The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-09-17
POPLARVIlI4E MISS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER Il, 1896

rheumatics or something of the sort, so
| trampng won't be so jolly, I'm going
| to settle down and write a book about
where all I've been, and all I've seen.
Once in a while | run over some old
| fellow | used to fly around with at
home, and before he gets away from
| me he will have most a notion to take
| to tramping himself, seeing that have
| SO fine a time of it." Then he was
quiet for a good while, and pucker
| settled down over his eyes as he fin
ished his dinner
"The only time / ever wished / was
| something else was about week ago,
but it didn't last long" he said, as he
set aside the basket and cup. maybe
| ten miles from here l come to d little
town, and the first house | come to was
| n cute little frame concern, all built up
new and nice and made me think that
like as not some young couple just
starting out in life was beginning there
that kind is always the best to
| tackle.
'Well, | went around the house, and
l. L
struck to the ground with surprise.
There on the back porch, behind the
vines, sat the first girl | was ever en-
gagged to!-she was singing and sewing
and rocking a cradle. Fact Is, | cared
more for that girl than | ever did for
anybody, and I'd have known her most
anywhere. How it come we never got
| ,rin ,nft of nf a or
so we concluded to wait until we were,
which would be about three years.
Well, three years is a good long bit,
when you're young and full of devil
ment, so to fill up that time l got to
smiling pretty much on one or two
other girls, which set her to flirting
with the boys, till l was beat at my
own game. Then we had high old
racket, for l saw she didn't object to
| another fellow who wanted her as bad
as | did. and it riled me considerable
just the same; we all broke up, and
that ended it for always, for me. l
was engaged two or three times after
that before my money run out, but it
got monotonous, and l couldn't like
that if / had had good sense on the
start, everything would have been all
right to-day. and she would have been
boss in my house; and"
Thought you wouldn't like to stay
-" began Johnnie as the story teller
paused a moment, but he was inter-
rupted.
Srix rt
away, but she seemed to feel me look
ing at her, for she turned around, and
seeing me, looked mighty scared.
81 don't mean any harm, ma'am,
says l, but won't you please give me
something to eat" which of course was
all could say, and under the peculiar
circumstances it wasn't any more than
natural that I'd think of the dozen
times I'd danced with that very girl,
and took her buggy riding, and kissed
her-yes and hugged her. too!
Certainly says she, just come
here to the STEP Then she went in
the house and brought out tray with
a napkin on it, which was little po-
likeness l hadn't known for some time,
IL
treated pretty fair. Maybe she thought
it was me, or some sixty-third cousin
of mine. for she brought cake and pie,
and bread with butter and jelly spread
on, some sliced ham and pickles, and
some more stuff. Lord! think of it!-
when l might. have been eating with
her three times day for the last six
years
"Well, / sat there eating what she
gave me, feeling like a regular dumb
fool for the first time in my life, and
looking at her just as much as ever
could without her knowing it. She used
to be right plump, and had the cutest
frizzes and blacklist eyes ever you seen
and beat all to be sai>y and comical IN
her sayings. That was eight or ten
years ago. She is somewhat thinner
now, and her hair isn't frizzed, and she
seemed then to be very quiet ana
steady, but she looked good and happy
and contented for which l was very
glad. and l know she wouldn't have
looked so much so if she had married
mel guess I'm naturally wild.
Il was as long eatlnS tHal uiHAer as
! could manage it, but all things has to
end, so every crumb got away at last,
and l had to go.
"'Would you object to telling me
your name? says, looking straight at
her
"'Mrs. William Bates she says, very
quiet.
That's what supposed 1t was. Just
then a little shaver about five years
old, with big black eyes, came walk
ing out on the porch and rubbing his
eyes like he had been to sleep. AT
sight of me he tucks his head in her
arm, and looks at me kind of shy, ana
laughs-one of her old tricks right over
again.
est seems to me have seen you be-
fora sha cays still i'm that quiet way