The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-07-22

Mr.. Upton. get your gun! Hes under
the window! I seen him with my own
Dyes! With all his burglaring tools on
his arm!"
In an instant, as it seemed, Mr.. Tip
ton was creeping along under tho
shadow Of the white-blossomeds yrings
bushes, with his carbine on his shout
der. The moon, n pallid. gibbous line
of light, blinlked down through the
boughs of the button-ball tree. A dis
tant owl hooted from the swamps, rs
Mr.. Upton made a plunge at his prey.
''Scoundrel, I've got your he roared.
"villain, unhand me!' Numbered u
deep bass voice.
A brisk scuffae cnsucd, during which
the old carbine went off, discharging
its CONTENTS sudden glcam of flame
and smoke-into the leaves of the but
ton-ball tree. Mrs. Martin, who had
rushed into Phebc's room. flung her
arms around the girl
Don't be frightened, dear!" said she.
"Oh, I'm not frightened!'' said Phebe,
who had lighted a candle, and now
looked very Juliet-lil<e, in a long dress
ing gown, with her yellow hair flowing
luxuriantly down her back. II knew he
would come"
knew he would Gomez" repeated
Mrs Martin. ''The-burglar"'
''Oh, it isn't Il burglar" murmured
Phebe. cts Harry"
'Harry?'''
"My Harry!' said Phebc, turning n
soft pink to the very roots OF her hair
''They thought they would part us, but
they can't! lie has followed me, and
has been sercnntling me under the VIM
dow! Didn't you hear the loanjo?"
Goodness mc!'' said Mrs. Martin.
''And,'' vehemcntly added Phehe,
''I'll be truc to him. for ever and ever!
But the colloquy was presently inter
IN no hal 1,o1 ~
of some heavy body tunbling over and
over with ceasclcss persistence. Both
women fed to the door and peeped
nervously over the stair-rail, while Hes
ter, from behind the mahogany linen
press, shriel<ed: Murder! Help! Muir
dcr!'' without a second of intcrmissioT.
Here's the villain!' shouted Mr.. Tip
ton, rolling over and over like a cider
barrel
1--WE got him. roared the bass voice
of Phebe's Harry.
1.-THE underhand miscreant!' foamed
the farmer.
''Madder than 4 March harc!' uttered
Harry, at last succeeding in scrambling
to his feet. ''Loole here, old gen tleman,
what does all this mean! If you are a
burglar, say so! am not!''
Harry" chirped Fhebe, ''be merci-
full, rs you arc strong. For my sake,
harm not my unclc!'
with a pair of tongs, soon changed the
aspect of affairs. Explanations cnsued
rage changed into laughter - and
Mrs. Martin went upstairs to prepare a
quaint apartment, commonly known
as the oak room. for tho reception Of
the troubadour who had SO nearly beea
shot for a burglar.
"And, look here, young man," said
Mr.. Upton, 1.-The next time you come
prowling around a house at one H. III.
come to the front door instead of the
wing window. What the dickens! I'm
neither a jailcr nor an ogre! If my nicco
wants to marry a man and the man can
prove himself able to support wife, l
should not stand in the way!'
"Cncle,' lisped Phebe. you are
darling!'
.Give me a kiss, my GIRL said Mr..
Triton. II declare, I didn't know how
pretty you were, until now:
Mrs. Martin, always an carly riser.
came down at five o'clock in the sweet
June morning, when the blacl<bird3
were whistling and the cabbage roses
were weighed down with dew. But,
carly as she was, Mr.. Upton had come
down before her and stood on the door
step with his hands in his pockets.
well, Stella" said he, chucl<ling,
'.who would have thought of our hay
inc an adventure in the old place.?
Mrs Martin smiled.
"What are you doing?'' said Mr.. Tip
ton, turning rather abruptly around.
II am scalding meal for the young
turkeys
:Well, leave 1T off a minute, and talk.
say, Stella?''
"Yes?''
She looked at him with her large,
wine brown eyes full of serious qucs-
tioning.
s.An this sort Of thing makes one
think of ones own young days, eh?'
There was the least culver of q sad
smile around her lips.
THE days, Stella. when I used to be
fond of you. Before we quarrelcd.
Before Wilfred Martin crossed your
path!''
Still Mrs. Martin did not stir. There
was something in that rcposcful man.
ner of hers that fitted in wonderfully
to his ideas of life. He hated a furry.
Mrs. Martin never. was in n furry.
II am fond of you still, went on Mr..
Upton. This little love affair in our
midst has Weakened me up; l don't
know how, and don't care. Is it too
late, Stella, to begin life over again.
you and 1?''
She went up to him. with her slow,
graceful step, and put her hand in his
Still she did not speak. She only
look ed and smiled. But he understood
her.
.God bless you, Stella" said he.
Mrs. Cresshill, of No. East For
hirh1u s~arda1izA6