Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-20

tn1S nne-IooKlng, handsomely dressed
young man, the little fabric of dream
which he had allowed to grow grad
ually since his struggle in the dip
crumbled into dismal ruin. He strobe
away into the orchard cursing HIM
self for his mad presumption. Yet
hope died hard, and by the time the
sound of the supper bell rang out he
made up his mind that the presence
of this unexpected arrival should not
deter him from pleading his cause.
Curiously, in all his thoughts of Miss
Densmore the probability that her
affections were engaged was not q
thing that had received from him
much consideration. Now he WON
dered why.
The evening meal was earlier than
usual, that those of the pickers who
desired might catch the train at Hin
tonville. After he had eaten Rooster
again sought the orchard. He had,
decided that he would wait and watch
to see when Mr.. Wolfe took his de-
parture, and then perhaps the oppor-i
tunity he sought would offer itself. !
Eagerly he marked the shadows
gather, and saw the evening star be-,
gin to glisten beyond the purple OUT
line of the distant hills. He was Just
upon the point of returning to the.
proximity of the house when he;
caught the faint murmur Of voices
He had found seat upon wide rail:
in corner of the snake fence where
tall elderberry-bushes formed par
tial screen, and fancying it was some
OF the pickers wandering by the path,
half dozen yards away, to the edge
of the orchard, he concluded he would,
lev them pass before making a move.
He sat there inattentive and passive
until suddenly he was conscious that,
one of those speaking was Miss Dens.,
more. Without looking he knew who,
her companion must be. What should
he do? AS yet he had heard no word
of their conversation, and he had no
desire to play the unwilling caves
dropper. AS noiselessly as possible
he tried to shift his position SO that
he might slip into the bushes on the
other side of the fence and thus steal
away unnoticed. He had half accom-
plished his purpose when what Wolfe
was saying became clear to him.
at isn't matter of one hour in
the day, Sylvia, but of every hour"
his words ran. Indeed, it seems to
me that you are never absent from
my thoughts. can't put you away
from me. Why, up there in the woods
l heard your name in the song Of
every bird, in every breeze that cried
in the pine-tops, in every brook muir
muring over the rocks. Your face
was always before me, even when
woke in the great darkness of the
forest night
Rossiter could not know that it was
the third time this young man had
declared his love to Miss Densmore;
that he was now breaking his promise
not to speak of it to her again; that
moment before, when he had ven
tured on forbidden ground, she had
endeavored to silence him. To the
tortured man it seemed like first
declaration, and to all appearances
the girl was a willing listener. In
his agony of mind his caution was
forgotten, and he allowed one of the
branches which he had bent back to
slip from his hand and strike against
the fence. Miss Densmore glanced
towards him, recognized his disap-
pearing figure, and gave little, sup
pressed cry. He supposed it to be
cue of fright. and, hastily parting the
bushes among which he now found
himself, sped, crushed at heart, swift
ly away in the thickening shades.
ITO be continued