, guess. You've got to. :
And then he burst out with lot of
stuff about his not loving me as a rela-
tion, but as wife.
sTom Barrett" I said sternly, 'sdo
you think I would ever marry man
six months younger than myself? have
brought you up, and you know it. If
ever marry anybody it will be a mature,
ready made man, who will guide and
control and make me respect him!
Don't you ever say another word to me
about this as long as you live
And Iwent up stairs and cried because
my old Tom was gone.
One of my birthday presents had been
a check for twenty-five dollars with
which ''to take a little trip" my blessed
old uncle said, and decided just to run
down to Ann Arbor on that excuse and
stay as long as wanted to with my old
friend, Orpha Reynolds. might join
some classes or do some reading and be
contented there for a long time-until
Tom had forgotten. And with tele-
gram to Orpha the next afternoon was
off.
Orpha was delighted to see me.
81 am so glad you came just now chg
said as we sat together in the half dal.,
after supper. 81 shall need you to help
me manage Ed.
"Ed who?'' inquired with some sur
prise, wondering if Orpha had been
adopting an infant. My friend seemed
a trife EN- barrassed.
"Why, Ed Rice, she answered slowly.
81 guess haven't told you about him,
have I?' No, guessed she had not.
''He is young boy in the law depart
nent," she went on with conscious air,
'swho rooms next door. His eyes have
given out temporarily, so that DR.. Car
row has forbidden all college work, and
I have just been trying to amuse him
and keep him out of mischief" All this
was certainly very nice and philanthropic
and quite like Orpha, but what on earth
was she blushing about? I waited for
her next words. She spoke very fast
ard would not look at me.
'lwish you would take him off my
hands for awhile-you won't have much
else to do. l hate to be with him much
myself, he has been acting so for week
or two. I'm afraid he is beginning to
think he cares for unexpectedly, you
know. He doesn't Of course-such a
kidr' with scornful emphasis and an al
together unprecedented lapse into slang.
"How old?'' inquired concisely, with
mental visions of big headed, owl eyed
infant prodigy bearing law folio under
each arm.
sob, twenty-five, or maybe twenty
three" she returned nonchalantly. "But
that for man is mere infancy. Now
woman"-
But this valuable philosophical disqui-
sition was abruptly cut short. A SUBJ
dued stamping and shaking was heard
outside-it had been showing all day
and we sat listening until some one
banged the street door behind him and
started up stairs three steps at time,
whistling under his breath. ''That's
Ed" said Orpha and rose to light the
lamp, but she had only just scratched
the match when there was faint
knock. The sitting room door was
slowly pushed open, and a clear, boyish
voice exclaimed:
"Just lighting up? You're late, aren't
you"
sYes," said Orpha, turning up the
wick. "Just wait till we have some
light on the subject and I'll introduce
you to an old friend of mine who came
this afternoon from Grand Rapids. Miss
Barrett, Mr.. Rice" she concluded.
He bowed stiff1y and murmured the
conventional happiness; then, with a
sudden, frank impulse, walked over and
shook hands heartily, showing as he
smiled two unmistakable dimples in a
sensitive, extremely attractive face.
lie had Deen bnere an nour, JnOugn IL
did not seem half that, when Orpha sent
him home. She had to bohn out
French grammar lesson for an eight and
quarter the next morning, SO went to
bed and left her swearing at Dupy in a
pious sort of way.
Really did not mean to relieve Orpha
of her young mission, but how could
help it. Under Orpha's orders he cheer
fully pointed out to me the professional
residences, the frathouses and all the
other inevitables; conducted me over
the museum, the library, the art gallery
and the laboratories; dragged me around
the boulevard to Cascade and School
girls glen, to Lovers retreat, and final
ly even to the sable fortune teller's on
the Observatory road. In return I i'm
parted to him all my little botanical
lore and allowed him to join my daily
constitutionals, SO that every day, wet
or dry-generally wet in Ann Arbor, you
know we sailed forth together in
search of specimens" and exercise.
got acquainted with Ed very fast
II T rs 1s,,,