Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-04-20
CHATTER XIV.

pathetic talk, and when, afterward,
they retired to bed together, to restrain
herself from telling the important step
she contemplated taking on the morrow.
But the secret was not wholly her own,
and she feared to intrust it TO the
chances of the little old maids involun-
tary betrayal The only person to whom
she could talk frankly about it was Dan
ny, whose cooperation was. to n certain
extent. necessary in the plan John had
formed, and whose willingness to render
II was simply enthusiastic.
"You." she said to him. "want to get
down TO the bend of the ros;l ~ the big
walnut tree real early in the morning
and wait there until John comes along in
his cutter. The minute you see him, fire
two shots, close together. just as you
did to-day. That is all you have to do"
"And whatll you be doingY'
Running for dear life"
Danny reflected and shook his head
dubiously.
Gals can't rum" he said contcmptu-
ously, cause they wear frocks. Mam'll
catch you, sure. and sort of don't want
to fill her full of shot 'thout l have to-"
''Why, Danny! You awful boy! The
iden of anybody ever wanting you to do
such a thing!'
"Well, didn't + tell you I don't like
to, my self? But, say. I've got the
Idea Of what you want. Laudanum, you
know, puts people to sleep. Now, there's
. bottle of horse linimcnt in the barn.
that's chock full Of laudanum. Bill Tay-
Tor says he can smell it.; and IL we'd
chunk that into mann"
Danny! oh, youll surely get yourself
hanged some day! II you don't promise
me that you will not do anything to moth
er. Ill not run away at all. Why, how
do you know but that you might half kill
here, giving her things like that? And
then. how would you feel, you wicked
boyY'
How I'd feel. Well, sorry. I s'posc.
But how do you s'posc John'll feel IL
this scheme busts up? He's just dead
set on getting you, though I'm sure
don't see why, when he's got the pick
Of the girls in the township"
THAT will do now, Danny. You will
know more about such things when you
get to be older. All you have to do now
Is just what John says, and IL things
don't turn out right, 1t will not be your
fault"
Danny did not dispute that proposition.
but 1t was plain to be seen he took n
gloomy view of the probable outcome Of
job Of mischief not personally engineer
ed by himself. and would have been quite
willing to assume the responsibility Of
running the elopcment in ways that
would have been terror to parents and
guardians.
Very little sleep did Hctty Mulvcil get
that night; not because she was feather
headed fool-girl, half.crazed by the deli
cious excitement of a prospective clope.
ment, but by reason of her being good,
sensible one, who realized that she was
about to take Il very serious step-Onc,
In all probability, irrevocable and weight.
ed with all her lifc's destiny. 1t Is not
necessary that an intelligent, reasoning
maiden shall, under such circumstn nces,
feel distrust Of her lover to set her
gravely bordering upon what may be hid.
den behind the veil of the future. He IL
but one factor In the problem with which
fate confronts her, though, II must be nd.
mitted, n very important one. The wis.
est foresight Is only good g,iesswork; In
every darkness danger turks, aud love
alone. whatever the poets may say, will
not tighten the obscurity of the next hour
Of our existence. Fate never ceuses
tempting and compelling us. Every mo-
ment of life Is fraught with infinite DO.
tentialities, and according as we viyify
those moments with earncstncss OF pur-
pose and intensity of action. 30 we wake
those latent forces into active being and
give to their control the helm of our dcs.
tiny.
The girl got into n condition of ncry.
Gus wakefulness, with thinking, hoping
and fearing.
"COme! she said to herself at length.
II shall positively get no sleep ut all,
and will look like an owl tomorrow, IL I
don't drive John and marrying and all
that clean out OF my head. | wonder
II counting the clock-ticks would put me
to sleep? 1t does some people, I've heard.
One, two, three, four How strangely
loud they are! Everything sounds loud.
er Mt night, ] suppose. wonder if
Mary Elder knows that she snOres--just
a little bit? One, two, three / won
der II l snOre? And il l do, what will
John say II he ever finds It ont? Pshaw!
Why can't ] stop thinking about John +?
One, two Oh! Twelve o'clock! Well,
II this isn't the longest night! won.
der II John Is lying awake, too? There
It Is again! JOhn' John! Always
John. wonder what makes the light of
90 many cOlors? Every time the fire
fares up there IL little ribbon, of the
color Of gold, under the door; and the
moonlight on the wall IL as white and
cold as the SHOWS and the light In Johns
eyes Is blue. Bother Johns eyes! wish
! could 20 to sleep. How can body
sleep when there IRE SO many pOiscsY 1
don't believe there ever were 80 many
noises about this house before. Let me
count. There's the clock makes three
kinds; ticking, wheezy whiz when it's
going to strike aud striking. Then there
are the crickets. ! don't believe they
make that noise with their hind legs,
whatever the natural history book may
say. And that mouse Is aaawing away
again. OF course, Danny has forgotten
TO set the trap. Tomorrow night, I'll
no, wOn't-I'll be. away with John.
There 1t Is! John again. Everything
comes round to John. Oh, this won't do
at all. One, two, three, four, five! Good
gracious! What crack that was!
wonder why timber snaps so In cold
weather. John said he had got all the
timber out for new house, and we
would live ut his mothers until It Is put
up. I wonder II she will like me. II
she doesn't. ] shall be awfully lonesome
when John is not about. One, two, three,
four, five, six"
So she fought the night through until
the clock struck four, when she thought
she might venture to get up without as
tOnishing the family too profoundly. Her