Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-12-11


might explain here that had brought
suit OF store elethes and a pair Of shoes
from the east with me. bnt / had never
worn the clothes on the farm and sell
dem wore the shoes Everybody down in
that section went harefooted. bows and
men, and ! did rs the Romans did. This
Fourth Of July morning put on billed
shirt, my store clothes, my shoes and
socks. and / brushed and cleaned myself
until / was positively uncomfortable.
After breakfast, followed by the
good natured but cutting joshing' of
my relatives. I started down the road
To meet Melvina I had arranged with
her TO walk 10 town. figuring on the
walk back in the moonlight. when we
could hold hands as we strolled along
the road and slobber over each other
Ny uncle wanted Us to go in the wagon
with him and his family, but l was too
wise
1t was two miles 20 the Drake cabin
and four miles to town. was 20 meet
Melvina at the turn in the road Just be-
low her fathers house. The sun was
about two hours high aud cast long
shadows on the ground Is l trudged
along 10 the trysting place.
Il remember took ont my barlow
and cut a stout stick from hedge along
the roadside in anticipation of a posi-
bic brush with the lion The air was
heavy with the sweet smell of orchards.
ripening grain and new mown hay, and
was the happiest youth in Missouri l
made up my mind / was going to spend
every cent possessed ON Melyina
Directly l came 10 where she was
She had on a dress that couldn't have
cost more than quarter. but She looked
like a queen in il, although, | must con-
fess, il fit her like it was cut out with "a
pair of skates. A wide brimmed hat sat
jauntily on her brown curls and her face
looked like ripe peach to hungry
man. noticed she had no shoes ON, hut
that cut no ice with me. for she had as
petty foot and ankle as anybody would
want TO look at.
II had calculated on making hit
with Melvina with my store clothes,
and did. paralyzed her. She just
stood and looked at me while wave aft
er wave Of hot bushes chased up hen
white neck and eongregated in her face.
/ stood simpering like prize idiot. She
began to cry and wouldn't tell me what
was the matter with her, and /, wise in
the ignorance of youth, didn't know
that, like all women, she was proud and
ashamed to be seen with me because of
% I 1nllIan
her along, told her how nice and sweet
she looked, swore she would be the belle
of the circus and was generally SO lavish
in my praise of her that she consented
finally to go with me if I'd let her go
home and fix up bit Still l didn' t
know what was the matter, but i let
her go.
81 lay down in the shade of tree
on the grass to wait for her. The sun
climbed higher, and wagons loaded
with country people ratified by ON the
way to the circus. / had just figured
out that we would miss the parade and
grand free exhibition outside the big
tent if Melvina didn't hurry, when she
hove in view. / looked at her a second
and then jumped in the air so suddenly
Jared myself. If my raiment had par
alyzed Melvina. she got even all right.
''She had placed a cheap ribbon around
her neck and spoiled the beauty of it
and had covered her pretty feet with a
pair of shapeless, hard heavy, cowhide
shoes Between the tops of her shoes and
the bottom of her dress appeared occa-
sional glimpses Of pair of stockings OF
the variety known as barber pole. They
were striped red and yellow, and the
stripes were wide. But she had some
thing else on that knocked me speech.
less.
"Years and years had this browning
feature of Melvina's attire been in the
Drake family. 1t was an heirloom, i
guess, and the only piece of finery the
family possessed. Melvina, blushing
and simpering, hardly knowing whether
would sufficiently admire it or not,
was wearing it regulation fashion. IL
was an old fashioned muff, Of some
heavy black fur and As big rs bass
drum.
Precipitation broke ont Of every pore
in my body The idea Of me, logged out
in store clothes and looking like dude,
going to a circus on the Fourth of July
with girl carrying muff that must
have warmed an icehouse was madden
ing. But Melvina looked so thoroughly
self satisfied that hadn't the heart 20
tell her that the sweet simplicity Of
dress she wore when she first met me
was more becoming by far than The big
cowhide boots and the mutt. So made
the best Of it and let it go.
81 am an old man now, bat the mem
ory of the attention / created in that lit
tie country town that day is as vivid in
my mind as is the fact that | just paid
for the last drink The circus wasn't in
it. A number of times l was tempted
to run away, miles and miles, but Mel
vina was having such a good time that
l looked pleasant and stood it. Shenever
took her hands out of that muf all day,
only to eat and drink, and several times
she asked me to hold it for her while
she fixed up her hair or tied her shoe or
something.
lone time, while was holding the
muff, / lost her for few minutes In
the crowd, and endured more agony
until found her again than l did when
/ got shot through the leg in the war.
We walked home in the moonlight all
right. but we didn' hold hands, partly
II