The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-04-06
HsR BAcKWOoDS BEAU.
HIS Intentions Were Excellent, blu
Language Failed Him.

Language Failed Him.
when | was a'young woman" said
the wife of well-known New York
lawyer, 81 lived in a country town in
Pennsylvania. Like that of many other
country girls, the height of my mbition
was to teach district school passed
my examination before the rural school
board, and was assigned to backwoods
district, where had to follow the time
honored custom of boarding round l
was rather Sentimental girl, think,
and, after | had been teaching a few
weeks In the district l was by no means
displeased to discover that one of the
well-to-do rustic SWANS of that neigh
borhood, a good-looking, wholesome
young fellow, was inclined to pay at
tention to me- He was looked upon by
all the red-cheeked backwoods girl as
great catch, and my natural feminine
vanity was in no manner made less by
the knowledge that all the girls were
jealous of me, although the young man
had as yet given no positive indication
of his preference for me. One evening
he called at the farm house where l
was then qua rtered, and it was not
until the family had one by one retired
leaving me alone with him in the big
fireplace-lighted sitting room, that it
broke upon me that was actually keep
ing company with beau. lean feel now
the blush that rushed to my face when
realizGaathe situation, which, must
admit, was pleasing one. But how
l,,,,. 81,
rassment was made all the more painful
when discovered that my company
was most annoyingly bashful. He sat
on one side Of the fireplace, | on the
other His eyes were fixed on the
hearthstone, and he kept them there,
while he fidgeted on his chair and
twirled his thumbs nervously. l was
naturally a self-possessed girl and a
lively talller but as l sat there opposite
that bashful youth was unable to find
a word to say, and sat as awkwardly
silent and nervous as he was himself
The old clock licked loudly, and, l
thought, impatiently, in the corner, and
its hands went around the dial for one
long hourswithout another sound break
ing the awful silence of that room. The
suspense was simply frightfui
"'Ohr 1 kept thinking to myself,
why doesn't he say something or go
homer
But still he sat there in the flicker
ing light, fidgetty and nervous, his eyes
never moving from that one spot on the
hearth. Another half hour dragged its
way around the clock Then suddenly
the bashful swain raised his eyes and
looked at me. There was an animated
but frustrated look on his face.
"'Thank heavenr l thought, He's
going to say something at last
"He looked at me moment, still
twirling his thumbs and then STAN.
mered out:
"'Miss Paley-did you-ever-see-a
owl%
This was an uneX pected and sur
prising query, and although it almost
left, it was relief. | welcomed it as
probable breaker of the ice.
$50, yes, Mr.. Crane" replied enthusi-
astically. Many and many a time
'My rustic beau grinned in a salts
fed way for Il moment and / was hope
full, but suddenly the solemn look came
back to his face, and he dropped his
eyes to the hearth again and resumed
his inspection of the fascinating spot
on the stone, twirling his thumbs and
fidgeting as before. Paralysis seized
my tongue again, too, and, as the clock
licked away minute after minute,
felt that must either soon scream or
die. Another hour passed. | was on
the point of spring ing from my chair
and rushing from the room when the
bashful swain show ed signs of another
CLEAN of intelligence. He raised his
eyes and looked at me as if he had been
seized with brilliant idea and slut
tered out:
"Say, What cussed-big-eyes they
got-hain't they?"
well, that was more than human
nature could stand. | screamed with
laughter at the ludicrous situation,
and / think cri led to think that had
been sitting all that blessed evening
with with such stupid pumpkin. Any
how, when / recovered somewhat of my
composure my beau was gone, and
went to bed and cried myself to sleep.
The youth never honored me with an
other call, but | learned soon afterward
that one of the backwoods girls was
boasting that she had cut me out, and
that in speaking of me, the rustic gal
liant had said with much emphasis:
"'Why, gosh! she don't know nawth-
in'v"-N. Y. Sun.
--s His Very Gentle Kick.