La Junta tribune., 1898-11-23
MY ENGAGEMENTS.

lE1GQA0A0U0 HCtIuuIutMUSNH httuttNOr
that suffered secret and unccasing rang
Of bopclcaa loye- after MY Cousin GeQfre
changed his mind and dclicatCly refused
the honor Of my hand. ard perhaps the
only nay os comfort which siaptsd Htycway
came from, the inrer know ledge, which
might hing to myself. that u wasn't srie,
,6stl had not . spark OF ,hopclCss ldyc In
me-thst the only. strong feeling had IN
the matt ar ard .RoturAlly enough. too
was the ono which found cx-rcssion in The
words. uttered quite privately 70 myself.
:" All right. Cou.in George. you just walt
. bitr' Ard j think 1 didn't look quite
- prctty n usual ns murmurcti them
& OF eourse III hnd becn offered to Cousin
George and be hnd not wished to po~scss
me that would have been another natter:s
and ! should have bccn the last to hlnnsc
him. but the way In which he philandercd
round and pestcrcd ME hen he camo
home from Heidelberg nearly four yeniS
ago became morc than n ioke-it became
absolutely absorbing hndht even time
20 mend my frocks, for didn't like to
bring a whole ehsbly skirt into the draw
Ing room 70 bind the l,ostoni Of II v hiie
be sat and iorkcd at me. - l5uEdto do
silly NtialA things. stch ~ daynink Jhrce
cornercd rents In my rocket handkerchiefs
where ! Rad hticfesl them ON tho bushea
1IlQ rtAOhsA nNNSI uosO
dreamed Of doing at all " he bad not been
there tsi s4si3a 80 n ~
He proposed 70 ME fye. times. which I
thought tity each tirrc he did It. and his
proposals used to make pne very hQt and
sxhausted They wceu all made in Juno
and generally In the xun-Cougin George
never had much idea Of tho fitness Of
thing@caDd ! 50 soon cau,s to tie end Of
all had to say that was nt . disadvnn-
tage and quito uncomfortable. sitting
there saying nothing. wherrns Cousin
Gcorro sccned able 10 pruttle on forever.
Idon't know why did It. but the 1fth
time Cousin George grew white about the
lips and finished up az usual by sayinG.
.wnl you marry me, Flor I enid, oh,
well. don't mind II do And really !
didn's ntnd. 5lor Lind known Cousin
George for years and years and was Very
fond Of him. and fcls that at any rate
II would put an end TO his proposals.. and
Aunt Theresa said thus July was going 70
b. very hot 81 g.saA y /
Well. any how, whether Il was right OF
WronR or stupid or sensible, said strulRht
out, II don't mind II do, . and tfep Of
course We were crgngcd ] rally did
mind Il at all. Tor knew Cousin tisSiRs
% well, and ho knew me. and iheruswa6
NO Lother about renrsAnKinR ones tdens
please the man shcy ~ E0irg TO marry,
usrd TO Look ~ him sometimes (wh hon Re
didn't happen TO b looking at mel NJ 4
sny 70 myself. .'well. 70 think tint that's )
tho n nn I'm going n mariyi" for IL zeal
" did reens odd. hut y asn't st all upsct
about ie; asd after, ,Awhilp I decided chat
Il wae really a MOst coinfnrfai IL arrange
nent and that.itwas probably all nom
sense that height of bliss and "ever-
wheiming happiness" sort Of stu6 that
some rsrsons talk and writc about
It WAS very matter CT tact at flrrt, but
whep poor George chaicd Vt that / uid ny
bess 70 play up 20 ny part ] usycs ssuld
iaiagiRe Why rcrsons couJdn Z 60 % ttust
a. usual instead Of slinking OF fps tetea
sc1es, jnst like silly children telling secrs&s
but Geosap, sespssd, 70 like - and by-Ne-
Rrecs got on caritnily really ty5cd
hard to do "a q her engaged girls ddn' :
w2n 10 my that hnd To try hard bccapfe
is was irl some to me ! really did af,t
object TO It. only was npt to forget some.
times However. in lrsx than . moute !
biv - myself OF tugging swsy from hIm
and looking .bothcrcd or rscntlpl whrn
hs I.issed me. and wbsn We had md ss5id
lwss always reaay - ha frsei'ss sraSn
In those days. when We hnd hud . tiff spd
had grown tired Of sfarfing, 6carge al
ways used 70 say, ''les us Ko down tho
river 20 the island" And always wsnt
Tho island always meant nakir n up
our quarrels again and being nsorv dcyot-
ed to ona another than usual. and Ge1Dge
adnitted that never b0re n,alice in hcNrt
80 ~ months went ON. ard G.orgs kpd
- % away. and I Grcw much 70. der Of
him then, and idon's think would hesc
carsd 70 change him for any oeter Msb !
knew - . flance. and used to writc Huch
lovely lettcrs to him used To think 9ut
srntcncps in the night. little reinark3 1
knew hs.d like to get from me- ] really
W. R11 stteptiygst0 tE1su. 1'ys nothing
10 repfcach n;ysen with % ahat scprs
And % things went on v
2 AnA sAes astsr. .aWh Whils W1i1a 0eorRe.bad
bssn eons some time his letter. chaneed
rod ho neen,ed rather troubled about s00e-
tlAng.s ffubdh = snks in6ch-nps6pe of.iAR
Just thought thas perhaps the clia1ts
49,. g. = ~ h..'; l M "a ee5 iSs ,e, the : 1u
which hpd hras4 was good for ons Y be
Srs not6ine seemed 70 ctccr Geo1k
and as ienssh whom wss really tcsinrpG
q srsaw troubled abous HI temper, h1d .
1setes from him TO ssy he thouRht we& I'D
sH sIs 81, ~ s Ssas 3 sSeiy j. = EssE! ~ =.
n sopjS 'nsver 6cps 10 81 wosshy q -
II ssedssty was sDnewhas nsW-ao q
Whole haop Of like charaeses.
.tzaa6lS 1okR su1 n1A; ssO1csay -
lzpsss yeq ksox -" sus Iw:ss
|hhyftipe - was - ssAsaoAt shas nj
- nor any ese siss really knsw how ~
9 :ss sesssss -, sss.s!sss, 3. 9 Es!sss,s - !, &
S-S.S 1i.Tl - Ska1EsofHC<i a an ~
|Rans Ahey an tAsa0hs thas wns sssp0
Vpsipg lie Wills. - - livSlies -
- - da073 "a = ~ s.dse 5.
- s.1. e. !: d. Is
|dklel4sd 4 - D1flA3 &ae,a. = ISf
=! - g. g - -. r Hss.! e = 81
l AsIssa- - ssR.n .nsuz.Ah b,ass p
1 n - =