Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-07-14

pretty eyes looked like q stewed ferre;'s
and her pretty little nose had the ap.
pearance Of an apoplectic lobster.
There's one thing morally certain.
she continued-iof all things in the
wide world there's nothing hate like
men,"
This last remark was made out loud,
and intended for the benefit Of the trees
and the wide eyed purple violets: but,
alasl it reached the ears of tall fellow,
with blond hair, who stood just on the
other side of the blossoming hedge.
He gave a slight whistle and COM
pressed his lips q little frmer as be
strobe off under the low, dropping trees,
without once looking behind.
'"Well, have done it now. I'm glad
heheard me say hated him. Nobody
cares. I'll go to the dance tonight with
Phil, and hift too"
And Jean, with her head very high in
the air, tried to persuade herself that
she really didn't care.
Hunt Ashly went on down the road
through the shaded village street and
stopped at the gate of vine wreathed
cottage. A black eyed, pleasant faced
girl was tying up some Of the vines on
trellises.
"Bess, he said, helping her twine up
a golden Tipped jasmine, twill you go to
the dance with me tonight?'
"What2 Where's Jean?
"Quarreled."
"Ahl see. I'm invited for cats paw,
eh?'
"No. Iasked you because I did not
wish to go alone"
"Well, all right, I'll go. The fact is,
I've quarreled with Phil, and-and I'd
rather go with you than not"
Jean and Bess were the two prettiest
girls in the village, and the two best
dancers besides, and that night when
Jean and Phil appeared Bess and Hunt
had just finished the first set.
Each took in the situation at glance.
Bess and Jean called each other hard
names under their breath and hated
each other in small minded, womanly
way intensely. The men stood and eyed
each other fiercely and pulled their
mustaches, and looked as if it would
give them the most exquisite pleasure
to annihilate each other.
"Phil," said Jean, "come out on the
piazza with me-"
"The piazza? Oh, certainly! But
where are they goingT
Following us, it seems"
Close as their own shadows Hunt and
Bess stuck to them, and, though there
were great many tender things uttered |
on both sides, there was certainly not |
very much scope for so called Irritation. |
"Bess," presently called Jean, "are
you going boating tomorrow"
eyes, perhaps"
"Miss Bess is going in my boat. Whose
boat do you grace, Miss Jean? (Con-
found that gibbering idiotD"
"Oh, Phil's, of course" leaning ten
derly toward him. ("I hate Bess Miller!
His boat, indeedr)
And the next morning the gayly |
painted boats rocked over the heart of |
the pulsing river as the stalwart arms |
of the oarsmen rowed against the CUR
Cling ripples; then, throwing down their |
oars, they lazily drifted back with the |
current.
But the two boats Jean and Bess were
in still shot up the stream.
"Hunt, let US go back. Well be on
the snags presentlyr
And Bess' face was ashen pale.
"Call Phil back; he must be mHdg"
And Jean, in the other boat, was say
ing:
"Phil, drive on the snags. You don't
care, and don't Hunt, knows the dan
ger. He'll stop in .silme,h
1t was dan 6erous place, where the
drlfted lo@s % from the mountain torrents torrents
lay II p-Ioedded In the mud and reared
T.aeir heads like gaunt, devoursng ALI
gators waiting for their prey.
At high water the boats would have
cleared them easily, but now they lurked
q hidden death beneath the throbbing
water.
Suddenly Hunt Ashly's boat shot
ahead, daring the warning snags.
"Madman, what do you mean3 If life
is so cheap, you're welcome to the death
you covetl Jean, come into my boat, |
command you," and Hunts voice had a
ring in it Jean had never heard before.
Command, indeedr' shouted Phil,
hoarsely. "You are pretty richly
freighted. What more would you haveP"
"Jean."
Then the two bright glancing boats
clashed, and over they turned, and with
two tremendous cries, "Hunt!" ''Philr'
down among the driftwood the two
couples went, but together-for Hunt
bad sprang to Jean and Phil to Bess-
| and both were battling for the vine
covered banks.
AS each one deposited his dripping
load safely under the low spreading
trees, an embarrassed silence fell on the
quartet.
Hunt was the first to break it.
II say, Phil, there has been a con-
founded mistake somewhere. These
girls have been playing us a nice game,
truly"
"No such thing. 1t wasn't us" ana
Bess' face rivaled the trumpet flowers
over her head.
"We'll get the boats righted now, and
settle that question later" and, with q
wicked laugh in his eyes, Phil walked
off to where his painted Bess was rol'
licking, bottom upward, among the
vines and creepers.
It did not take twenty minutes to gel
the tipsy shells afoat.
With the airs Of "conquering heroes,
the young men stood by their respective
crafts.