The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-06-02
TOO MUCH.
When n Said ''Taters," 1t Was More Than
He Could Stand.

Night had come again-gentle, peaceful
night. The mocking bird hid his head be-
meath his wing and slept, while the FREELY
got out and began to hustle to make up
for lost time, and bugs as big as hunks of
mud went booming around in search of
prey. Under the apple trees in full bios
som was stretched a 50 hammock bought
on the installment plan, and in his ham
mock rsclined the aristocratic Evylyn
ThrOckmorton. She was not alone. Be
side hor stood the purse proud Carlyle stan
hope. 1t made his tired knees Wabble to
be standing around there, but he gave no
sign. He came of a race which would per
ish on the spot, but never Crawfish. Be
sides he was there that evening to ask and
receive the answer to a questlOn which had
a tremendous bearing on his future. 1t
was not to ask her hand in marriage.
That he had already one weeks before,
and after ~ascertaining that he never de-
scendcd to attend such vulgar events as
spelling schools, husking bees and 'lasses
candy pulls she had placed her happiness
in his keeping.
On the wings Of rumor, flying through
the air unseen, had come to him d state
ment that stabbed him like a carving knife
Just sharpened up by a grinder. He would
not believe it. 1t was too improbable. too
monstrous, too fiendish for credcnce. And
yet he could not throw it into the waste
basket and go on living, as an editor does
a 40 rod poem. He could not rest content
until her own ruby lips had affirmed or
denied the rumor. And so, as he stood
beside her in the softness of the summer
evening, his knees wabbling to the regular
swing of the hammock, he gently muir
INJURED:
Eva, we love each other, don't we?'
"Cert!" Was her curt but tender reply.
IL want to ask you a question. 1t is
not about your age. You wont get mad,
will you?"
of course not. What is it?"
Eva, darling, suppose you were at the
dinner table. Suppose YOU were very, very
hungry. Suppose you wanted some more
mashed tubcrs. What would be your form
of asking for them?"
"Carlyle Stanhope, are you toying with
a young girls heart" she f~ierccly demand
ed as she glared at himr through the dark
ness.
''Oh, 10, no! Heaven forbid.' he feel
ingly exclaimed.
"Mebbc you think 1 wo Id commit a
fox pass"
Never! Such a base thought never en-
tered my mind. 1t is simply to decide a
wager, you know. Forgive me, darling,
and we will let the subject drop"
No, we WON'T" she r%esolutely replied
as she sat up in the hammock and looked
at him in a dangerous way. If / We're
eating at table where they had taters,
mashed or whole, baked or fried, and
wanted s'morc, l think I have sense
enough to ask. Explain your conduct,
sir!''
''Taters!" he faltcred as his face
turned as white as snow.
Yes, taters! You don't suppose I'd ask
for Goldfish, do your"
a wild, weird shrek leaped out on the
balmy night. 1t vas Carlyle Stanhope
who uttered it. The rumOr that had
reached his ears had been confirmed. Aye,
more than confirmed! With his own ears
he had heard the naughty Evylyn Throck-
morton call 'cm ''tatcrs" and repeat.
For a moment after uttering that shrek,
which told of a soul wrecked and lost, he
stood and looked at her, with horror pOr-
trayed on every line of his aristOcratic
face. Then he turned and staggered away
Observation-Disclosures and stun
bled, and the darkness swallowed him VI
forever and forcver.-Detroit Free Press.
Breakfast Table Chat.
81 have been reading a yery interesting