The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1897-11-19

Z iN'Ni AiOih SftthlIg DelOfe MS snort
vacation was over and he went back to
the city; and meanwhile there was the
sweetness of an understanding no less
strong because it was yet unspoken.
Soft and clear the September evening
drew on. The whole neighborhood was
invited to the roast. They came in bug
+ gies, in carryalls, in hay wagons; and,
one group after another. they climbed
the dewy sleeps of the Hill pasture But
Tom Kellogg did not come, and Sues
brown eyns sparkled with impatience
and touch of anger at so unexpected
a turn of the tables. Finally, when the
big bonfire had been lighted, and every
one was gathering about it, Toms
buggy drove up to the foot of the hill,
and he helped out of it very young
and very pretty girl-Mss Eleanor Ca
bell, the city boarder at his aunt's.
Poor Tom! it was not his fault, and
Sue might have known it; but the aman-
tbs lrae is proverbially unreasonable
The facts were that Miss Cabell was
young, charming, ignorantly enthusi-
astlc, had never seen corn-roast. and
thought she was comforting a great fa-
vor upon Tom by accompanying him,
not dreaming that his aunt had begged
him to invite her. Entirely ignorant of
his affair with Sue, she claimed him,
sweetly and unconsciously, for her
own.
"Oh, how beautiful" she cried, as
they cir the slope, and saw the
greas 5o flaming up on the summit
DO tahe close to it, Mr.. Kellogg!'
and she chartered away 10 him, with lit
tie shrieks of admiration, as the wide
streaks of flame shot high into the air
and fiared upon the summer wind. The
one huge F:ae tree, stretching its wide
branches upon the summit, was so near
the blazing pile of logs and brush that
one big limb caught watt of the flame,
and the needles snapped with cracking
explosions. "Oh, will it be quite safe?''
cried Eleanor, and clung for an instant
to her escorts arm. Sue, passing near,
felt swift desire to strangle her on the
spot.
But that was only the beginning, for
Miss Cabell was either appealing to
Tom or ordering him around for the
next two hours. First, she must have a
choice ear Of corn selected for her out
of the big basket, heaped up to over
flowing with the green, tasseled
sheaths. Then, with her own white
hands, he must show her how to inn
pale it upon the sharpened end of the
long, 1.-the sapling, and she would insist
upon fixing one for him, too. Then the
right place must be chosen, where she
could lower the corn, at the end of the
swaying rod, into the heart of the glow
ing fire, now sunken to an irregular cir
Gle of white-hot embers. This necessi-
tated getting so near to the bonfire that
the heat redeemed her pretty cheeks,
and Toms big handkerchief had to be
called into play. Holding it before her
face with one hand, and peeping round
the edge of it, with many appeals as to
whether she was holding the corn right,
and was it done, and was he sure the
sapling wouldn't catch fire and burn
her up, Miss Eleanor Cabell was GER
tainly a bewitching spectacle-one of
those charming, helpless, winsome lit
tie women whom all men enjoy. How
was Sue to know that Tom wasn't en-
| Joying it? When he managed to cross
tn her side for moment, he found her
absolutely stony to him and flirting
desperately with VIII Adams; and he
was soon almost as angry as she was.
The merriment grew and heightened
as the evening went on. The smoking,
blackened, sizzling ears of corn were
withdrawn from the fire, sprinkled with
salt, and, hot and tender beyond de
scription, were eaten, amid a general
chatter and fun. More and yet more
were stripped from their silken sheaths,
toasted and consumed; and. in the
dying embers, apples were cozily roast
ed as a dessert. The great ring of fire
died into a dim glow, and then into
mere twinkle of light here and there
| among the ashes; the stars came out
over the hills, and the wind ceased.
| leaving a baimy clearness in the far
spaces of the night. 1t was time for go
ing home, so the reyelers joined hands,
and ended the corn-roast by dancing in
ring about the fire, and trampling out
| the last embers, keeping time to their
| flying feet by an old-fashioned chorus
as they swung round and round. Miss
Cabell was charmed with this; she
danced like fairy, and laughed like
child as she tripped in the swaying
circle. Everyone admired her, and
thought Tom Kellogg in luck. Sue
heard the comment e, rywhere; she
was irritated beyond feminine en-
durance; and when, as the ring broke.
and the groups scattered again, to
wend their way down the hill in the
starlit softness of the night, Tom at
last found his opportunity to speak
with her, she was in her most exasper-
sting mood:
II am going away day after to-mor-
row, Sue. Can | see you tomorrow
"Will Adams is going TO drive me over
to Fair Haven tomorrow. | shall stop
al Aunt Sylvia's, and | won't be back
again until Monday" she said, stiffiy.
Sue" said Tom, shortly. all his in