Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-05-15

sald the Old settler, AN
Reub Bannerton, bein' kin
der lonesome, c'ncluded he'd go. He
was mighty modest man, Reub was,
an he was sittin' by the wall, not
calc'latin' to dance, when 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
'Hev the mex waltz with me, pard-
ner?'
"Reub was new in this country, then,
an didn't know much bout the ekality
Of the sexes. So he sorter shut1led his
feet aroun an fn'ly says:
"Tm mighty sorry, but don't know
how ter waltz which was 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; 1 can swing
YOU
80 he went an il you'd seen the
subsekent proceedin's you'd hev
thought she could swing him. AIore'n
half the time his feet never touched
the floor an his face shone SO with
perspiration that 1t looked like one of
these new-fangled indecent lights. But
he kept thinlin', WAL, it'll be over
pretty soon; l won't hev to stand it
long,
The waltz ended at last, an Reub
was wonderin' whether he orto thank
her for the pleasure or she orto thank
him. when she says:
IF 1t don't make no difference to
you We'll go out on the verandy an sit
out the mex dance. I'm tired
1T did make a difference TO him, for
he was gittin' Uneasy, but when he
come to look at her he couldn't think
Of any way out Of it, so he went
THE frs thing she did after they got
on the verandy was to grab his hand.
Reub tried to pull it away, but she
grabbed it firm an unyieldin' an says
In pleadin' tones:
"'Oh, my b'loved one~
~ amt neither your bloved one
says Reub, soothin'ly, but firmly. Il
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
'fnity that I've been waitin' fer, an |
felt it jus as soon as saw you. Oh,
my 'dored oner
>"Waal, Reub sot there more'n fifteen
minutes tryin' TO convince her that he
want her 'dored one, an that prob'ly
her souls 'fnityd 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 If
she knew how he was bein' led on, but
she sill clung. She was hit hard,
Ts'bel was.
"Fin'ly she let so Of his hand to
brush fly off her ear, an Reub rum
1s'bel looked after him, sayin' so that
Bill Hawkins heered 1t, He yit shall be
mine. my bloved one; he yit shall be
miner
Mex mornin' early Reub started ont
propectin'. He said he felt zif he was
a ha'nted man an reckoned he'd better
seek s'clusion.
"The second day he was out, bout
evenir, he was sittin' by his cabin
door when horse an his rider come
aroun' the big rock by his cabin, an a
tender voice says:
1 have found you, OH my b'loveGr
"Reub didn't look up, but he says:
I amt your b'loved, tell you, an
you OTTO know it by this time
"Reub says her voice was low an
ecstatic, though somewhat bass. as
Is'bels voice alters is. when she again
says: 4 have found you, oh, my
b'loycdr he kinder hesitated. Then he
says:
"'Waal, s'posin' you have found me,
though amt any such thing, what do
you propose to do about it,:
"'Oh. the delicious bliss of this here
moment when l again found my souls
'fnityr
"'You may have found your souls
'inity, but it is due to you for me to
suggest that 1t has not found you, an
want to know what you propose to
do bout it, as said before
at does not matter; to be with you
is enough
"'Waal, it does matter, too. I'm n
lone an lonely man, but If worse comes
to worst l can perfect myself. You
may be stronger'n me, but you can't
lure me. What would the world say
If it knew bout thisY
"1 can trust my souls companion
"By this time Is'bel had dismounted
an, selling Reubs hand in her own
she says: