The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-05-03

| been without color, pale ana clear
| like the sky about the evening star,
| went crimson in moment. She bit
| her lip and shot at me one whitening
glance, then dropped her eyelids and
hid the lightning. When l looked at
| her again, covertly, and from under
my hand raised as though to push
| back my hair she was pale once more,
and her dark eyes were fixed upon the
water and the green trees without
the window.
| The congregation rose, and she
stood up with the other maids. Her
| dress of dark wooden, severe and un-
adorned her close ruff and prim
white Golf, would have cried "Puri-
| tan" had ever Puritan looked like this
| woman, upon whom the poor apparel
had the seeming of purple and err
mine.
Anon came the benedction- Gov
ernor councillors, commanders and
ministers left the choir and paced
solemnly down the aisle; the maids
closed in behind; and we who had lined
the walls, shifting from one heel to
the other for long two hours,
brought up the rear, and so passed
from the church to fair green mead
| ow adjacent thereto. Here the COM
| pany disbanded; the wearers of gold
lace betaking themselves to seats
| erected in the shadow of mighty
| oak. and the ministers, of whom there
were four. bestowing themselves
within pulpits of turf. For one altar
and one clergyman could not hope to
| dispatch that days business.
AS for the maids, for a minute or
more they made one cluster; then,
| shvly, or with laughter, they drifted
apart ike the petals of wind-blown
rose, and silk doublet and hose gave
chase. Five minutes saw the goodly
company Of damsels errant and
would-be bridegrooms scattered far
and near over the smiling meadow.
For the most part they went man and
| maid, but the fairer of the feminine
cohorts had ring of clamorous suit
ors from whom to choose AS for me,
l walked alone; for If by chance
neared a maid, she looked (woman-
like) at my apparel first, and never
reached my face, but squarely turned
her back. So disengaged, l felt like
a guest at mask, and in some meas
ure enjoyed the show, though with an
uneasy consciousness that | was
| pledged to become, sooner or later, q
part of the spectacle. I saw shep-
herdess fresh from Arcadia wave
back dozen importunate gallants,
then throw knot of blue ribbon into
| their midst, laugh with glee at the
scramble that ensued, and finally
march off with tine wearer OF the
favor. saw a neighbor Of mine, tall
Jack Pride. who lived 12 miles above
me, blush and stammer and bow
again and again to a milliner's ap-
prentice of girl, not five feet high
and all eyes, who dropped curtsy
at each bow. When I had passed
them so yards or more, and looked
back, they were still bobbing and
bowling.
At the far end of the meadow, near
| the fort, l met young Hamor. alone,
flushed, and hurrying back to the more
populous part of the field.
"Not yet mated?" I asked. "Where
are the maids eyes"
"By-!" he answered, with an
angry laugh, "if they're all like the
sample I've just left, I'll buy me a
squaw from the Paspaheghs!'
When he was gone. I stood still for
awhile and watched the slow sweep OF
buzzard high in the blue, after which
I unsheathed my dagger, and with 1t
tried to scrape the dried mud from
nv boots. Succeeding but Indifferent
! ". / put the blade up, stared again at
the sky drew long breath, and
marched upon the covert of cedars in
dicated by Hamor.
As I neared il. I heard at first only
the wash of the river, but presently
there came to my ears the sound OF
| mans voice. and then woman's angry:
| "Begone, sir!"
kiss and be friends" said the man.
The sound that followed being some
thing of the loudest for even the most
! hearty salutation, was not surprised,
on parting the bushes, to find the man
nursing his cheek, and the maid her
! hand.
"You shall pay well for that, you
sweet viXen!" he cried, and caught her
by both wrists.
She struggled fiercely, bending her
head this way and that, but his hot
| lips had touched her face before |
could come between.
| When / had knocked him down he
lay where he fell, dazed by the blow
and blinking up at me with his small
ferret eyes. | knew him to be one
Edward Sharpless, and knew no good
! of him. He had been lawyer in Eng
! land. He lay on the very brink Of the
! stream, with one arm touching the wa
! ter. Flesh and blood could not resist
| it, so. assisted by the toe of my boot,
| he took cold bath TO cool his hot
| blood
| When he had clambered out and had
! gone away, cursing, ! turned to face
her She stood against the trunk Of