The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-09
CAPRICE.
LFrom the Chicago News.1

LF'rom the Chicago News1
An August hop field is, of itself, an
idyI.
The hop picking was over for the day.
The pickers had laughed and frolicked
themselves out of the field They had
gone up to the farmhouse for supper.
The pullerS had piled away the denuded
poles. The hops from the great baskets
had been sacked, the usual victim had
been tumbled head first into the bin and
had fought his way out again, grand
mothers chair had been carried up to
the house, and all the field was desert
ed. Deserted but for one girl She lin
gered alone, gazing out to the west with
her deep brown eyes a-dream.
She looked troubled. She was not.
She was only perplexed.
Two lovers had declared themselves
the previous night, during the games
and dancing in the barn, and each in
sisted on being answered. She was the
prettiest girl in the hop field, and as
such had held her cOQuettish tyranny
with a. high hand. Every picker there
was ambitious to strip the bronzy cones
at her box, and now one and now an
other was elected to that honor. The
whim of the moment was her only law,
and her faYors were capriciously be-
slowed.
But oftenest at her side as co-workers
and rivals were Ivory Sadler and Anse1
Whitlow. Ivory had said to her the
odorous hop vines between dances:
Esther, I can't stand this any lon
ger. 1 love you and you know it. love
you better than any girl in the world.
You play around me and put me off and
laugh and make believe you don't know
what mean. But you do know. You
have known all the time. You talk,
about friendship, being my sister and
my cousin and all that. But it doesn't
go down with me. Either you do love
me or you don't. Either you must give
up everybody else and say you will
marry me or you must'-an instant of
silence here-''you must give me up for
AnseI Whitlow or anybody else"
"Oh. jealous of Ansel Whitlow!" she
merrily laughed.
He took both her hands. He looked
sternly in her face.
mo, am not jealous of him, nor of
anybody, nor anything If you will only
say you care for me. Esther, you must
She looked down. A little frightened
sigh killed the smile on her lips. She
had played fast and loose with him so
long that now his Vehemence Sobered
her She pulled her hands, but he held
them fast. He bent nearer. His hair
touched hers.
Esther, dearest he whispered, 'say
that you care for me-if you do
A whippoorwill called from the woods.
The fiddler within the barn was saving
his strings for ''MOnnie Musk" She
hesitated. The dance was beginning.
''WhippOorwill, whippOOrwill," called
the bird in the pauses. She jumped up
bright. I'll tell you what, Ivory. They
say that whatever you think or feel
when the whippoorwilI sings will last
forever. Tomorrow night when he sings
about this time, you watch me. II |
stretch out my hands to you or if I
don t, you will know it means forever"
She ran into the barn and Ivory fol-
lowed. He was strong young fellow,
with a resOlute air, and bold, bright
| beauty of the rich, dark kind. When
his mind was made up he was not to
be trified with. This Esther knew and
she knew it was made up now. Ansel
Whitlow waited to secure her for
n
her ear:
Il know what Ivory was saying to
you out there on the hop vines. He was
telling you what I was going to do If
he didn't get ahead of me. But I'm
| afraid to now. Did you promise him,
Esther? You didn't, I know"
She gave him her most coquettish
! glance.
Promise him? Promise him what?
| Now, Anseli"
And the tone and air with which she
| said Now, Ansel," was equivalent to
/ a declaration of devotion itself. Ansel S
/ heart leaped.
4 knew you didn't. I didn't believe
! that you cared for him more than me.
| come-I want to show 'em all tomorrow
| that you belong to me"
"Oh, no." she dimpled. Don't be
disagreeable, Ansel; you know 1 like
! you well enough"
But that is not it. I want you to
| like me more than anybody else.
| want you to marry me-
[ "Oh!" She drew in her breath with q
| little Shudder.
The music stopped with a fnal
! squeak. The dancers flung themselves
! down for breath Ansel led Esther tC
| the door. The slender moon was shin
ing low in the sky. He looked in hel
! eyes.
'sWiH you?'' he said.
| ''WiH 1 what?" rather petulantIy.
| ''Win you marry me?'
| Esther wasd riven to bay again. She
| fretted. She did not like it. The whip.
| poorwill called from the wood A sud
! den thought seized her.
/ 4 can't tell you now, Ansel. But to
morrow night, when you hear that
| Whippoorwill, you watch me If
/ stretch out my hands to you-why yol
Will know what it means, If not