The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-05-25


playing round.
''Little girl, shouted Mrs. Grubb,
forgetting her beefsteak in her eager
ness, "she's seventeen if she's a day,
and a good tall girl for her age, and
a great help to her grandmother, I can
tell you"
At which for some unknown reason
l felt much pleased.
"And she's ALFRED pretty" added
Jim Stokes, the engineer on 119, at
which felt an equally strange and
sudden desire to kick him.
put on my other suit and new
blue necktie-the girls used to say
looked pretty we'll in a blue necktie-
and 1 started out for my six-mile
tramp.
l hadn't made all these preparations
for nothing, you may be sure. 1 pro-
posed to do something more than sit
on the stone wall that evening.
There was light in the sittingroom
when came in sight of the house, and
I plucked up courage and Knocked at
| the door.
don't mind telling you that while
I was waiting for somebody to come
felt kind of weak about the knees and
when the door opened and there stood
Molly holding the lamp up high and
looking out into the darkness, with
her cheeks as pretty as peach, we'll
then 1 was clean gone.
1 managed to stammer out the
speech I'd made about being out walk
ing and being tired, and mightI rest
and have drink Of water. Goodness
knows I needed both, for I was that
shaky I was fit to drop.
Molly told me to walk in, and
called her grandfather. I told him
who I was, Sam Thorpe, engineer on
At, the best engine on the road, too,
strand he made me welcome and
treated me hearty.
"This is my wife" says he, "and
this is my granddaughter, Molly, "
he added, as she came in carrying q
pitcher of water and some glasses, and
with pretty flush on her cheeks.
sat down and had real pleasant
evening, and it wasn't the last l spent
there, either, for in course of time
whenever l spent the night in Chew.
boro, which was every other night you
remember, l spent the evening with
Molly.
One evening We got talking about
names, and says I:
''Your names a queer one-Stack-
pole-I never met with it before ex.
cept when ! was a boy. Down in Maine
where I lived there were two boys
who had been left on the poorhouse
steps one night, and who were brought
up there. Tom and Bile their names
were, I remember, and we boys useG
to call them 'haystack' for fun"
Molly had given a little cry O
sympat by for the orphans, I sup
posed, but ceased abruptly as hel
grandfather glanced at her severely.
He was stern man and disliked al
), display OF softheartedness.
"The name isn't uncommon in some
parts, said he, and that was all. Dc
you know, after that evening, the ole
man would hardly speak to me, ant
gave me to understand by his manner
that wasn't as welcome as l used t
be. 1t made me mad. So at last ]
says to Molly:
IL tell you, Molly, I can't stant
, this. must see you as much as .
have done, and / can't do it will
your grandfather acting as if he owet
me money. Now I don't want to d.
anything underhand, and I know you
) honest little heart wouldn't let you
,, either, so the only thing for us to d.
is to get married right off, and I'll q
; and ask your grandfather now"
Z You see, we'd made itall up between
, us some time before, but we'd agree,
! ! to wait year, because Molly was s.
: young.
Molly said eyes, and off I went t,
7 interview the old man. l didn't ex
! pect a very cordial reception, but
didn't expect anything nearly so war;
as got.
! I was consigned to a spot not fit t.
be mentioned before ladies the minut
p 1 made my proposition, and the oil
! gentleman used language that Gel
: tainly didn't belong to q deacon
E Then I got mad, and, says l:
"Have you anything against m
> character, Deacon Stackpole, " says
q cor my prospects,"
'No," says he, 'I've looked them u
pretty carefully when I guessed wis
4 you were hanging round here for"
"Then what is your objection?
d says l.