The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-06-18

girls cheek.
: "Oh, it's going TO raini" she cried.
The next instant the downpour began,
and both rushed through a breach In
the earthen wall Of the fort to the tree,
whose branches, to which the leaves yet
chung, offered protection. There they
stood in silence for several minutes. she
busily brushing raindrops from her hat,
which she had taken off, and he watch
ing her, moodily.
The silence became oppressive, and
she glanced at him, curiously and ap-
prehensively, from under her laAhes.
He caught the glance. and. moving
toward her, said:
"Well?"
"Oh, DON'T" she exclaimed, starting
away, her eyes still fixed upon ribbon
with which she was working.
"Why, Katherine-er, Miss Moore"
"Oh, you mustn't"
He walked to the edge of the circle
protected by the leaves and looked out
over the clay wall of the fort, down
which tiny red rivers ran. She, hav-
ing dried her hat, placed it again on
her head and began brushing her skirt
where, here and there, rain had spotted
1t. She glanced several times at his
back, stubbornly turned toward her.
He evinced no intention of moving, nor
of speaking again, and she became nerv-
ous The situation was unbearable,
and she exclaimed:
1--WE must get back to the othersl"
eve can't very well go through this
rain," he said, without turning around.
Another prolonged silence, broken
only by the monotonous fall Of the
rain. Finally, when she had almost
made up her mind to gather up her
skirts and run to the hotel, a quarter Of
a mile away, he turned and came
quickly toward her. He put out his
hand as though to take hers, but she
quickly put her hands behind her and
stepped back. He folded his arms and
stood before her, looking earnestly into
the eyes that she raised to his, almost
appealingly.
"Katherine," he said, IT love you.
Will you be my wife?"
A beautiful color stole slowly from
the ribbon at her throat, up, up. until
it tinted the edges Of her small, perfect
ly formed ears. His gaze held hers for
q moment; then her eyelids fell, and
their long lashes swept her cheeks.
"Mr. Pearcc," she said, slowly and
hesitatingly, "I' am sorry, but IL
can'tl"
because you do not love me?"
She looked up quickly into his face;
then down again; but she did not reply.
Katherine, tell me-" he said. "Why
Is It that you cannot marry me?"
'Because-" she was very busy dis
lodging half-buried stone with the toe
of her shoe-'because-beca you are
ia Yankeel" Another swift glance met
his steady look. Then she moved a
little further away, and stood half
turned from him. His first impulse was
| to laugh. But that passed almost as
it came. The gray, brass-buttoned rid
ing habit, the flushed cheeks and bright
| eyes with which she had listened to
"Dixie," flashed acrosss his mental
vision. The Yankee" might be an OBJ
stacle not to be laughed away.
| "But I am not Yankee" he said
with emphasis. "I am from Illinois,"
It seemed long time to both that
they stood in silence. Again she was
| the first to speak.
"This is an awful rain," she said.
"Yes, very wet rain," he replied.
"Oh, you are going to jest about it"
"But I am not jesting," he answered
walking rapidly to where she stood
"What I mean is that you will get wet
The water is beginning to drip from the
leaves. Here" stripping off his coat
"let me put this around you."
"Oh, no." she said, stepping back.
"But you must. The air is chill, and
# you get wet you will catch cold"
"But you-you--"
"It won't hurt me bit. Come"
He assumed a commanding tone, ant
that. or something else, accomplished
his end, for she made no effort TO free
herself when he placed the big coat
about her shoulders. 1t took lone
time to get it fixed just right. and hi
arm was still around her when h,
looked into her face and saw that sh.
was looking up into his. Something IL
hereycs prompted him to draw her clos
TO him and to say, very tenderly:
Sweetheart. ! come from the north
but love southern girl. Don't 70,
think that she can love northern mar
Just little-if he is not Yankee?'"
She studied the arrangement of hi
pecktie closely, and then transferred
her scrutiny to his watch chain. Blu
evidently she was not thinking O
either. for when she spoke she asked:
illinois people aren't Yankees?"
Certainly not" he replied. will
conviction. "They are long way from
Yankeedom. More than a thousant
miles,"
She examined the necktie again
looked into his eyes for a moment, thel
over his shoulder off into the rain.
katherine" he said, softly, "do yo,
love me?"
She turned her head slowly unit
their eyes met. A wave of color rushe'
into her cheeks. and she murmure'
family: "Yes."
sand you will be my wife?"
With perhaps sudden thought o