The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-03-06
The
WOoing of Is'bel.
BY ALFRED J. WATERhOUSE.
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Reub Bannerton, Bein' kin
der lonesome. c'ncuded he'd go. He
was a mighty modest man. Reub was.
an he was slttn' by the wall, not
! calc'latin' 10 dance. when a girl he
never saw walked up TO him. She was
big girl with square shoulders, an
/ anybody could see she didn't need
much male perfection. Reub looked at
her an then looked away, an she says:
"'IIev the mex waltz with me, pard.
| nerT
"Reub was new in this country. then,
/ an didn't know much bout the ckality
! Of the sexes So he sorter shuiied his
feet aroun' an fnly says:
IN mighty sorry. but don't know
how ter waltz which was a lie due to
| his bashfulness. but Is'bel which was
her name, didn't know It then.
"'Oh. come on she says. that
needn't make no difference; | can swing
you
80 he went. an If you'd seen the
subsekent proceedn's you'd hcv
thought she could swing him. More'n
half the time his feet never touched
the floor. an his face shone so with
perspiration that it looked like one of
these newfanglcd indecent lights. But
he kept thlnkin' WAL it'll be over
pretty soon; | won't hev to stand it
long
"The waltz ended nt last, an Rcub
was wOndcrin' whether he orto thank
her for the pleasure or she orto thank
him, when she says:
"'If IL don't make no difference to
You we'll go out on the ycrandy an sit
out the mex dance. I'm tired
at did make a difference TO him. for
he was gittin' Uneasy. but when he
come TO look Mt her he couldn't think
! OF any way out of II, so he went.
"The frs thing she did after they got
on the ycrandy was to grab his hand
Reub tried TO pull II away. but she
grabbed it firm an unyiedin' an says
In pleadn' tones:
oh. my b'loved one"
"T amt neither your b'lovcd one
says Rcu6,'' soothn'ly. but firmly. L
! amt never done nothin' to encourage
/ these unman unwomanly perceedin's
! Of yours. | never saw you fore to
night
You are, too, my b'loved one. You
may not know It, but you are my souls
'flnty that I've been waitln' fer, an
felt 1t JUS IA soon as | saw you. oh,
my 'dorcd one"
WAL, Reub sot there more'n fifteen
minutes tryin' TO convince her that he
wan. her 'dored one, an that prob'ly
her souls '1nity'd be long on the mex
emigrant train. but she only grabbed
his hand tighter an tried to pull his
head onto her shoulder. He asked her
To think how his mother would feel II
she knew how lie was beln' led on. but
she sill clung. She was hit hard,
Isbel was.
"Fin'ly she let 60 Of his hand TO
brush fly of her ear. an Reub run.
1s'bcl looked after him, sayin so that
Bill Hawkins hecrcd IT, He yit shall be
mine, my b'loved one; he yit shall be
miner
"NeV' mornln' early Rcub started out
propectin'. He said he felt zif he was
n ha'nted man an rcckoned he'd better
seek Sclusion.
"Thc second day he was out. bout
evcnir. he was sittin by his cabin
door when n horse an his rider come
aroun the big rock by his cabin, an a
tender voice says:
"I have found you oh. my bloved"
"Reub didn't look up, but he says:
81 amt your b'lovcd. I tell you, an
you OTTO know IL Ivy this time
"Roub says her voice was low an
ccstatic, though somewhat bass, as
ls'bers voice alters is. when she again
says: I have found You. oh. my
blovcd" he kinder hesitatcd. Then he
says:
"'Waal. s'posin you have found me.
though ain't any such thing. what ID
YOU propose To do about IL?
"'Oh, the delicious bliss OF this here
moment when l again found my souls
fnity"
"'You may have found your souls
'hnity, but It is due to you for me tC
suggest that IL has not found you. an
l want 10 know what you propose tC
do bout II, as said before
"'lt does not matter; to be with yoy
+ Is enough
"'Waal. IL does matter. too. I'm
Q lone an lonely man. but IL worse come,
TO worst | can perfect myself. Yo,
may be strongcr'n me, but you can
lure me. What would the world sa,
a IL II knew bout thisT
/ 81 can trust my souls companion.
2 "By this time Is'bcl had dlsmounted
Q an scizins Reub's hand In her own
/ she says:
9 I'm goin' TO set right here till yor
J. promise 90 be my own
IAN I've got 10 say is that you'v
;. laid out a long program for yourself
d They sot there. an sot. Is'bc
D. 'peared to be c'ntented JUS 20 set an
J. hold his hand. an Reub tried To whi.
d tie an act zit he didn't know she wa
A. there. Every once in n while he'd tr
n TO pull his hand away. but she'd gri
9. IL the tighter. an then he could hea
10 her whispcrin' low to herself oh. m
d b1ovedr
p After a while the stars come out a,
n begun to play hide an seek with the,
I through the branches Of the pines.