The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-07-15

ooh no vo1 ire not. And why did you
write mo such a dreadfully stiff letter.
There, now" he cried, Il was sure
1t was stiff"
Then why write it?'
ct wasn't my own composition.
Whose then? Your aunt's?'
"Oh, no. 1t was a person OF the nahle
of Slattery.'
Goodness! who is hep
II knew it would come out. felt
that IL would. You've heard Of Sla cry,
the author"
Never"
He is wonderful at expressing him
self. JIe wrote a book called The secret
Solved: or. Letter-writing Made Easy.
1t gives you models of all sorts of let
ters."
Ida burst out laughing. 80 you actu-
ally copied one"
1T was to invite a young lady TO a
picnic, but | set to work and soon got
it changed so that ii would do very
we'll. Slattery seems never to have
asked any one TO ride q tandem. But
when / had written it, it seemed so
dreadfully stiff that / had to put a lit
tie beginning and end Of my own which
seemed to brighten it up a good deal.
Il thought there was something funny
about the beginning and end"
Did you? Fancy your noticing the
difference in style. How quick o are!
1 am very slow at things like that. /
ought to have been a woodman, or
gamekeeper, or something. 1 was made
on those lines. But l have found some
thing now"
What is that. then?"
Branching. l nave a chum in Texas.
and he says it Is a rare life. I an to
buy a share in his business. ]. is all in
the open air~-shooting, and riding, and
sport. Would it-would 1t inconvenience
you much, Ida, to come out there with
me -"
Ida nearly fell off her perch in her
amazement. The only words of which
she could think were my goodness
me-" so she said them.
IF ii would not upset your plans,
or change your arrangements in any
way" He had slowed down n let go
of the steering handle, so that the great
machine crawled aimlessly about from
n side of the road to the other. Il
know very we'll that / am not clever or
anything of that sort, but still | would
do all 1 "a to make you very happy.
Don't you think that in time o might
come to like me a little bit"
Ida gave a cry of fright. Il won't
like you If you run me against a brick
WALL" she said, as the machine rasped
against the curb. do attend to the
steering"
Yes. 1 will. But tell me. Ida, whether
you will come with me-"
"Oh, / don't know. It's too absurd.
How can we talk about such things
when l annot see you? You speak to
the nape of my neck, and then / have
to twist my head round to answer"
Il know. That was why / put You in
front upon my letter. / thought that
it would make it easier. But if you
would prefer it I will stop the machine.
and then o can sit around and talk
about it,"
Good gracious!' cried Ida Fancy
our sitting face to face on a motionless
tricycle. in the middle of the road, and
all h people looking out of their win
dows at u.s."
1T would look rather funny, wouldn't
it? Well, then, suppose that we both
get off and push the tandem along in
front of u.s."
"Oh, no, this is better than that"
o 1 could carry the thing"
ida burst out laughing. THAT would
be more absurd still"
Then we will go quietly, and ! will
look out for steering. / won't talk about
it at all if you would rather not. But l
really do Owe you very much, and you
would make me happy if you came to
Texas with me, and / think thai per-
haps after a time l could make you
happy, too"
But your aunt?'
ooh, she would like it very much. I
can understand that your father might
not like to lose you. I'm sure l wouldn't
either, if / were ne. But. after all, Amer
lea Is not very far off nowadays, and
is no so very wild. We would take a
grand piano, and-and-a copy of
Browning. And Denver and his wife
would come over to see us. We should
be quite a family party. 1t would be
jolly
Ida sat listening to the stumbling
words and awkward phrases which were
whispered from the back Of her. but
ohere was something in Charles West
macott's clumsiness Of speech which
was more moving thar the words of the
most eloquent Of pleaders. He paused
he stammered, he caught his breath be-
tween the words. and ne blurted out
In little blunt phrases all the hopes Of
his heart. If love had not come to her
yet. there las at least pity and SYM
pathy, wi ! are nearly akin to it.
Wonder there was also that one go
weak and frail as she should shake this
strong man so, should have the whole
course of his life waiting for her deci-
sion. Her left hand was on the cushion
at her side. He leaned forward and took