The suburban citizen., 1902-12-06

was the natural expression of her
bubbling, lightsome spirits.
But all too soon the music was
stopped, and there was a mad STAN.
pede for the counter. over which pink
| lemonade and cookies were sold. The
leggined fellow, however led the ia.
diant little girl out into the moonlight,
which had transformed the denuded
redwood hop-poles into endless colon.
nades. Regardless of her'slippers and
tiounces, everything but the dominat.
| ing presence of the man beside her, she
strolled down the row on the rough
bare ground. When they regained the
| ball room pro tenn, the music had
struck into the long. swinging strains
of "Creole Bellies" Again they circled
round and round, never pausing for
breath until the music stopped.
Happy little Molle! This was her
brief hour Of triumph, and she carried
it off with a high hand. Her Coon
| Creek friends, who were not too
up as usual and asked her for a dance,
but the next one was always engaged.
Nolan looked a moment longingly in
her direction when he caught the first
bar of "The HoneysucSle and the Bee,"
but having heard Of the treatment ac-
corded the other fellows. he turned
and consoled himself with the Hen
essy girls.
When at last the dance was over,
when the accordion had wheezed out
the plaintive strains Of THome, Sweet
Home" and the happy dancers paired
off in twos for the best part of the
evenings fun-the walk home in the
moonlight-Molle wondered, in her
simple little soul If heaven could be
any better than this.
Her companion did not tell her that
he was going away the next morning
until they had reached her own tent
door, He had fancied she might he
sorry, but had not imagined she would
care so much. He was sorry the moon
was not brighter for he knew he was
missing much of the tell-tale play Of
expression in her eyes and cheeks And
remembering her until his dying day,
and promises of coming up to Coon
Creek TO visit Uncle Sy's dairy ranch
the very first chance he got, he took
her hand to say 'good-by" and bent so
low her cheeks famed up as red as
her lips. But she could not have been
so angry as she pretended to be. be.
cause, after the lights were out all up
and down the line they were still
saying "good-by."
1t was not long walk to Hoptown
station, and next day the tall young
fellow, again in tweeds and a Panama
hat, tramped up and down the plat
form. impatient to be back into the stir
and hustle Of the life he had left, and
recounting to himself for the hun
dredth time his chances Of getting on
the varsity team as halfback.
Hello, old manw he shouted. as he
jumped on the step, wondering at this
gathering Of the clans.
Hello! Hello" a volley Of voices
echoed as he entered the car. Just
coming down from Shasta" one of the
fellows explained; my sister and some
friends of hers in the car. Come onw
The train moved slowly when 1t
crossed the trestle. Mollie had counted
on that, and hurried to the end of the
hop-field so she might get last smiling
adicu from the car window. Four, five
six windows slipped by, and her heart
began to fail, but at the eighth, there
he was, looking toward her, too. The
black eyes widened as the window
came abreast of her fence-post. Yes,
his head was turned in her direction,
but why, oh why, did he not see her
handkerchief waving wildly at him?
The next moment brought into view
fair-haired girl in the seat behind him,
and the same hook. the same smile she
had lived upon all these weeks were
bent upon the new face. 1t could not
be possible that he had forgotten her
already! Stlll, trusting little Mollie
waved her handkerchief. and then her
bonnet His head was turned in her
direction, but he had eyes for no one
but this trlm-looking girl with the
dotted veil. A moment more and the
train was gone, the rear end Of the
baggage car grew smaller and DINNER,
till 1t was out of sight
When the forlorn little figure turned
back TO the hop-held, great dry sob
in her throat and nm empty ache in her
heart, the one or two Coon Greek peo-
pie she met let her see they had learned
they Were not expected to speak to her.
At a turn in the road she passed a
hilarious group OF pickers exchanging
tin-types with hearty promises of meet.
ing again next year. Pinny was there,
lavishing peanuts and gum on the
crowd, and though he saw her, he did
not look up. She drew her bonnet
down over her eyes and told herself
she didn't care. But as she walked up
the long, hot avenue alone, she met
Nolan, his high spirits restored. walk
ing home with the red-haired Henessy
| girl.-San Francisco Argonaut.