The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-30

cal stage OF this declaration ralhurop
Kissed the girls cheek.
"Oh, it's going to ramp 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 81
lence for several minutes, she busily brush
ing raindrops from her hat, which she had
taken off, and he watching her modify
The silence became oppressive, and She
glanced at him, curiously and app-shen-
siyely, from under her lashes. 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 pro-
tected by the leaves and looked out over
the clay wall of the fort, down which tiny
rivers ran. She, having dried her hat,
placed 1t again on her head and began
brushing her skirt where, here and there,
rain had spotted It, She glanced several
times at his back, stubbornly turned to-
ward her. He eyinced no inUention of NOV
ing, nor. of speaking again, and she be-
came nervous The situation was unbear-
able, and she exclaimed:
eve must get back to the othersp'
"We can't very we'll go through this
rain," he said, without turning round.
Another prolonged silence, broken only
by the monotonous fall Of the rain. Final
ly, when she had almost made up her mind
to gather up her skirts and run to the no
tel, 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 in
to the eyes that she raised to his, almost ap-
pealingly.
katherine" he said, II love you Will
you be my wife9"
A beautiful color stole slowly from the
ribbon at her throat, upsup until 1t tinted
the edges of ner small, perfectly formed
ears. His gaze held hers for moment;
then her eyelids fell and their long lashes
swept her checks.
"Mr. Pearce," she said slowly and hest
tatingly, II am SO sorry, but II can't "
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 dislodg-
ing half buried stone with the toe OF her
shoe because-you are 9ankceP'
Another swift glance met his steady
look. Then she moved little farther away
and stood half turned from him. His first
impulse was to laugh. But that passed al
most as it came. The gray, brass buttoned
riding habit, tho flushed cheeks and bright
eyes with which she had listened to
"Dixie," flashed across his mental vision.
The "Yankee" might be an obstacle not
to be laughed away
"But am not Yankee" he said, with
emphasis. II am from Illinois"
1t seemed long time to both that they
stood in silence Again she was the first
to speak.
"This is an awful rain," she said
eyes, very wet rain," he replied.
ooh, you are going to jest about it,
"But 1 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"
ooh, no. she said, stepping back.
"But you must The air is chill, and if
you get wet you will catch cold"
"But you-you"-
at won't hurt me bit Come"
He assumed commanding tone, and
that Or something else accomplished his
end, for she made no effort to free herself
when he placed the coat about her Shout
ders. 1t took long time to get it fixed
just right, and his arm was still around
her when he looked into her face and
saw that she was looking up into his.
Something in her eyes prompted him to
draw her close to him and to say very ten
deyly:
Sweetheart, I come from the north, but
l love a southern girl. Don't you think
that she can love northern man just a
little-if he is not Yankee"
She studied the arrangement Of his neck
tie closely, and then transferred her scrutiny
to his watch chain. But evidently she was
not thinking of either for when she spoke
she asked:
"Illinois people aren't Yankees"
Certainly not!' he replied, with con
viction. "They are long way from Yam
keedom--more than 1000 miles"
She examined the neclltie again, looked
into his eyes for moment, then over his
shoulder, off into the rain.
"Katherine, he said softly, edo you
love me?"
She turned her head slowly until their
eyes met. A wave of color rushed into her
cheeks, and she murmurcd family, Eyes.
"And you will be my wife,"
With perhaps a sudden thought of her
surroundings and of a stormy day 80 years
BEFORE she replied, "I-I surrender"
The rain, as if to hide the scene from any
possible Observer, fell more heavily for
moment Then it ceased altogether, and
soon the sun shone through from blue
sky where the gray clouds had parted. -St.
Louis Republic.
Habits of Fish In Feeding.
1t is common thing for a fish to shake
1trn ,,pa,y on NJ nr food nc n 1np mipht