The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-07-30

AiS Nho bOb 'hciSy uc'tiihihSu w
brave his anger. Besides, there is
nobody like timij persons for display
ing courage under certain circum-
stances.
Ny cousin said nothing; she only
held down her eyes--while her cheeks
were as red as those of cherries in
May.
j checked myself.
"Are you angry with me?" ]
asked, tremblingly. "Are you angry
with me, Rose?"
She held ont to me her hand, On
that, my heart seething with audacity,
my head on fire, cried:
"Rosc-I swear it2 will be your
husbandl" And as she shook her head
and looked at me sadly, added:
"Oh we'll know that my uncle is
self-willed, but l will be more self.
willed still; and, since he must be
forced to say yes, / will force him to
say 1t !"
'But how?" asked Rose.
All how? That was exactly the
difficulty. But, no matter; / would
find way to surmount it,
At that moment heavy step re.
sounded in the street. lnstinctivelv
we moved away from each other; |
returned TO my double.handed sword,
and Rose, TO keep herself in counte-
nance, set to dustiug, with a corner of
her apron, little statuette in its
faded red velvet case.
Ny uncle entered. Surprised at
finding us together, he stopped short
and looked sharply at us, from one to
the other.
We each oil us went on rubbing
without raising our heads.
"Here, take this" said my uncle,
handing me bulky parcel from un-
der his arm. "a splendid purchase,
you'll see."
The subject did not interest me in
the least
i opened the parcel, and from the
enveloping paper emerged steel
helmet-but not an ordinary helmet,
oh, nol-a superb, monumental
morton, with gorget and pointed visor
of strange form. The visor was
raised, and l tried to discover what
prevented it from being lowered.
"it will aotgo down---..he hinges
asIse got out of order" said my uncle !;
but it's a superb piece, and. when it
has been thoroughly cleaned and
touched up, will look well-that shall
be your to.morrow's Job.
taNaa,, .,AA1 l.,
not daring to raise my eyes to his.
That night, on reaching my room, /
at once went to bed. ] was eager to
be alone and able to think at my ease.
Night brings counsel, il is said and
/ had great need that the proverb
should prove true. But, after lying
! awake for au hour withou. receiving
any assistance, | fell OIL to sleep, and,
till next morning did nothing but
dream the oldest dreams. | saw Rose
on her way to church in strange
bridal costume, n fourteenth.centur
cap, three feet high, or her head, but
looking prettier than over; then sud
denly the scene changed to moonlight,
III which iunumerable helmets and
| pieces of old china were dancing u
wild fnrandola, while my uncle, clad
III complete armor and with n formid
able halberd in his hand, conducted
the bewildering whirl.
The next day-ah, the next day.
was no nearer. In vain, with clinched
teeth, | secured the immense helmet
brought by my uncle the previous
evening ng-scored it with such furry as
almost to break the iron-not an idea
came to Inc. The helmet shone like O
sun my uncle sat smoking his pipe
and watching me; but l could think
OF nothing and no way OF forcing him
to give me his daughter.
At three o'clock Rose went into the
country, whence she was not to return
until dinner time in the evening. Or
the threshold she could only make
sign to me with her hand; my uncl,
had not left us alone for single in
stant. He was not easy in his mind
i could see that by his face. No doub
he had not forgotten our conversation
of the previous evening.
went on rubbing at my helmet.
"Yon have made it quite brigh
enough-put it down." said my uncle
put it down. The storm was gath
ering; could not do better than alloy
1t to blow over.
But suddenly. as if overtakeu by
strange fancy, my uncle took up tn
enormous morton and turned and ex
amined it on all sides.
"a handsome piece of armor, ther
is no doubt about it; but it must hav
weighed pretty heavily on it wearer'
shoulders" he Inuttered; and, urge
by know not what demon, he clappe,
it on his head and latched the gorget
piece about his neck.
Struck almost speechless, watche
, what he was doing, thinking only no,
ugly he looked.
Suddenly there was sharp sound
as if spring had snapped-and-
crack down fell the visor and ther
, was my uLcle, with his head in an iro
, | oaUa rasticulatinU and awaorino ID