The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-10-02

glance, and betook himself to the smok-
ing compartment and stald there un-
til midnight in order MOTTO annoy his
fair neighbor and enemy, but she had
made up her mind to speak to him, and
when he sauntered down the aisle tore
tire he saw Miss Jeanette sitting in her
seat and was about to turn back when
she called to him:
lone minute, please, Mr.. Brown"
she said.
John doffed his cap and bowed with
out speaking.
-. want i-s<sav say to you began Jean
cite in some confusion, 'thatlI am per
fectly aware ofthe fact that you placed
the honors of our class on my head by
not doing your best. lowe you thanks
from the ordinary point of view, but
under the circumstances can but wish
that you had pursued different
course
THIS speech was rather prlm one,
and was not well delivered, in spite Of
the fact that jeanette had been coming
it for hours and had it worded perfect.
The young man Was no whit less con-
fused than was the young lady, and
fora moment he stood unable u rep y.
He could not lie by saying that She
was mistaken, and he did not want to
acknowledge that she was correct.
You have no reason for your belief,
Miss jones'" he said, resolving on a
middle course, and if your surmises
could by any possible chance be cor
rect the honors 60 to Kentucky aud to
our home. and that is honor enough. .
This was question that required
considerable discussion, and before
either of them was aware Of 1t the
light Of the new day broke through the
windows and the porter smiled grimly
to himself as heslipped the dollar John
gave him into the proper receptacle
and said something in an undertone to
the conductor of the Car about some
folks being ''awfully sweet on each
other"
The dispute between the young peo-
pie was not definitely settled that
night, and after their arrival at home
every time they met etcasually when go
ing about the country it was renewed.
It was surprising. too, how often their
rides on horseback were over the same
roads and at the same time, and If
there had been any one in their secrets
that one would have concluded that
the old dispute between the families
was going to break out in new form,
though It must be said that the argu-
ments of the young people were very
decorously conducted and frequently
strayed away from the original matter
of the school honors.
One day as John went up the hill he
met jeanette coming down. This was
not very unsual occurrence, end
neither of them made any pretense OF
being surprised. In fact, John said
plainly that he came that way. because.
he hoped to meet Jeanette.
There was that in Johns eyes that
day that made Jeanette's brown orbs
droop when she looked at him. With
a woman's prescience she knew that
he was going to talk to her OF things
that had not been spoken of before and
tell her a story that would sound lns
fnitely sweet to her coming from his
lips.
John turned his horse, and together
they went slowly down the hill along
the winding road beneath the green
trees. All the glory Of summer was
about them, and the sapphire skies
seemed to bend lust above the hills to
the south, while across the river to the
north the blue Ohio heights La bask-
ing in beauty, dim, blue and far away.
SJeanette, darling, I love you. VIII
you be my wife?2
John spoke without preface and
without warning, and the girl gasped'
at the suddenness of it all.
Don't say no" pleaded the big and
handsome John, as the girl bent her
eyes tosher.horse's name and paled and
flushed from the. sweet emotion that.
surged through her heart. Don't
throw me over, for [ love you better
than life, better than ever any other
one can, and will love you always.
You say you owe your college honors
to me and want me to have them. You
do not owe me anything that your love
will not repay "a million times over and
leave me hopelessly indebted to you.
know we belong to two factions who
have been atwar always, but cannot
we go down the way in peace with
each other? Cannot we forget that
our families are enenies, and by joia-
ing hands make the old hateful feud a
thing OF the past to be forgotten for
ever? Won't you say yes, dearest"
The young man grew eloquent IN
his earnestness, and yet the girl SAID
no word nor gave him even glance.
Surely this was the day of triumph for
her when she saw the hereditary enemy
begging favor at her hands, and tri-
umph was in her heart, but not of the
sort that the warrior feels when his
enemy lies vanquished before hin,tdt
was the triumph that caused the maid
en- in far Judsea, long years agone,
to sing. MY lover is mine and ! am
his, and she simply put out her hand
in bland sort of a way toward John,
who seized it and kissed itas if he were
saluting an enbassadress.
What further was said belongs not
to this story, for there are some things
that sound well when time and circum-
stance may be fully considered, but
which seem to be quite silly when put
in cold words in black and white. Suf-
fee it TO say that the question Of what
the people would say come up, and
these two brave young people conclud-
ed that they had not quite the courage
to make open announcement Of the
treaty of everlasting peace which had
been duly ratified and sealed after the