The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-10-09
miscellaneous.
PROPINQUITY.

"T couldn't cough You wouldn't have
| heard Inc"
You might have sung OUT
"Hey?"
Kearney made a trumpet Of his hands
"You might have sung out"
You'd have thought it was hotbo1
squcaking"
There was no necessity whatever for
| giving warning, captain.
Thanks, Miss IiittyI I'm pleased to
herr it,"
! won't you come and sit DOWN" Kitty $
treble shrillcd above the rumbling, rat
Ting, humping OF the wheels.
The captain bent over her, steadying
himself by the brake. mo" he scream
| ed. Pm not the man to be No. >, even on
the back platform of train. But L IN
bringcr of bad news
Miss Foster gave an effective start which
resulted in bringing her tiny hand luttcr-
| ing down upon kcarneys shoulder "Oh,
what" she cried
only that your good mother says am
to tell YOU that it is not nice for little girls
to stay out on back platforms at / O'Clock
on n starry night, and that you must come
in
"But it's so hot and smoky in there,
she answered dcmurely, folding her hands
! and settling back against the car 81
can't possibly stand 1t. I've most dread
full hcuduche.' She closed her eyes and
threw back her hcad The captain and
kcarney got The full benefit Of the length
and curve OF her lashes and of the curls
blowing across her brow.
Miss kitty, Miss Kitty, 1 fear you nre
slippery young eel"
mo, I'm not Really, my head does
ache. Nobody ever believes that can feel
bad or be in earnest" Her round eyes
rested on the starry sky 1T an anglo which
allowed keurIcy to SEQ that they were fill
cd with tears.
On, come, captain, don't tease the
child! She hrs Il headache, and the airs
good for her. Tell Mrs. Foster that I'll
bring her in directly"
Captain Mason shook his head and went
away. Appleton is looking fierce" he
called back over his shoulder.
what did he say about Lieutenant Ap-
pleton?" asked Kitty. Kcarney repeated
tie captains words. Fierce? 1 wonder
what about2'
"You, perhaps
Miss Foster smiled frankly, ~ don't
believe so, - she said.
Doesn't he still hopes"
Dear, no. and this time there was
ring of unmistakable truth in her tones.
"You threw him over rather sudden
like"
81 didn't. lie threw me over-truly
1t was IL stupid muddlc about-about Mr..
Sake, and a rose, and-things."
THE things leaves room for inlagina-
ton"
Miss Foster ignored this with u smile
and sat silently looking at the plain as it
unrOlled before tIem in the night, like II
wide bale OF dark cloth, brocadcd with
greasewood bushes. Now and then the
train rumbled over small trestle, and the
white post numbering it shot past. The
telegraph poles whisled by, and the wires
rose and fell like the swells Of the sea
Far off across the dark prairie light
CLEANED at long intervals in the window
of house that was invisible, but for them
it was always, minute after minute, hour
after hour, the whirling monotony of the
plain in the night, the steady arch IL the
gray blue sky glittering with stars. Rum
bic, thunp, rattle, rattle, rumble, thump,
and the ground whizZed past and the tele-
graph poles darted by, and the cool wind,
heavy with the grcasewood odor, whistled
around them, but Kitty sat locking
straight before her, and her tiny hands
were still folded on her knee. Shs know
that kearnoy was wild over every moment
she was making him waste.
AT last she sighed 1t was a mighty
sigh, which cost Miss Foster severe phys
ical effort, but she meant it to be heard
above the rattle and the wind. 1t was
heard, and a hand slipping YEARLY and
carclcssly from her knee touched the lieu
tenants palm. The hand was caught
and held. There was silence again.
Then Miss Foster struggled properly
hard to release her fingers, but she failed.
You mustn't hold my hand" she remon-
stratcd.
"Whyg'
because. :"
SIS there any other good reasonp'
Miss Foster nodded.
Tell me-"
"'An engaged girl shouldn't let her hand
be held"
Kearncy dropped it rs if it burned
Kitty took advantage of the noise of the
wheels to speak her mind aloud but not
SO loud that it could reach her companion.
big chumpr' she breathed.
Il didn't know you We're engaged, or
shouldn't have done it. "
Miss Foster, in another aside, said,
"Weil, like thatr'
Il know you wouldn't" she replied,
with the voice Of a forgiving deity,
"May l ask whom it is?''
"Wcll, I'm not exactly engaged yet, but
I'm afraid l shall be-.
THAT 5 curious"
''Isn't it:''
After Il lapse of some moments Miss
Foster resumed: You know when Mr..
Lowell was down at the post? Well, he
he liked me good deal l liked him,
too-somc-so he thought it would-would
be IA good thing if we were engaged. He
was dreadlully cross. Not cross exactly,
hut-wcll stern He said l needed to be
bound. Did you ever? 1 need to be
bound As though hadn't bit of prin-
uiple! Besides it's easy enough to break
nh cngagCn!cnt-at least | should think so,
Isn't it?''
Even the infatuated Kearney found this
:hildlilo appeal for information overdone,
coming from Miss Foster Come off,
Miss Kittyr he said
Miss Kitty smiled blandly. perhaps
| it isn't, bat l thought maybe it was. Is
it wrong 70 break an engagement? We'll,
anyway, he wanted me to promise, and
didn't see the use just then, so l told him
that I'd not really be exactly engaged I'M
til the next time we met. l thought I'd
have time to think about it by then. Well,
then, when the order came for US all to
move, he wrote down that he and lot of
the others from Grant would be waiting
for their TRANSPORTATION at Wilcox when