Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-03-31

"No," says she.
swell, can't tell you" says he, Tbs
cause there is nothing on earth fit to
compare you with. You are you, and
thlt's ALL"
"What a lovely spcechi No wonder
l love you, says Letitia, naively; "but,
collapslng into gloom, "what's the good
of it ala Auntie will never let you
marry me-
"We could marry without her per-
mission" says he slowly.
"No, we couldn't" says Letitia, with
decision. She looks at him earnestly.
81 wouldn't marry you without her per-
mission for anything. We would have
to run away, and that would break her
heart. am all she has in the world,
and, though she scolds me good deal,
love her. l wouldn't desert her,
Jack"
''You could come back again." says
he.
"Of course, know that. But then
she would always feel disappointed in me
and hurt and No, no, shall never
do that. She trusts me So"
"Then l don't know what's going to
be the end of it" says he.
"We must only wait, ," says Letitia,
despondingly. "And now, Jack, you
had better 90. She is sure to come up
here presently, to see how the men are
getting on with that fence. You know
what an excellent woman Of business she
is. If she caught you here
"There would be wigs on the green,
says Jack, laughing. "WeIl, good by
for awhile. IsuppOse if l come back
this evening shall find you herel"
"Yes--oh, yesl Jack, do take care;
the men will see you"
"Not they" says Jack, kissing her
again. "Aud you-what are you going
to do while l am awayG'
"Think of you," with little saucy
glance at him from under her long lashes.
"By the bye, have you got match about
you"
"What on earth do you want it forG"
saws be, giving her some wax lights out
of little silver box as he speaks, 500
ing to have cigarettel"
"Nousensel l feel as if wanted to
set fire to some of those dry little
lunches of grass; fairy tufts we used to
call them long ago. They would burn
beautifully to-day, the sun Is so hot"
"well, don'tset fire to yourself, what
ever you do" says he, thOughtlessly'
Once again they kiss, and this time
really part.
Letitia stands watching him till he is
out of sight, standing on tiptoe as he
gets over the wall to blow a last kiss to
him. Then coming out Of the shelter of
her trysting- place, she walks into the
old meadow, now beaten down save
where the tall, ,,course tufts of grass are
growing. Lighting one of her matches
she kneels down and sets FIRE to the tuft
nearest her. 1t used to be an amuse-
ment of hers in her childhood, and she
is not yet so far removed from those
days as to have lost all childish fancies.
Sitting down on the side of a tiny hillock
at a distance SIZE watches the dancing
Aames-so small, so Pickering, 50 harm
less.
She leans back against the bank be-
hind her and crosses her white arms be.
hind her head. What a day it isl
most heavenly, sweet-quite g drowsy
day. Most lovely that light smoke is
climbing slowly uphill AID fading away
among the young beach trees above.
Aud the flames, like fairies dancing.
Perhaps they are fairies who dwell in
these old, dry tufts. No wonder they
are daneing-with rage, evidently. Their
stronghold are seized, destroyed by the
tyrant man! No-woman this time.
Ah, ali! In this case woman has come
to the front, at all events. She has
been reading about the emancipation OF
woman last night, and had laughed over
it. After all, she didn't want to be
emancipated; she only wanted Jack to
love her always-nothing more. Per-
haps the other queer women only meant
that, too, only they hadn't found their
ia .ks yet. Pouii How warm it is!
Gradually her head sinks lack upon
her arms, her eyelids droop over the
soft, clear eyes. How delicious it is
here How cOsyl Again the eyes open,
but very lazily this time. See how the
little insects run to aud fro over her
white frock, hither aud thither, all in
search of the great want-food. A pass
i,g thought makes her laugh iudolently.
She hopes they will not make food Of
her. Aud then the the eyelids close
resolutely; she leans back. Sleep mas
caught her.
So sound, indeed, is her slumber, that
she does not know that now the little
black Insects are rushing over her, not in
search OF food, but Of satety--saiety
from the tiny hot flames that are creep
ing every moment closer to the thin
white frock. Now they have touched her
foot, and have so far penetrated the thin
slipper as to make her unpIesantly warm,