The Winslow mail., 1898-05-28

:
two tiny, burning hands.
'Some day." she stammered. Then,
| noting the happy laughter in his eyes,
she cried out: "Oh, Richard why did
you do it? It is almost as bad as if
: you.had really told me, and you've made
me say things 1 had no right to say,
! and"
There was hint of tears in her re-
proachtul, big eyes, and she tugged
/ hard to loose her imprisoned fingers.
Instantly, all the teasing fed from his
manly face, and he dropped her hands.
Every we'll, Peggy; but may ask
you this: Do you realize that it
wouldn't be quite-kind, to give me per-
mission 20 tell you some day, and then
not to make me happy by giving me the
right arswer?'
Peggy's lips quivered helplcssly, but
she finally lifted her eyes to him brave
! ly and answered.: "Yes, realize, and
/ Ill-be-kind."
For moment she feared that he was
going to kiss her. But after moment,
with a wistful, half-contented SIGH, he
! turned away and with one accord 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 anyone else tell you the same
story in the meantime. I'm not afraid
to trust you with the other fellows, but
but I shouldn't be happy to know that
! they had told you that-told YOU the
story even though knew you wouldn't
/ care for them
She answered him only by look, for
some one came up with the frantic ex-
I planation that he had been looking
everywhere fer 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 dozen programmes 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 its 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. "I've 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. Ee 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 soft, fearful little
whisper from the stairs, and here, in the
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
handkerchief into her eyes and swal-
/ lowed a sob. 'It's-it's that big George
/ Waters" she choked out, and then, with
q new fit of sobs, she buried her discon-
solate little head in her lap and could
| go 10 further.
Richard set his teeth and waited.
Then, all at once, he understood, for he
had been afraid Of Waters all winter
There was no further room for delay
Leaning over he caught the sobbing lit
tie 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 less
violent and finally subsided into an oc-
casional sigh of growing content
When she had become quiet he gently
turned her face toshis and said:
"Never mind, little girl, you needn't
explain. 1 know that--that-tha i'm
pudent cad had presumed to tell YOU
what you didn't want to hear. and
know it wasn't your fault. But don't
you think, little girl, that it is time for
me to tell you what I had to say
couple of hours ago.
And Peggy actually smiled through
her tears while he went off into an elab-
crate recital of the secret which they
congratulated themselves was all their
own and had never been so deliciouslv
told by anyone else in the world-Chi-
cago News.
BOUQUET WAS LOADED.
The Young Men Didn't Know 1t, and