The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1894-12-27
prove Of gadding around at night, and

at home, is tnereI
"Nun-nun-no," answered Jason,
guilty. "W-w-we are all WV"
Hare" Grau'pap was as deaf as the
proverbial adder.
81 sus-sus-I say w-we are all WV
we are all
Whats that?" broke in gran'pap,
who fancied he was missing some
thing of vital Importance.
Il sus-sus-said-" began Jason, rails
ing his voice. II sus-"
''Dead?' snapped gran'pap. Whose
dead? 1t hain't your mar, is it? She's
been poorly for quite a spell. but no
body thought she'd die of it."
MINIMUM"
"Har?"
81 sus-sus-sus-I sus-"
"What's that?"
ale says nobody is dead, GRANDPA
ther," Dolly cried to the old man, in
her clear young voice, and Jason felt
like falling down and worshiping her
then and there.
"Ar-har!!" CALCULATED gran'pap, com
pretending. Nobody dead. Thought
you Sdlu InerS was. war;, llltn, Wnat
is the matter?"
"Nun-nun-" began Jason.
"Hey?"
"Nun-nun-"
There is nothing the matter, grand
father" explained Dolly.
"Hain't har?" snapped the veteran.
He felt that he had been imposed up
on in some manner. "Warl, then,
what did you come over for, Jason?"
II dud-dud-I dud-didn't cuc-cuc-"
began Jason, feeling like a culprit
convicted of a dire crime. IL dud-dud-
didn't"
"Har?"
"ue came to call" answered Dolly,
her face reddening with vexation.
TO call?' suorted gran'pap. ITO
call for what?"
"Nun-nun-nun-"
Have we got anything of Jason's,
Dolly?"
No, sir. He came toto call on me"
ITO call on you!" calculated the
veteran. Him.
By this time poor Jason was reduced
to "A mental tatteratiun, and l think
had not gran'pap subsidized very oon
the bashful swain would have fled
from the house in his desperation. AS
it was, the old man presently settled
back in his chair and fell to wagging
his aged head and muttering L him
self. Plainly he did not comprehend
matters yet. BY and by he dropped
OFF into an uneasy doze. broken by
occasional grunts and mutterings,
which, as i'll luck would have it, were
so timed that they broke into Jason's
desperate attempts at conversation,
and each time reduced him to sudden
silence.
He cast an anxious eye on the clock,
swiftly ticking away his opportunity,
and essayed to introduce the subject
nearest his heart, but just then gran'pap
gave a sudden start and the swain
came to as sudden a stop. 1t was a
trying ordeal for Dolly also. but she
was more nearly equal to the emer-
gency.
Nice weather we are having, ia
SOM she said.
"Ye-ye-yes,' answered the poor fell
low, eagerly; ~''bub-bub-but it lul-
lul-but it lul-"
Yes, it does look as if it would be
colder soon"
"Ye-ye-yes," blurted Jason, CRATE
fully. 'Lul-lul-looks Unlike it WV
w-w-like it w-would be a~lfuf-fuf-fuf-
alfred cold!'
Yes, indeed! How is your pas
health"
"Mum-mum-middlin', th-thank vet"
And thus it went on for the next
three-quarters of an hour, The time to
the wretched sutton seeming to fly by
with the speed of an arrow. Once,
when, seemingly by accident, he was
almost upon the point of committing
himself, gran'pap gave achoting snort
and sat bolt upright, only to settle
back again without waking. But this
was enough to sidetrack Ia,on for a
quarter of In hour.
And, at last, what with one thing
and another, the time had sped till
it lacked but ten minutes Of mid
night. Feeling like a criminal being
led forth to execution, and moyed to
desperation by the crisis, Jason urned
squarely toward Dolly.
"Dud-dud-D Dolly" he blurted. lul-
lul-I lul-lul-"
Poor Dolly was almost on the verge
of Mysteries. Gran'pap stirred un.asi-
ly in his chair.
"Dud-Dolly, I lul-lul-I lul.lul-"
1t was no use. The poor fellow stick
hard and fast. Gran'pap threatentdto
wake up at any moment.
Il lul-lul-lul-"
Sing It, Jason" cried Dolly.
There was a preliminary grinding
sound in the old clock, more ominous
than tba SpnpI from r,o n'pan'p .I.s