The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-06-15
She Helped Him.

r ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Littlewood Phillips had been in love
with Mildred harrington for. two years,
ever since he first met her at the Hal
. lowells' card party. He had no good
reason to doubt that his love was re-
turned, yet so fearful was he that he
had misread her feelings, SO much did
he dread her refusal of his suit, that he
had never limited that she was more to
him than any of the girls he met at the
church sociables and card parties in
Newington. Innumerable chances for a
declaration of love had offered them
selves, for he was regular caller at the
harrington mansion, but this youth
was as devoid of spunk as hare and
was no nearer the goal of. his desires to-
day: than he had been when Cupid first
aimed his dart at him. -.
So matters stood when a snowfall
that brought saeighing in its wake Wis
tied Newington, and Littlewood be-
came conscious of the fact that he had
actually asked Miss harrington to take
a ride with him Of course he must
perforce bring matters to crisis now.
he was afraid that Judge harrington
would be asking his intentions, and it
would be humiliating TO have such a
question come before he could refer him
to the girl for an answer. No; beyond
a doubt he must pluck up enough cour-
age to ask her to be his wife or else
cease calling upon her, an alternative
that was hideous enough to chill his
heart. j.
The evening was soon at hand. A
crescent moon shone in the east and the
stars were cold and scintillating He
walked TO, the livery stable and asked
for: the cptter,, and few minutes later
he was driving a handsome chestnut to
the house where his thought spent most
of the. tipse. Miss Harrington kept him
waiting a good half .hour. but he re-
Hscted ahaahiitt was the, privilege of her
glorious sex, and it only made him love
her the, more. If she had come out and
places .aer dainty foot upon hie neck he
would :hage been. overcome with rap
sure I'm, fact in his present state,
Which alaa also been his state for "A
months, Littlewood was not many re-
moves. from calf .,
1t, tgaS cold waiting, so he got out
and Attclsed his horse and paced In front
e hor' house, her faithful sentinel until
daath-e.if need be. Not that there was
sry reason to think that his services
would be required. but it pleased his
seit love to imagine himself dying for
this lovely being of whom his tongue
stood IN such awe that it could scarce
loose itself in her presence.
AtlaSt she appears. The FESTIVE horse
Giants his ears at her and paws the
for Mildred was as pretty as regular
f0atures, fair skin and melting eyes
could make her.
Listlewood handed her into the sleigh,
stepped in himself, tucked in the robes
and chirruped to the horse. That intel
ligent animal did not move. A flush Of
modification overspread the face Of the
would be amorous swain. A balky horse,
and at the start What chance would
he have to deliver his precious message
that was ito make two hearts happy
He clicked again to the horse, but again
the horse continued to stand still
You might unhitch him, Mr.. Phil
lips. That would help. - said Mildred
Ia her sweet voice. j.,
"Oh, yes-t-to be surel ! must have
tied him. mean I-er-I di-I think
did hitch-er"- ~
There seems to have been hitch
somewhere, she answered. ~
He stepped out of the sleigh and
looked over his shoulder at her in a
startled way. Could she mean any
thihg2 Was this encouragement Oh,
nox It was too soon. (Too soon, and he
had been in love two yearsD He. un-
hitched the horse and once more placed
himself beside his loved one.
The frosty night seemed to have set
seal upon her lips, for as they sped
over the crunching snow and left the
town behind them she was silent
81 Unjust have offended her. I've prob
ably made break Of some kind, said
Lttlewood to himself s'How unfortu-.
mattel But l must tell her tonight. 1t is
now or never. This attention is too
marked to pass as mere courtesy Of
the winter season. She knows never
took anybody but my mother sleigh rid
ing before. =
Then began a process of nerving him
self to the avowaL Heground his knees
together until the bones ached. His
breathing was feverish
I Mum widowed = I mean Mil
bred And then he stopped He had
never called her Mildred before. He had
never called her Mildewed. either, but
that was accidental. and he hoped that
she had not noticed the slip