Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-03-25

Was that Jack who talked so--could n
be-her Jack?
"Oh. come now!" laughed Ned. you
know you are exaggerating. She's MOI
quite ~ bad a. that"
pretty nearly!" ruefully. II don't
30 much mind her skittishness-- could
break her Of that. I natter myself--but
she has terrible temperi"
She must not faint. Jessica told her.
self frantlcaily. On, she must not!
Was that dark thing beside her in the
shadow of the portiere q fauteuil? She
sank down on It heavily. weakly, ex-
haustedly. Horror of horrors! 1t at
first succumbed second to her weight.
then move., protested with vigorous
energy. shrieked.
All faintness banished. Jessica leaped
to her feet, her soft, quick cry of alarm
mingling with that muffied roar Of
rheumatic agony.
That's aunt" gasped Ned.
'.Jessica!" cried Jack. He strobe for
ward and flung aside the portiere. The
light from the library poured into the
shadowy morning-room. 1t fell on
Jessica standing just within very white
and trembling, and 1t showed on the
floor large and ungraceful heap Of
crushed drab silk and bugles. disorder
ed 'front.'" and gruesome groans.
For moment they stood and stared
-speechless. But Miss Murphy kept
on grooming.
What is 1t all about?" queried Ned
bewilderedly, helping his aunt to rise.
Il" faltered Jessica, sat down on
Miss Murphy"
"What?" cried Ned.
I'VE were eavesdropping," confessed
Miss Murphy, with venomous candor,
land Jessica took me for footstool
and"
my darling!" whispered Jack (no,
not to Miss Murphy 81 thought when
l heard your voice you were hurt or"
Jessica famed up.
How dare you? Stand back sir!
Here's your ring" She tugged bravely,
but 1t fitted well. IL have heard in
what manner you speak of me. No."
don't appear astonished!
Recall your conversation of yesterday
with Ned Sales
Ned stared at being thus abruptly re-
ferred to. Jack looked dazed. II did
not intend to hear such another con-
versation as that which had been re-
peated to me, but l did. If I'm-Im,"
the rose crimsoning in her cheeks,
'skittish," bringing out the hateful
word with jerk, "and-and deuced-
slowly. land IL I've got
a ter-ter--here's your ring!"
She had wrenched 1t off at last.
But Jack did not take it. His dumb
1t was well noisy polonaise was in
progress in the drawing-room. He
laughed. He kept on laughing. Sud-
denly the whole ludicrous misunder-
bursting on Ned he struck in
with a very howl of delight, and they
fell into each others arms like
couple of crazy boys and supported each
other and laughed.
But recollecting Jessica standing
there, Sutherland explained, between
shameful relapses into Laughter, ut
was-a horse. / thought / knew all
about horsefesh. l knew nothing. /
have to take her-the idiocy is mine.
fondly fancied had found Maud s.
Jim Smiley's famous nag could beat
Ter. gave thousand for her. She's
now you understand!
For Jessica had sprung forward,
mouth and eyes three sweet, remorse-
ul "Os?'
"Jack-Jack! And how 1 talked just
howl" all riotous bushes. II must
nave, after all, a-a-the kind of a
emper you said the horse had"
I'll risk it," laughed Jack.
Needless of Mrs. Bryant's small
nephew, who had entered and stood
itockstill an exclamation point of in
Iuisitive delight; needless of Ned. who
lung in silent, spasmodic commissions
o the portiere; needless even, this rash
-oung man, of Miss Murphy-that anc-
ent virgin who, rigid and frigid, glow
red at him in an access of scandalized
nodesty, he took his sweetheart in
lis arms with good, long. loving kiss,
md thus adoringly addressed her:
Doubted me, did you? You-con-
emptible little-wretch!"