St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-09

|
previous sentence.
you'll have no difficulty about
that" observed Mr.. Dalton, with an
other glance at the ring.
"No," she agreed listlessly. II sup
pose my turn will come some day"
Mr.. Dalton opened his mouth t.
ask question, but shut it promptly
as the enormity of his presumption
struck him. Then he opened it AGAR
determined to know the worst, anl
limited:
"Er-I hope he's in a-er-good po
sition, Miss Wylde."
She looked at him quizzically, q
faint smile curving the corners Of
her mouth.
"Yes," she said slowly, 'he's in q
good position-good enough for me;
but he's so awfully dense!"
| 'Dense!" echoed Mr.. Dalton.
eyes, woefully dense and stupid
I've encouraged him for long time
now, but he's too-er- He won't do
as want him to. 1 believe if I asked
him to he'd run away"
"Some fellows don't know when
they're lucky" he observed.
"Well, it's not for me to say
whether he's lucky or not" she re-
piled. II know that I've encouraged
him, and he's too dense to see it.
Don't you think SO, Mr.. Dalton?"
"I-er-really I don't know the
chap" he confessed, somewhat sur
prisedly.
She looked at him, with her eye
brows wrinkled perplexedly, and
nodded her pretty head.
ooh, yes, you do" she stated en-
phatically. "You know him very well
indeed"
do I?'
Eyes. He is employed-er-" she
laughed a little confusedly as she
stopped in obvious hesitation; then,
lowering her voice, she continued "in
the contingencies with you"
"Oh!" Mr.. Dalton's face first ex-
pressed blank amazement, then utter
disgust. He said something under
his breath that Miss Wylde did not
hear-something he would have been
very sorry for if she had heard.
"What's his name?' he demanded.
81 don't feel at liberty to disclose
1t at present." she said naively.
''But I must know!" Dalton burst
out. Il have right to-
He stopped abruptly, and felt utter
ly Disguised as she burst into mu-
steal peal of laughter
"Oh, DEAR" she gasped, "this is
killing!"
1T will in the end" said Dalton
mournfully, looking at her joyous
features, and thinking of his own sad
fate. His doleful face only stimu-
lated Miss Wylde's laughter, and her
pretty shoulders heaved convulsively.
II never saw anybody look as
sorrowful as you!" she jerked out.
"Your face is funny"
Sunny, eh?" he repeated. "You
ga and play the deuce with a chaps
feelings, and then tell him that his
face is funny!"
eyes," she said weakly, "your face
is funny-awfully funny!''
4 shall hate you soon!" he OBJ
served vindictively., eff you don't
stop that sniggering!"
"You could never do that" she said,
rising from her seat, and nodding
her pretty head confidently as she
stood before him. "a man never
hates a pretty girl. He thinks he
does-that's all"
"When fellow hints at his affec-
ton to girl" he argued within him
self, land she laughs at him.. it's time
to chuck up the sponge" Therefore !
he determined to be nasty.
"You're not at all devoid of self |
conceit," he sneered as he rose, too.
Who told you that you were pretty? |
[ didn't
"No; but lots Of other fellows
have" she asserted, with a pert nod.
You have, too, in your own way.
You haven't told me to my face that
you think me pretty; but you've I'M
limited the fact in more
ways than one"
'Then I emphatically retract all my
ate hints" he said gruff1y.
EYES," she replied calmly, cts the
way with you men. I suppose you
,hink me anything but pretty now.
You can't find word in your mind
wicked enough for application to me,
an you?"
She smiled tanta1izingly into his
ace, but Dalton sat down again
without a word; and, after regarding
lin for moment with an irritating
mile, she sat down also.
''When met you tonight, Mr.. Dali
en- she said quietly, II had no idea
hat we should quarrel I always
bought you nice fellow, but now I
u mly believe that you are nasty tenn
Y red"
"And I always thought you'd have
1ore pity for chaps affections than
o laugh at Them" he observed.
Why did you encourage me?'
Something in his voice and man
or tickled her again, and she once ]
,ore INDUCED in burst of laughter /:
you're nothing more than heart
,ss f1irt!" he burst out angrily. ]
You, being engaged to another fell /,
wv, have deliberately encouraged ,
lie to love you, and now you're ,
lughing at me. Hang it all, it's too :
adj"
''Too-oo funny, you Oh, dear
le!" she laughed. "You-you're too {
diculous!" '
Dalton rose in fispnsf and stnod