The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-11-17

cldedly, Cholly must be abated."
Another team attempting to pas
him melted Mr.. Blodgett to a trial o
the speed of his bays, which proved
quite satisfactory to all concerned.
When they were again jogging alons
at an easy pace Mr.. Blodgett resumed
his theme, remarking, tentatively: 81
wish knew how much you think o
that cat"
Meaning Cholly?"
Yes"
"Oh. think he is ever so nice! In
deed, he is one of the very incest young
men | know
''Humph! Nice, ladylike, eh. That's
the idea the word conveys to my mind
''Oh dearl No. Cholly is quite a
brave little man. You should hear
him tell how he once frightened an
awfully savage bull by simply shaking
his fist over fence, at the terrible
creature, and telling it to go away"
The bull would not have tossed him,
even il there had been no fence. He
would have bitten Cholly."
Perhaps. Cholly is somewhat fresh,
though possibly not SO green as you
may imagine, papa"
HE has been making love to you for
six months or more, hasn't he?"
''He has called on me frequently for
about that long"
And not without some encourage
ment from you, dare say. / wish |
knew how much you really think of
/ him
You said so before. papa Why
would you like to know
Because | would as lief seen you
marry monkey as Cholly Lytewayte.' -
A CLEAN of mischief flashed in the
girls eyes and smile curved her
lips, but she did not let him see either
blossoming of her internal mirth
Very seriously. and with little affect
ed hesitancy, she replied:
"But-would you really object to
Cholly's marrying me?''
Would l 'object!' I'd see him
boiled first"
Flora was silent. She could not have
spoken without bursting into laughter,
it appeared to her such an excellent
joke that her father should seriously
think of Cholly in the light of a IA
vo-ed sutton for her hand; so she bit
her lips to keep a straight face, and
Mr. BlOdgett very enormously imagined
he had spoken none too soon to restrain
his beloved moth from the fatal fasci-
nation of that brilliant flame Cholly
Lytewayte.
II don't See" he pursued, with lit
tie querulousness in his tone, "why
you should want to think of marrying,
anyway. You are only seventeen
Last November
''Well-last November But there's
plenty of time, for years yet Why
don't you amuse yourself finding a hus-
band for your Aunt Jennie? She wants
one badly enough. I've no doubt she
would even accept ChOlly."
Il should think she would-if the
sleeps eyes she makes at him mean
anything. But Cholly does not recipro-
cate. He is faithful to me-so far as
she is concerned, at least
'Well, l wish to goodness somebody
would marry her. I'm not particular
who, any more than she is; and that's
saying g God deal"
Late that night the mosquitoes in the
shrubbery Toasted again on Cholly's
neck, while the "twinkey-twanll'' of
his little mandolin and the chipperv-
chirp of his small voice stirred the katy
dds to cumulative fury. Mr. Blodgett,
rising from his bed in wrathful disgust,
sent to the city Office long telegram,
which he knew the automatic receiver
would faithfully record and present to
the chief clerk the mex morning.
BY little after nine o'clock the fol-
lowing morning two expert linemen
presented themselves in Mr. Blodgett's
Office, saying that Mr.. Marshall, the
chief clerk, had sent them down to re-
ceive instructions. Two hours later
wagon arrived, laden with wires, plain
and insulated, heavy storage battery,
and boxes of objects carefully con-
cealed, all, as the driver explained,
sent down on Mr. Blodgett's order to
Mr.. Marshall.
Flora went to the city early that
morning, on a shopping expedition,
and was gone all day: else her ever
curiosity would have been
much excited by the strange industry
of the linemen, who busted themselves
hour after hour with the laying down |
of insulated wires just beneath the sur
face of the earth, all through Mr.. |
Blodgett's grounds, and connecting |
them with many almost invisible wires |
which they temporarily left coiled out |
of sight under shrubs, or laid up along |
tree-trunks, or concealed in the grass. |
Long after dark they were still busy; |
but as there was almost no light they |
must have had the perceptions of owls
or bats, to enable them to work at all. |
As they took care to keep out of sight
as much as possible Miss Blodgett
knew nothing of their presence, though
she was then al home and much of the
time seated on the porch.
At ten o'clock the twinkey-twank of
Cholly's mandolin in the shrubbery
smote the ear OF Mr.. Blodgett. who ex-
pectantly sat alone near a window of
his Office, in the darkness Briskly he
CROPPED to the column by his desk and
pressed a button, at the same time I'M
translating into the words
Let 'er go" the signal he thereby
to the linemen waiting in
the basement battery room.
The light-hearted serenader had just
started in on the song he iattered him
self he sang best:
Evsh Of thee I'm fawawswndly dreeeaming."
when tremendous cannon, as it seemed
TO him, was fired off directly over his
head, and he dropped into a sitting
posture, half-stunned, upon the grass.
Scram bling to his feet he ran, as fast
Is his trembling little legs would carry
Tim. in the direction of the gates but