Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28

been running a foot race with Call Root
| the fastest runner In town. and when she
Watsie felt as he thought thieves must
feel, for it was his purpose to pick up her
| library book, when she dropped 1t in the
seat beside her, look over It, as If he Won
| dered whether he might like it himself.
| ana then slip into it, directly upon the
card on which each person drew a book
the poem intended to bring one love affair
| to the conclusion desired by the entire
| town, barring the few young women who
| themselves preferred Lincoln Brace to any
| other young man.
| the book. for Miss Masie placed it between
her and Grace Truston, an estimable young
! woman, who had been the towns choice
| for Lincoln Brace before Miss Masie an
peared, and for few moments Watsie was
| In doubt as to which book was which, but
| his mind was finally relieved by the pretty
teacher herself, who took the book and
| placed it upon the seat at her right. Then
| Watsie acted quickly, although none too
| soon, for no sooner had he obtained it than
the young woman herself looked around
| 1nqu1ringly, and WatSie had barely time in
which to slip the verse between the card
| and one Of the pages.
| moment later Miss Masie collected the
remaining books of the class and piled
| them on top of her own, and Watsie
| thanked his stars that he had acted so
| promptly. Soon Lincoln Brace came for
| them; the lessons had already begun, but
WatSie went SO deeply into his own mini
| in wonder IS to what Lincoln would do
| and feel when he read that verse and learn
| ed from whom it came that he gave his an
sWers as stupidity as if he had never studied
| the lesson.
Then he longed for the librarians appear
| ance with the new books, and when he saw
| Lincoln his heart gave joyous bound for
| the young man looked as happy as he had
done en- the day when the Plumville post
office had been raised from third-class to
! second-class and his salary had been in
creased. Indeed, he looked so very happy
that Watsie for the first time in his life,
| lonsed for the day when he himself should
be man and in love, and satisfied that the
girl of his heart loved him, although he
Informed himself that somebody else should
! not have to help the matter along-no in
deed. As Lincoln approached and placed
beside Miss Masie the books called for by
her class Watsie leaned forward a bit, for
1t seemed to him that the young man ought
to say something to the point. right then
and there. But he didn't; he merely drop
ped the books and hurried away.
After Sunday school Watsie visited his
invalid friend and reported progress, tell
ing just how Lincoln Brace had looked and
two older than Watsie, and therefore
| thought he knew how lovers ought to act,
declared that it was a sure thing" and
| that when Lincoln himself became post
master it was quite likely that he would
make both boys clerks in the office, should
they tell him how they had helped him.
Watsie had been entirely unseliish in his
desire to marry the pretty teacher to the
assistant postmaster, but the idea that he
might one day become a clerk in the post
Office, q position. 10 which all wide-awdke
Plumville boys aspired, swelled iT his mind
until he could not keep quiet. SO he took
a very long walk. 1t was good that he did. |
for in a quiet street where many poor peo-
PIE lived, and where, consequently. the
sidewalks were about as uneven as the
ways of the wicked, he cane face to face
with the pretty teacher, who was leaning
against a tree and looking very doleful.
"Oh. Watsie,'' she exclaimed. I'm so
glad haEn
turned my foot on this wretched sidewalk, |
and it pains me SO that | can't walk. Do
you suppose you could find carriage some
where to take me homer
Certainly" replied Watsie; then he
started on run for Lincoln Braces house.
intending to tell the young man all about
1t, and ask him to go to q livery stable for a
carriage, and make assurance doubIy sure
regarding his affair with Miss Mase. But
Lincoln was not at home. and Watsie
wondered where he himself could soonest
get a horse and buggy, whom should he
see coming down the street behind a
spirited team but CAPTAIN Stiles. An in
born sense of chivalry suggested at once to
Watsie that if the captain could not marry
the pretty teacher he would fee! better all
his life if he could have the privilege of
being of any assistance to her when she
was in trouble, so Wats;e ran into the
road, threw up his hand. stopped the cap
| tain and told him what had happened.
I'm Just the man she needs was the
| reply. Jump in!'
Two minutes later WatSle 1OunQ nlmSel1
| very sorry for the captain, for that young
man spoke so teuderly 10 the sufferer. and
| lifted her carefully and gently into the
| carriage, that the boy wondered how the
captain would ever recover from his dis
appointment.
| The next morning, while on his way to
school, which led him past the post Office,
Watsie stopped by Lincoln Brace, who
said:
"Watsie, you're a smart young fellow.
| and know how to hold your tongue; want
| you to help me at something. You'll prom
Use never to tell word OF what 1 am 60
| ing to say to you?"
Il promise" said Watsie
Well said Brace, Il found a poem in
! Grace TrIston's library book yesterday,
and the consequence is that she and l are
engaged to be married, and l don't care
who knows it, for I'm the happiest man in
the world; I've had my heart set on her
! for year or two But I'VE found out that
she didn't write the poem and We've made
! up minds that it done, for tun, by
| some girl in her Sunday school class or
| some boy in yours, for nobody else could
have handled the book. Now, as you're in
| school, and know the writing of most of
| the scholars, l want you to find out, if
possible, who did it, because Grace and I
| will be that persons truest friends for
life"
| watse felt as if the ground was sinking
under his feet and the top of his head was
| soaring into the clouds, but he recovered
| his self-control enough to say:
"Well-if that's the way you both fell
| wrote that myself and put it into the book,
| thinking it was"
BLESS you, my boy AS for Oracle, don't
be surprised if she hugs your head off,"
Watsie went on to school, but not as hap
| PLY he wished, for how bad the pretty
teacher would feel when she learned that
Lincoln was anothers. Evidently she did
not yet know it, for she was brought to
school in Captain Stiles carriage, and the
captain himself carried her in and placed
her in her chair and despite her helpless
ress and probable pain, she looked prettier