The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-04-18
HER BACKW00O8 BEAU.
His Intentions Were Excellent. but Language


when I was young woman" said the
wife OF q Well-known New York lawyer to
reporter of The New York Sun, Il llYed
io country town in Pennsylvania. Like
that OF many Other country girls, the hc,SFc
az my ambition was to tv,elh distract srhss.
l passed my examination before the rural
school board and was assigned to hach-
woods district where | had 20 follow the ume-
hopored custom Of boarding ound. l was
rather u sentimental gin, think, and after
] had been teaching a few weeks III the DIS
trict 7 WAS by no means displeaSed to dlScoV-
err that one of the Well-to-do rustic swans
Of that ncghborhood, a good-looiih5, Whole
some Young fellow, vas inclined to pay at
tention to me. He looked upon by an
thn red-cheeked backwo0ds girls as great
catch ard my natural feminine vanity WIS
IN M manner made less by the knowledge
thai all the girls were jealous or me, alth"uSn
the Young man had yet given no poaltlFe
Indication of his preference Tor me- one
evening he called at the farmhouse where L
WAS then Quartered and 1t was not uh'll INC
family had one by one retired, leaving Ihe
clone with him in the big freplace-hghted sit
ting room that it broke upon me that was
actually keeping company with beau
can feel now the blush that rushed to my race
when [ realized the situation, which iliuSI
admit was q pleasing one bUl no" e'n'"i
RAISING it was, And the embarrassment was
made all the more painful when diSfof'Ieu
that my company was most ahhoJ iusS
bashful He sat on one side Of the fireplace
I an the other His eyes were fixed on the
haarfhstone and he kept them there, WINE
no fdncted on his chair ana tWliled llH
thumbs neryauSlY l was hatu'"li3 H"
uossessed girl and Il lively talhef, put as
sat there opposite that bash!u Eouli L WIS
nrobIe 70 md 4 word to say, ana sat es
,l,,yardl,, silent and nervous as he was hh-
self Tho old clock licked loudly ana, L
thou.yht impatiently i'll the corner, ana us
hands went around the dlal Tor one ionS
honr without another sound breaking the
awful silence of that room. The suspense Was
simply frightfu'- .,.
Z" on | kept thinking 10 lhF7'ih' why
doesn't he say something or go homer
"Put still he sat there in the ttickerln2 llGht'
ddgetv and nervous. his eyes never moving
from that one spot on the neafth announcer
half-hour dragged its way around the ciocN'
Dhen suddenly the bashful swain raised ms
eyes and looked at me 1',ete was an am
mated hut Illustrated look on his face
" grbonk beayenn | thought. Hes goln%
to say something ut last
..FTe looked at me a moment, still twlrlng
his thumbs, and then stamnered out:
Miss Paey-did you-eVer-Sce-a OWL
"rrbis was an unexpected and surprising
ouery. and although it almost uA9'royed
v,bat LITTLE composure l had left II WAS a
rnlief. | welcomed 1t as Il probable breaker
"'Oh, YES Mr.. Crane! l replied enthusi
astically. Many and many time
.'AIy rustic beau grinned in satisfied way
for n moment and | was hopeful. but sudden
lv the solemn look came back to his race.
and be dropped his eyes 20 he hearth again
and resumed his inspection of the fascinating
spot on the stone. tWirinS ms lhpmpS and
idgeting as before. Paralysis seized my
tor rue AGAIN. too, and as the clock tucked
away minute after muinte, | felt that must
either soon scream or die, Another hour