The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-06-01

II eeeN'A - C1AsIA q sheep 10 straw, al.
ways chawin' EN-, and you'd git along
we'll together. She's too smart for this
i town, and you and her could trot to-
gether right we'll. Well, I'll send her
over to see you. reckon you are all
right, leastwise you understand takin'
Icare OF yourself. Good day."
i She arose and as he reached the door
she called him. What is it, miss?"
Nothing, only hope that you will
not forget to 60 by the blacksmith
| shop" Fl 4
The old man pulled and tramped
heavily down the stairs, and at the bot
tom he found ALT and the other fell.
lows waiting for him. Don't put
yourself to no uneasiness on her ac-
count, gentlemen" he said. "She can
| take care of herself, and if she can't, I
CAD, can take care of her or come
mighty blame nigh it; but I reckon
that expression is little too strong
| for man that thinks as much of a re-
vival as do, and ask the Lord to ex-
| cuse me-"
| "But hold on and tell us somethin'
about her." ALT insisted.
| II don't know blessed thing about
her except that she's all right, and
. that's all anybody need to know"
Shortly afterward young woman
called at the hotel, introduced herself
to the stranger and said that follow
ing the advice of her father she had
come to ask Miss Lopp to board with
her. 1--WE have a great, big old-fash-
Toned house," she said, land you may
have all the room you want, so don't
say you won't. Will you please not
say you won't?'
The visitor had taken a seat on the
piano stool and not ungracefully was
slowly turning herself half round and
then back. She was a comely girl and
twas evident that she was the belle of
the neighborhood; and it was also evil
dent that she cared nothing for this
distinction, that she had studied and
read herself beyond any companion
ship that the village might offer, and
that simply to be admired had long
since grown tiresome to her. Miss Lopp
never forgot that pleasing picture, the
dark eyes half humorously pleading,
the abundant hair caught up here and
there as if by graceful and yet careless
dips, the pleasing face and yet a coun-
tenance bespeaking strength of will
physical vigor and grace.
"You must not say you WON'T the
girl went on, giving Miss Lopp no time
to answer, until you know how much
in need of sensible companion l am.
Father-and let me request you not to
pay any attention to his strong express
sions for he is really the best man you
ever saw-well, he does everything he
can to tighten my loneliness, but he
can't DO SO very much, you know, be-
ing only man, and I am actually
hungry for some one to talk to-
II don't see how l can resist so
strong an appeal" Miss Lopp replied.
There, knew you couldn't say you
wouldn't when you were brought to
understand it all. And we'd better go
now," she added, springing off the
stool. "You shall have large front
room, but it has a rag carpet, woven
half sentimentally by woman that
lives not far from hereby half senti-
mentally mean that she thought so
much of me she wove it for half price.
But you don't mind that, do you?'
"What, the sentiment or the half
price,"
"Why, the rag carpet, of course.
l didn't know but you might expect
velvet on the floor"
my dear child," said Miss Lopp, lit
was not the thought of a CARPET that
brought me into this neighborhood.
and to tell you the truth don't care
whether the floor is covered with a rag
or with sawdust."
"Oh, l just know that 1 shall like
you, because you are not stupid with
evenness of talk and kiln-dried man.
ners. So come on and we'll 20 over
right now.'
And so Miss Lopp was installed in a
large room in an old-fashioned house.
Her two front windows commanded
the drowsy village, the town COW that
looked as though she had been patched,
having SO often been scalded by irate
housewives; the prowling hog, the
sport OF every dog that found himself
without amusement, the hitching rack
where farmers nags squealed and bit
at one another. But the two other
windows looked upon garden, rose
tinted here and there, the dark shade
lying between rows of high peas, a
tangle OF plum bushes, a long slope and
a creek.
The Office of the newspaper was
found in jumbled state, with black
and light types mixed together, but
with the assistance of boy who had
long been an apprentice, a decent order
was brought about, and from the very
first number the paper showed an
improvement. The paragraphs were
written with vigor that made the
villagers wink as though their eyes
had lighted upon something too bright
for them; and the editorials on national
and international subjects were set
forth with that dignity which the
farmer demands that his editor shall
observe. A show Of frankness soon
wins the confidence of a southern
town, and Miss Lopp became so evil
dent favorite that within a month
after her arrival her paper had picked
up an additional circulation of fifty
NSorH