The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-10-03

the road and slobber over each other
My uncle wanted us to go in the wagon
with him and his family, but | WAS too
wise.
1t was two miles to the Drake cabin
and four lies to town. | was to meet
Melvina at the turn in the road just be
low her fathers house, The sun was
about two hours high and cast long
shadows on the ground as l trudged
along to the trysting place.
q remember | took out my barlow
and cut stout stick from a hedge along
the roadside in anticipation Of a posi-
BILE 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 III Missouri.
made up my mind l was going to spend
every cent | possessed on Melvina.
Directly l came to where she was.
She had on a dress that couldn't have
cost more than quarter, but she looked
like queen in it, although. l must coil
fess, it 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 a ripe peach to hungry
man. l noticed she had no shoes on, but
that cut no ice with me, for she had as
petty foot and ankle as anybody would
want to look at.
I had calculated ON making "a 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 her
white neck and congreGated 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 III
the ignorance of youth, didn't know
| that like all women, she was proud and
| ashamed to be seen with me because of
the splendor Of my raiment. | jollied
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 20
| home and fix up bit. Still | didn t
knew what was the matter, but l let
her 90.
u lay down i'll the shade of tree
climbed higher, and wagons loaded
with country people ratified by on the
way to the circus. l had just figured
out that we would miss the parade and
! grand free exhibition outside the Ing
tent if Melvina didn't hurry, when she
| hove in view. | looked at her Il second
and then jumped i'll the air SO suddenly
/ I { ! l,,,l
/ alyzed Melyina she got even all right.
She had placed a cheap ribbon around
| her neck and spoiled the beauty Of ii
and had covered her pretty feet with ii
pair of shapeless, hard, heavy, cowh.de
shoes Between the tops Of her shoes and
the bottom of her dress appeared oeea-
sional glimpses of pair of stockings of
| the variety known as barber pole. They
were striped red and yellow, and the
stripes We're wide. But she had some
thing else on that knocked me speech
less
Years and years had this browning
feature of Melvina' $ attire been in the
Drake family. 1t was an heirloom, |
guess, and the only piece of tinery the
family possessed Melvina, blushing
and simpering, hardly knowing whether
l would sufficiently admire it or not,
was wearing it regulation fashion. 1t
was an old fashioned muff, of some
heavy black fur and as big as bass
! drum.
"Perspiration broke out of every pore
in my body. The idea of me, logged ont
in store clothes and looking like dude,
going to circus on the Fourth of July
with girl carrying muf that must
have warmed an icehouse was madden
| ing But Melyiua looked SO thoroughly
| self satisfied that hadn't the heart to
! tell her that the sweet simplicity of
| dress she wore wheu she first met me
was more becoming by far than the big
cowhide boots and the mutf. So | made
| the best of it and let it GO.
| am an old man now, but the mem
ory of the attention | created in that lit
| tie country town that day is as vivid in
my mind rs is the fact that | just paid
for the last drink. The circus wasn't i'll
it. A number of times | was tempted
to run away, miles and miles, but Mel
vina was having such good time that
l looked pleasant and stood it. She never
! took her hands out of that muff 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 | did when
l got shot through the leg i'll the war.
We walked home III the moonlight all
right. but we didn't hold hands, partly
because Melyina had her hands in the
muff and partly because | was so dod
blamed mad at her that | could have
slapped her. They made it SO hot for
me when got home to my uncle with
their remarks about Melyina $ mutf that
| started home the next day. dom
know whatever became of Melvina
Drake, but | do know that l suffered
one day, for her sake, the keenest mar
1 tyrdom. st Louis Republic.
Not His Turn to Laugh.
Stranger-You are the only gentle