The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-10-13

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this time Lyme was not swinging in
a patch of moonlight. The young man
callow youth in store clothes. He
leaned over eagerly and seemed to beg
for something; whereupon, with a
Little cequettish laugh, utterly new in
the varied gamut of Lyne's usual
belt and gave it to him.
Josh chose to see no more. He
moved away.
A few minutes later the callow
youth having departed, Lyme stepped
quickly to the end Of the piazza and
called: ':Josh!'' There was no reply,
and she waited a little before calling
again. Assilence once more answered,
she went slowly up to her own little
attic room, where a vine nodded in at
the window, white with moonlight.
'It's queer" she said. 81 certainly
saw you standing near the end of the
piazza when was sayin' goodby to
10 Finney." She undressed with long,
! Illuminating pauses between. ~
AT breakfast next morning, when
Lyme wore a pink cotton frock and a
wide white collar turned away from
her round young throat, Josh had
already disappeared, seeming to be
very busy about the barn. At noon
Lyme herself was busy, standing amid
her shining cans in the milk pantry,
her sleeves turned up over her smooth,
white arms, when through the open
door she saw the hired man ascending
into the hall with small horsehair
trunk, the classic and battered piece
of travelling gear with which Josh
took his rare ,jaunts abroad At the
same moment Josh himself entered
the milk pantry in his Sunday clothes.
Lyme turned to him, suddenly becom-
ing very white.
"'Car'lyne, I'm going. got to go
If / can come back the day you're
married, I'll try to. But I don't
know. / didn't know anything about
this. didn't know how felt about
YOU till saw you give the flower to
that there young man and [ knew it
was him You was thinkin ola nd
and
He broke down and pulled his hat
over his eyes. Lyme had seated her.
self ON a wooden stool and was look
ing up at him with parted lips, her
breath coming in little gasps.
"Yes! yes! go 'on!" she cried, impa-
tently.
He locked art her mournfully.
~There Amt more to say, Car'lyne.
Bmt this house is yours, and every
thing in it, till you're married and
after. guess it'll be better for me
to 60 away somewheres else-and--
and-and-I want you to be happy
and-God asless yOM-and-him. -
\
He was walking to the door. But
he was arrested. A triumphant laugh
broke out behind him and two smooth.
bare arms caught him and held him.
.Josh- you goose! Oh, you blind
goose! What do care for 10 Finney
or for any one but you? I only pre-
tended last night because l wanted
you to see. And that's why talked
so about getting married the other
day. There amt nobody in the world
for me but you, aud never has been
from before the time when L went to
the academy even. And knew it was
just the same with you, Josh; girls
always know! But you're 500
stupid, you know. You'd never have
found out yourself or spoken or any
thing if / hadn't acted it all out and
put it in your head. Now, Josh, we're
engaged and you can send that trunk
up stairs again. We're engaged, and
I'll board at Mrs. Perkins till we're
married, and I can even be married
from there, and"-she stood akimbo
before him in the old way, mischief
trimming over from her gray eyes
land Manda Jane can be bridesmaid. -
But Josh, just then, could say moth
ing. He stood speech1ess; but his eyes
spoke, and Car'lyne understood their
langua~e-Car'lyne knows.