Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-28

him, as we had fallen into the habit of do
ing.
Presently ring at our bell startled US
and Ned was ushered in.
He was pale aud his fair hair was tum-
bled; his blue eyes were full of pain. He
sat down quietly, so unlike his old laugh
ter loving, rackety self
"You have heard" he began, and we
waited and made no remark. 81 vowed I
would ask the first woman to marry me,"
went on Ned. "And 1 met Mrs. Crowioot
down in the meadows"
"But hasn't she husband?" interjected
Hannah.
"She Is a widow. She is 20 years older
than 1 am She accepted me. I'm en-
gagged to her. Congratulate me" and Ned
put his hat down on the table and glared
around at US all.
We didn't know what to say, but Kit
broke the silence by saying severely:
''You ought to know better"
'T wish I'd met you instead" said Ned
recklessly; and Kit stalked off in indigna-
tion. Kit was always very proper.
''Now, she is offended" said Ned. ST
didn't mean to offend any of you. You've
been awfully good to me. I've come to say
good-by to you. Will you lend me pair
of scissors?" This request was to Hannah.
''What do you want them tor?" she asked,
producing them from her work-bag.
''Only to leave you each a lock of my
hair" he said, cutting off heap of curls
from his brow and dividing them into six
little heaps. 'Im going to leave one for
the one you call Kit; if she won't have it
send it on to Primrose Meldowsweet. And
he took some narrow yellow ribbons from
his pocket and began TO tear up the shorn
curls into six little bundles. Then he placed
them in q row. "You can each take which
you like" he said. 'They are fairly divided.
Now guess I'll go. Good-by.".
"Are you leaving Oxford?" asked
$50 you've come back" he said recogniz-
ing that was present. 'pm glad to see
you again. Yes, I'm leaving Oxford to-
night"
"Are you going to America" asked
Chris.
1T depends" said Ned. "GOOd-by,
children"
And he vanished.
.'How very odd he seemed" said Bet.
'Tt was silly of Kit to be offend ed" re-
marked Hannah. "Poor fellowP'
'T'm terribly sorry for him." murmured
Chris.
Then we each took up a lock of his hair
tied with the yellow ribbon. ChEis put
hers into her purse; Hannah slipp ed hers
into her writing-case, and 1 pressed mine
between the leaves of Walt Whitman's
poems Kit came in presently, sayi ng:
81 think that young man is mad. "
But she accepted the lock of hair and
put it into her botany case among the
specimens.
We saw nothing of Ned the next day,
and we concluded he had left Oxford. We
said nothing about him; but we felt vaguely
uncomfortable concerning his movements.
The Doctor was at the cathedral with Miss
Meadowsweet, who looked charming in a
trailing pink gown with pulled sleeves.
Mis-. Hiram-Foote was also present with
the American lady who wanted soul She
looked more majestic and more like a
Roman matron than ever. Her bonnet was
more formidable and her nose more awe
inspiring
"Poor Ned!' murmured Chris, as she
looked at her.
came home by the Sunday evening ex-
press, and went to school as usual next day.
The rest of the tragedy only learned from
the other five and from the papers
On Monday morning the dead body of our
laughter loving Ned was found entangled
in the river weeds some miles up the Cher
well. 1t appears he had taken a canoe late
on Saturday night and gone off in it, and
that was the last that was ever seen of him
alive.
"Fatal Accident to an American Exten-
sioner," the papers said; and all kinds of
theories were set afoot as to how 1t bad hap
pened. We sighed, and mourned, and held
our peace, but we wondered uneasily how
much of it was accident
Poor, ight-heartedN Nedl We six mourned