The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-07-03

her tickled her again, and she oaesi
moro INDUCED In burst Of laughter.
n you're nothing more than . heart
less Airtl" he burst out angrily.
.You, being engaged % another fsl-
low, have deliberately encouraged
me to love you, and now you're
laughing st me. Hang IL al, It's too
bad!"
10000 funny, you Oh, dear
met" she laughed. "You-you're too
|ridiculous!"
Dalton rose in disgust, and stood
looking down on her wrathfully. h
"Ill leave you to finish your
laughter in solitude he remarked,
with angry sarcasm. "And-and I'm
hanged IL I don't find out the chap
that you are engaged to, and get him
the sack!"
This awful threat appeared to have
the very opposite result to what Mr..
Dalton anticipated, for she laughed
more than ever, nodding her head
feebly. Dalton stood for moment
in angry indecision, and seized her
left hand. i
.Who put that ring on there?" he
demanded. "I'm going to know be-
fore we part tonight"
Miss Wylde struggled with her
mirth for while, and became sud-
denly serious.
EFF you'll promise not to fulfill
your threat of getting the person
dismissed, I'll tell you.'
II promise. didn't mean it." he
| pleaded anxiously. II wouldn't play
you such trick!"
.sThen," she said slowly, "the per-
son who put that ring on my finger
| was"
eyes," he queried eagerly, as she
paused, and seemed on the point Of
laughing again.
"My-oh, dear-myself!" she
gasped. IS.
"You put that on yourself?" he res
peated. "Why?" -
It was some time before she was
able to speak at all coherently, and
Dalton waited impatiently.
"Come, tell me why you engaged
yourself to marry yourself?" he de-
manded eagerly.
81 will if you will go away to your
own end Of the seat, and promise not
to move," she replied.
Dalton, in some establishment, slid
back along the seat, and Miss Wylde
watched chin roguishly.s IS.
"When I first took up my present
employment she said,i "there were
such nice lot Of fellows in the
.counting-house that I didn't know
which I liked best. I tried them all
for little while, and; managed to
make them all so fond of me that
could see was going to get into
hot water. I liked one better than
all the rest, but he was SO dense
and bashful that began to be afraid
that should receive the proposals
of all the rest before his; and-and I
didn't want them. So, to make a long
story short, put on my mothers
engagement ring, to keep them at
their proper distance. I knew the
one I liked best was safe enough,
and thatsI could draw him out when
eyer. Il wished; but I couldn't resist
the temptation Of teasing hin-er-
tonight it. -
..To-night!'' echoed Dalton. ss"Do
you" Then he paused undecidedly.
"Now say that you are not dense
and stupid" she said, Then she
stamped her dainty foot. locked at
him severely, and concluded: "And Z
don't believe you care for me at ALI"
Dalton edged cautiously along the
seat towards her. and, as it was
nearly dark, he ventured to put his
arm round her slim waist.
Haven't you been rather rough on
me-er-Lucy7" he inquired plaint-
lively.
"You don't mind now, do you,
Harry?" she replied with bright
smile. ''I''
What she was going to say further
was lost in Dalton's moustache.-
London Answers.