The National tribune., 1893-01-12
TWICE WON
The Mans Constancy to the Boy S
Love.
IS, THOMAS ROBINSON. NJ. D.

p :::f;; GA. &: ! 8: e. i; i:
. ESssSsGssss,asSss3 40 havIor. But one higher
honor could be attained
TO even by utmost effort and good luck, in the
old DANES school. aud that peculiar distinction
was the being assigned to sit during the rest o,
tie tav with the girl who had become ehtitiea
To eoual distinction. on a skyline WOODEN SET
tee kitty cornercd in foil view Oh III 'he eA
yious or admiring ones in school.
When / saw this delightfully."- pretty glri
gazing at me as / fed the cat, and canght ner
look of polite disgust, i said TO myself: fou
and / will sit together on tie settee one Oh
these days"
Ruth hsd come to school at this time instead
of week before as the rest of us had zone,
hecanse She had been sick after the Christmas
HOLIDAYS. "Too much cake and pie, the
erboolina'm said, and this explained why sne
was so pale / thought; and when her mother,
who brought her TO school, remarked that
Ruth hasn't as much appetite as that cat !
believed her and began planning how conid
give the sweet girl some of my leftover canuy.
But unfortunately. the sweet girl seemeh
"soured on me. thought if she only knew
what good boy l was. and that the feeding OF
Bob was proof Of il, she might think better oil
me. But | soon discovered that she was mex
pressibly dsgusted with the whole proceeding
and ] heard her say to one of the other girls
that she did not like cats. took comfort IN the
thought that may be it was the cat and not me
che was routing at and became more than ever
determined that she and should grace the
little sky blue.
We did not get on very well during the first
few DAYS and was becoming discouraged. She
could not be brought to like the idea OF our
feeding Bob so. But one day, when that aztec
tionate old feline was about to jump on TO her
To- ,,I I harf from ha
ton, she thanked me so nicely for it that took
hope again. / noticed with some satisfaction
that Bob had become very lion in her path.
and when heroically told her that l would see
to it hereafter that he did not disturb her, and
saw that had by this become hero In her
blue eyes. was ecstatically elated.
Matters stood thus till about the end OF the
month About this time i felt swelling up
from nv inner consciousness great scheme. L
was lust learning TO write. and could now
make fair show at some of the capitals, aud
had even taken a shy at one or two OF the
small letters. After i had formulated my
bright idea worked diligently at my penman-
ship--so constantly, indeed, that L wore tire
skin of the end of my tongue as Iunconsciously
moved it in consonance with my nervous. hesi-
tating fingers. But was succeeding, aud IN
few days / would be able to write a-valen-
tine!
Oh, how / longed for some secret place
where. with pen and ink galore. could spread
myself! The chance of my lifetime came on
the next Saturday. A happy conjunction of
circumstances called my father away to see
patient, and in his absence my mother was
sent for TO get bone out of neighbors
throat TIE good man had been eating soup
without chewing it, and had partially swal-
lowed a spieula of bone and while they were
both gone j had my innings" When my
parents returned, and mother had finished
Dragging about that three-cornered bone she
had extracted and now so proudly exhibited,
had placed within the cover of my second
reader the result of my agonizing. This was.
as remember it--and do not think l could
ever forget it-about as follows:
1.-THE Rose Is Red The Vilets Blew
An Ruth Shes Sweater An the Hony Do
You neadent Fear The Cat For Love You"
utterly failed in my Sunday -school lesson
next day. and could not have told whether
Cain slew Esau or Goliah swallowed Gath, for
Ruth was there, aud was thinking Of TO- NOR
row.
Next dag was ST. Valentines, and as shortly
after school as ] could get away ] slid out to
play, and had my valentine in my pocket As
soon as got out of sight of the house / made
for Ruth's home ] went round TO the side
door, and for fear they would hear me, did not
dare ring the bell but gave a nervously gentle
rap. How il was / don't know, but Ruth came
to the door, and after making many mysterious
signs lremblingly told her bad something
for her. and showed her corner of the en-
velope hidden away in the depths of my jacket
pocket. Her mother almost scared me to death
By coming to the door, but she instantly made
me happy by saying: Ruth, you'd better
take your company through 70 the back
piazza" Company, mind you 1t was not
very warm there, but we did not mind that.
We sat in swinging hammock, and thought
it much nicer than the SKI -blue settee. Then,
as she could not read my writing, ], with a
hestating flourish, read it TO her. She was
delighted; and j boldly told her that the
proper thing to do was to give me kiss. And
for minute or so we were like two robins
As we heard her mother coming Ruth
Jumped up and went off to her. They held a
whispering consultation, she pleading, and her
mother lovingly laughing at her. But her
mother finally consented, and Ruth, turning to
me, said she would be back in minute. And
wasn't happy! Icould have whipped legion
of cats Soon she came back with her mother,
and they brought little table aud two chairs,
and several pretty little dishes, and we had
lot OF good things TO eat and among the rest,
what Ruth had been pleading for. some lightly
scorched oatmeal with sugar in it. And didn't
every thing taste good
j told Ruth's mother what nice mother she
was and bow / almost wished she was my
mother. She said: If that were 80 Ruth
would be your little sister," ] told her did
pressed to know why, with shame faced bushes
ehyly declared that it was because j wanted
Ruth to be my wife. Then Ruth ran bushing
behind her mother. and that judicious parent
said: "Then i would be your mother. sure
enough
Oh, dear, but was so embarrassingly happy.
Ruth, whisperingly, asked me to let her mother
read her valentine. which / had retained pos
session Of, and after carefully reading il TO her.
self she actually let me k iss my darling good-by,
and even sent q kiss TO my mother By mo. /
went home large and as strong as lion.
Next day Ruth brought my reader to school
with her, and we were so happy and SO atten-
tive and SO good, we were that very afternoon
permitted to sit together On the sky blue settee
Rutbs father, lawyer, was away from home
most of the time. They had come 20 our place
in the previous Fall, and her mother having
few acquaintance stayed al home great deal
and Ruth remained with her. But after this
Ruth's mother and mine became great friends
which gave me much satisfaction, as | could
have Ruth to play and study with all the more.
Although a year younger than was Ruth
soon got into all my classes and this made our
eompan ionship all the closer. j am satisfied
that cur mothers were more than willing that
we should care for each other as we did; aud,
singular as it may seem, all the school, also.
for there were no big boys there. appeared to
take il as matter of course. / never could get
Ruth 20 like Bob, however. / think she was as
much jealous she was afraid of him.
H.