St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-09-28


'There is not a minute to be lost,
Miss Ashton; trust yourself entirely
to me- With these words he lifted
her boldly from the ground. Amy
Ashton had no time to think; her arm
fell naturally enough upon his right
shoulder as he lifted her with his
left arm and carried her out to the
main staircase.
Every one who was sufficiently clad
to make an appearance in public had
hurried to the seat of operations in
the neighborhood of the back stairs
and the kitchen.
Spencer carried his fair burden
down the deserted staircase and
through the hall, and set her gently
upon her feet in the garden. AS Amy
Ashton touched the ground once
more, the flames leaped from the
burning roof and chimney, and her
eyes met Spencer's by the weird glow
of the fire; something she read in his
glance reused all the womanhood in
her.
"Mr. Spencer, how dared you touch
me? How dared you carry me? 1t
was stupid schoolboy trick. I could
have walked down stairs perfectly
easily. It was cowardly of you to
take such advantage of my fright"
The excitement was over and the
reaction had set in. Amy Ashton's
feelings at this moment were difficult
to analyze. Hatred of the man who
had dared to do this thing and con-
tempt for having been so easily
trapped were both fighting for the
mastery of her mind, while both these
emotions were in turn almost numbed
by the sickening recollection that her
hair was as she had arranged it when
retiring for the night, and descended
down her back in the severe sim
plicity of plated pigtail. She grew
hot all over with shame as she fancied
that she could still feel the pressure
of the mans arms about her body,
and then her harlow can an I'M
fortunate girl assert herself with her
hair in a pigtail? The position was
hideous; maidenly dignity cowed by
it's own pigtail. Finally vanity won
the day, as it is apt to do with men
and women alike. "Being carried, aft
er all, was not SO very dreadful, in
fact-rather-rather- Well, at any
rate, that part was not so dreadful
but the pigtail?" That thought
crushed her.
Her mental torture was suddenly
broken in upon by shouts, the noise
of grinding wheels, the thunder of
hoofs and the jingle of harness. The
fire engine had arrived.
Amy Ashton stood by Spencer's
side, in the warmth Of the summer
night, fascinated by the scene. The
ruddy glow of the fire turned the
tree trunks and foliage of the avenue
bright red, and lit up human faces
with curious vivid beauty. The wild
energy of the inexperienced amateurs
gave place to the cool, methodical
of the fully-equipped trained
men. There was hardly a breath of
air stirring, and the fire rapidly died
down as soon as the engine got
steadily at work. The color faded out
of the landscape, and the threatened
house stood out black against the sky.
II must go in at once, please. Mr..
Spencer. It feels quite chilly now"
'Please say you will forgive me.
Miss Ashton. before you go. The
temptation was great"
II don't want to hear about the
temptation. Pray, what would my
ideal man say to the confession that
I was imbecile enough to allow man
to carry me about without any suffi-
cient reason?'' And Miss Ashton
laughed mirthless laugh.
swell, you can at any rate explain
to your ideal that the man who car
ried you proposed to marry you on
the same evening. Any sensible man,
ideal or otherwise, will allow for an
other man being a bit of an idiot
when he is on the verge of pro-
posal."
''Mr. Spencer, this began by what I
suppose must regard as a joke,
though it was in wretched waste, more
especially with a guest in your own
house; but to carry it further is a
deliberate insult"
':Amy, darling, I don't care fig for
the ideal man and his fansies; I want
you, seriously, myself. I have loved
you since the day that YOU first came
here. You always treat me as if I
were your grandfather, but 1 love you
as dearly as man ever loved woman y
"Well, supposing that say / for
give you for daring to carry me, and
that we part in a friendly"
mo, will accept no compromise; I
will have an answer now"
cit is very unfair to keep me here
in the cold: besides, think of Aunt
Charlotte. Well, perhaps I will then
some day--when I have quite forgot
ten the fire and all the rest, you know.
Frank, you must let me go, that was
the worst part of it, because it was a
simply hateful trick to play on a girl.
Why, I never knew it myself until yes
terday, when you began talking about
my ideal man. Oh, Frank, l had quite
forgotten my hair for moment. I'll
never speak to you again-never. il
you don't let me run away at once
Frank. I said at once!"