Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-05-11


Course the little MINK he muttered
under his breath. "She'll be the undoing
of u.s."
Hastily pushing his pack to one side
under pretense of reaching roll Of linen,
he contrived to block up the way to the
door leading upward. At the same in
slant Delight reappeared, and he drew a
deep breath of relief. One heeting glance
at her face told him that the note conceal
ed within the package of lace had been
safely read in secret.
Dear Hearts Delight" were the words
eagerly devoured by her, IF you can come
to our tryst at dusk tonight, be not salts
fed with the quality Of this lace. If an
other time pleases you better, be unsulted
with it's pattern and find a way to let me
know your WILL"
1T will require three yards, mother"
she said, going to Mistress Esther's side
and speaking demurely. "But 1 find the
quality OF this lace is not fine enough to go
well with the lutestring. This first piece
is far BETTER
GAS you will, daughter. Use your gold
piece to your own liking. I think there
will not be soon again so good an occa.
sion for buying such fnery. l purpose
getting of you some more useful articles,
my good man. But it is time now to pre-
pare for dinner. Will you not eat with
us? A noon rest will surely not come
:amiss with you, and afterward we can
look over your wares at our leisure
Sylvia only waited to hear his polite ac-
ceptanee of this invitation, which was
in accordance with the simple hospitality
of those times, before she seized her sun
bonnet from its nail and hurried over to
the Townsend place, whose well-tilled
acres were next to those of her father.
where's Dave?" she asked, with scant
ceremony of his little brother, whom she
found sitting astride the barnyard fence.
Hes jes gone out to the barn."
She found him mending some tools. He
did not hear her light step, so she stood
for a moment watching his quick, deft
movements He was whistling softly, and
she joined in with a clear, low second.
At his swift upward look of surprise, she
burst into merry laugh.
"'Dave, do you like peddlersT was her
unexpected question, as she sat down on
q pile of bags and clasped her hands
around her knees.
"Peddlers in general or the one who was
here this morning?" was his equally I'M
expected reply.
ooh! Has he been here? Did you see
.him?'
Eyes. helped mother pick out dozen
-,ools of thread and two cards of hooks
eyes, one white, the other black he
led, gravely.
lid you get look at him!'
thy? he inquired his attention at
aroused by her unusual seriousness.
don't know" she answered, care
Then, after a short hesitation,
III do know, Dave. l think he's seen
III, somewhere before, and | wish
Lojme over and stay around till he
GEL"
de, dropped the hammer he was u.s.
brhe blood rushed to his cheeks.
o,y, Sylvia" he cried, Il couldn't do
!, thing as that"
rs not the first time that she had
apim hints respecting Delight, and
me- Dlt ,ot like them very we'll. At first
he la11hhed at her fancies, but now he
felt called on to reprove her romantic
imaginings.
You should not say such things Of your
sister, Sylvia. They do not sound we'll.
You are but child. and can't understand
ali that happens. Your sister would new
err" but Sylvia had sprung up, her
cheeks afiame, her manner indignant.
.'Oh, very we'll, then, Mr.. Dave Town
send | won't tell you word l was go
ing to, and if anything happens, don't you
blame me.'
She was off across the barnyard, down
The driveway and out into the road like a
small whirwind before he could recover
sufficiently from his establishment to say
a word had she been there to hear. His
whistle was now prolonged and express
i've.
~'What a little pepper-pod. l wonder
now what put that idea about the peddler
and Delight into her pretty head! It's
absurd to think that they have met be-
fore!'
He dismissed the matter from his
thoughts. but every little while all the af-
ternoon and evening it required to him in
q vaguely disquieting way. Could he have
known of the meeting under the thick
shade of some alders at the bottom of
the orchard behind the Leland house on
the shadowy side of dusk, he would have
had stronger faith in Sylvia's misgivings
But he did not know of it. nor did any
one else except the two most closely con-
.cerned At the end of an hour of earnest
conversation Delight slipped unseen into
the house, and the peddler, raising his
ached from their unaccustomed burden,
started briskly off along the Boston road.
A day or two after this, when Timothy
Leland came home 70 his dinner, he was
seriously displeased to find that Delight
had ridden to her Aunt Diapers home in
Dedham. 1t was distance of twelve or
fifteen miles by the nearest route The
two families often exchanged visits. and
the girls had sometimes gone and returned
together unattended. But that Delight
should have made the two hours journey
at time when affairs were in so unset
tied state and when men were fiocking
to Cambridge from all directions. was, IL
her fathers thinking, quite another mat