The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-07-13

matron, invited him to find place on
the rug.
81 Just happened to be in this part OF
town, and l thought would drop in
and see if Jim was here" he said.
Of course Jim was not there, and
they told him to remain anyway, so he
sat on the top step and she sat two steps
below him, and Swinger talked with
Mr.. and Mrs. Hadley about the weather
and the war with Spain and the reopen
ing of the bicycle SEASON. while she
hummed little tunes and occasionally
looked up at him, at which times he felt
his pulses bound.
Swinger, like many another diffident
man, could talk freely and at his ease
with those who were decidedly his
elders or who followed the lines OF
everyday business talk, and so he man
aged famously with Mr.. and Mrs. Had
lev. He did not know that ten o'clock
had passed. Mr.. Hadley announced
that he would go in and read for awhile.
Mrs. Hadley followed him. Swinger
arose to depart.
"Oh, no; not yet" she said, and
Swinger, shifting his hat from one hand
to the other, said nothing, but re-
mained.
Its such a lovely night" she con-
tinued. I'D like to go out walking"
"We-we might" said Swinger.
"Really, l want to go. I've been in
the house all day. Come in until l get
my hat"
"Thank you, I'll"
"No; 1 have a particular reason for
wanting you to come in"
Swinger followed her into the house,
and then she turned on him and said,
mischievouslJ: II wanted to see your
spring suit. It's awfully swell. Oh, the
flowers! Who gave them to you?"
ut was the forist-really," with a
boyish simplicity.
81 have some flowers, too," she said,
and she pointed at the roses in the vase.
Then she came up close to him to chirk
up the flowers in his button-hole, and
she said TO him, as she looked straight
in his eye: "Itw simply lovely of you
to send them"
Swinger blushed and failed Of
speech, as he had at their first meeting.
She was so near him that he caught
some subtle fragrance from her hair
and tingled with sudden and an over
whelming surprise that he should have
been selected from among mortals for
such a marvellous experience as this.
He had confused impressions Of see
ing her put on her hat and of the de-
parture from the house, with her hand
on his arm. He shook himself and
grasped his walking-stick, determined
to think of something, but in all the
range of speech there was nothing to
fit the moment. They walked silently
under the trees and he became fright
ened at his inability to talk. But she
had something to say to him.
81 was-a little provoked at you this
evening" she began.
why? What did l do?" he asked,
with actual alarm.
"Why, you said you came to see Jim
1 thought at first you had come to see
me. Do you know, Mr.. Swinger, this is
the first time you've been out here when
we didn't have to send for you? And
to think that you came to see Jim!"
Swinger did not detect the coquetry
of her speech. He thought only of his
bad manners and his natural ability fol
doing the unfortunate thing on every
occasion.
"Well, I'd rather-see you than jim,
he said, and then he realized that this
was an impertinent declaration instead
of graceful excuse. Fortunately she
was not offended.
well, that's nice of you to say that
You ought to like me better than yor
do Jim. for he used to say the most
dreadful things about you. He said
you hated girls and never went out any
where, and wouldn't dance, and all that
1 know it wasn't SO; or at least it ISM
so now, is it?"
"Well, the fact is that 1 hadn't-yol
know, there was long time there
didn't go around at all until met yol
or anyway until you invited me out
here that time"
"0h, l don't believe it. just won
dered when l received those flower.
this morning if the others were a.
beautiful as mine"
What others?"
"0h, innocentl"
"0h, Miss Hadley, for fact, haven
sent flowers to any girl in years, ant
that was" he stopped suddenly, fo
his earnestness had carried him beyond
bounds again. But the adorable crea
ture was as forbearing as she was in
nocent. 1t seemed to him that she pu
an added pressure on his arm as sh,
said:
well, whether that's true or not, tn,
ones you sent me were the most beau
tiful things l ever saw in my life, ant
l can't tell you bow much l prize them
And if were sure that you had neve
sent such flowers to any other girl, L,
think"
She looked up at him, and Swinge
again lost the power of speech and al
the stars that were out seemed to whir
like pinwheels.
They walked homeward again an,
talked of many things not at all i'm
portant. Swingcr had made discoy
cry. Do not be surprised to hear of II