The Somerset reporter., 1895-05-23

feel "a peculiar delight Ill telling you that
the happy man is your friend Mr. Fos
ter, and that he asked me only yesterday
to be his wife and took this walk with
you to tell you SO and did not do so be-
cause, as you are well aware, you took
up all the time at my disposal with the
absurdly important question You had to
ask me. =
What further remarks she might have
made | have no means of knowing, but
they would no doubt have gone much
further, for in an angry woman's game
with language she plays without limit,
but fortunately for my self esteem we
We're startled mt that moment by the
shouts OF party coming over sand
hill to our left, and by the time we had
made rapid change in our outward
show of temper the crowd was upon us.
They had come out i'll search of us to
join party for Il SAIL and among the
searchers We're Mr.. Foster and Miss Mer-
ton. Under the circumstances it was not
a difficult matter for Miss Allen and my
self to effect an interchange of escorts,
and | accompanied Miss Morton back to
the hotel, leaving Miss Allen to the ten
der mercies of her fiance.
As Miss Morton and followed i'll the
wake of the returning procession | made
myself particularly gay, and she seemed
to appreciate me more than She had ever
done.
"What color you have today, Mr..
Bryting" !" she exclaimed as she looked
at me with admiring eyes
Il wasn't aware of it, really" l re
piled, with culpable lack of truth III my
words, for ] knew l must be flushed aft
er what l had just gone through, not
withstanding the fact that | could feel
my face burning as if [ had been stand
ing III the hot sun bareheaded.
well, yA have she continued,
'and it makes you handsomer than
ever saw you before -
Possibly, | said, speaking slowly
and with evident feeling, 'it is because
the full sunshine Of your kindliness has
never shone ON me before and given me
its radiance, "
ooh, " she exclaimed, "this is perfect
ly delicious You talk just like a char
actcr in a novel =
Is it novel for man to love beau
tiful woman | asked, looking squarely
into her eyes, and thinking how much
prettier than Miss Allen she was.
Are you i'll love?' she asked, with
charming naivete.
At this moment we We're a hundred
yards or more behind the party and it
was five minutes after II O'Clock a. in.
"Oh, Myrtle 1 said, with a fervor
did not think | was capable of, "don t
you know that am in love, and don t
you know with whom? Haven't you seen
every day for weeks that you held my
heart in thrall, and that you We're its
queen? Don't you know, Myrtle, that |
have been waiting for and wishing and
hoping for the propitious time when |
could tell you this: Now, | am soon to
go back to my work, to the dark and
dismal town, and before | go Won t you
give me your heart to take the place Of
mine you have taken away, that its light
may make sunshine along all the paths
of the future my footsteps may fan
upon? Tell me. Myrtle, tell me-" And
in my wild ardor | caught her hand III
mine and kissed it.
"Oh, = she exclaimed, snatehing it
away, "don't do that "They'll STE
us.
"What do I care?" replied. "An
honest love fears no criticism.
Il know, l know" she stammered,
"but you mustn't talk love to me. I
can't listen to you now. Jack Foster
and | are engaged. He asked me yester.
day and we are to be married III Decem
Der.
And it was Is minutes after II O'Clock
a. m.-EXchange. IN.