The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-31


away, her eyes stili fixed upon ribbon
with which she was working.
why, Katherne-er-Miss Moore
"Oh, you mustn't"
He walked 10 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 10 again on her head and began
brushing her skirt where here and there,
rain had spotted IL. She glanced several
times at his back, stubbornly turned to-
ward her He evinccd no intention of NOV
ing. nor of speaking again, and she be-
came nervous. The situation was unbear-
able, and she exclaimed
1--WE must get back to the othersr
1--WE can't very well 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
10 gather up her skirts and run TO the ho-
tel quarter Of mile away. he turned
and came quickly toward her
He put uat bis hand as though TO take
hers, but Sic 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, 81 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, perfectly formed
ears His gaze held hers for a moment,
then her eyelids fell and their long lashes
swept her cheeks.
"Mr Pearce," she said slowly and hest
tatingly, II am so sorry, but IL 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 me9"
Because" she was very busy dslodg-
ing half buried stone with the toe of her
shoe" because-you are Yankeep
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 IL came. The gray, brass buttoned
riding habit, the 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. Il am from Illinois"
1t seemed n 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 / am not jesting," he answered,
walking rapidly TO where she stood
"What mean is that you will get wet
The water is beginning to drip from the
leaves. Here, stripping of his coat, "let
me put this around you.
"Oh, no." she said, stepping back.
"But you must. The air is chill, and II
you get wet you will catch cold"
But you-you"-
at won't hurt me a 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 n long time to get IL 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.
derby:
Sweetheart, come from the north, but
/ love southern girl Don't you think
that she can love II northern man Just
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
kecdom-more than 200 miles"
She examined the necktie again, looked
into his eyes for moment, then over his
shoulder, off into the rain.
Katherine" he said softly do you
love me-"
She turned her head slowly until their
eyes met. A wave of color rushed iuto her
cheeks, and she murmured family q" Yes -
And you will be my wife,"
With perhaps n sudden thought of her
surroundings and of n stormy day 30 years
before, she replied, IL surrender.
The rain, as II 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.