The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-07-02

1 ~ Oo0 aCA AA@RA OAAC hhSOA0s
Instantly, all the teasing fed from his
manly face, and he dropped her hands.
Very well, Peggy; but may l ask
you this: Do you realize that 1t
wouldn't be quite-kind, to give MI
permission to tell you some day, and
then not to make me happy by CIV
ing me the right answer"
Peggy's lips ~quivered helplessly, but
h finally lifted her eyes to him brave
ly and answered: eyes, l realize, and
IU-be-kind."
For a moment she feared that he was
going to kiss her. But after a mo-
ment, with a wistful, h~alf-contented
sigh, he turned away and with one ac-
cord they walked toward the door, At
the portal he stopped her and asked
again: Don't make me wait long,
little girl. And don't let any one else
tell you the same story in the mean
time. I'm not afraid to trust you with
the other fellows, but-but l shouldn't
be happy to know that they had told
you that-told you the story, even
though l knew you wouldn't care for
them"
She answered him only by a look,
for some one came up with the frantic
explanation that he had been looking
everywhere for her, as this was his
dance. So she slipped away from the
yearning Richard, who made himself
ridiculous all the rest of the evening by
forgetting that he had left his name on
half a dozen programs before he had
carried Peggy off to the library.
When supper time came Richard all
at once lost sight of his lady love. He
hadn't had a chance to speak to her
since the little scene in the big arm
chair, but he had not for an instant
lost sight of the pretty white muslin
gown, with it's tiny sprigs of pink rose
buds. But in the confusion of the
breaking up of the last waltz she mys-
teriously disappeared and finally, in
sheer desperation, he hunted out her
mother, hoping to find the lost maiden
under the careful wing of the loving
chaperon.
Where is Peggy?" called the sweet
faced little mother. 1--we lost her, and
l hoped you would bring her." Poor
Richards heart sunk and with some
murmured explanation that he would
find her in a minute" he plunged off in
the midst of the gay little throng.
The search was fruitless. Everybody
seemed to have drifted into the supper
room, and still Peggy was not among
them. He plunged into the most i'm
possible corners and hiding places. He
even looked into the depths of the
big armchair in the library and still
there was no Peggy. At last, when his
face was white and his palms were
burning where his impatient nails had
dug into them, he heard a soft. tear
full little whisper from the stairs, and
there, in turn above the landing, he
found her, sobbing to herself as though
her very heart was broken.
peggy" he cried, kneeling on the
step beside her and chatting her cold
hands between his feverish palms
Peggy, what is the matter?"'
Peggy dabbed her wet little ball OF
a handkerchief into her eyes and swal-
lowed a sob. "It's-it's that big George
Waters" she choked out and then, with
a new fit of sobs, she buried her dis.
consulate little head in her lap and
could go no further,
Richard set his teeth and waited
Then, all at once, he understood, fol
he had been afraid of Waters all winter
There was no further room for delay
Leaning owe he caught the sobbine
little figure in his arms and there never
was any joy in the world so dear as his
when he felt her nestle her face on his
shoulder, while her crying grew les:
violent and finally subsidized into ar
occasional sigh of growing content.
When she had become quiet he gent.
ly turned her face to his and said:
Never mind, little girl, you needn't
explain. / know that-that-that i'm.
pudent cad has presumed to tell you
what you didn't want to hear and
know 1t wasn't your fault. But DOM
you think, little girl, that it is time
for me to tell you what I had to say
a couple of hours ago?"
And Peggy actually smiled through
her tears while he went off into ar
elaborate recital of the secret which
they congratulated themselves was al
their own and had never been so deli
ciously told by any one else in the
world.