The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-03-17
tenough) Oh the other, followed by a

AAOCucI, Will Iue OLuef Cu1lurCn QdOS-
Ing to her skirts and tagging exasper-
atlngly behind, holding red and blue
toy balloons and delectable candy
batons of spiral striped peppermint in
tightly closed, sadly sticky fingers. A
thousand cries rent the air-the stroll
Ing mountebanks and gypsying booth
merchants, the peanut vendors, the
boys with palm leaf fans for sale, the
candy sellers, the popcorn peddlers, the
Italian with the toy balloons that float
like cluster of colored bubbles above
the heads of the crowd and the bal
looms that wall like a baby; the red
lemonade man, shouting in the shrill
voice that reaches everywhere and en-
dures forever: "Lemo! Lemo'! Five
a glass! Ice cole lemo'! Five cents,
nickel, a half dime, the twentieth
potofadollah! Lemo'! Ice cole lemo'"
all the vociferating harbingers of the
circus crying their wares. Timid
youths in shoes covered with dust
through which the mornin&nplish but
dimly shone and unalterably hooked
by the arm to blushing maidens bought
recklessly Of peanuts, of candy, of pop
corn, of all known sWeetmeats, per-
chance, and forced their way to the
lemonade stands, and there, all shyly,
silently slipped the crimson stained am
brosia. Everywhere the hawkers din
ned, and everywhere was heard the
plaintive squawk of the toy balloon.
In the courthouse yard, and so sim
ming in the very eye of the law, two
sWarthy, shifty looking gentlemen were
operating with some greasy walnut
shells and pea what the fanciful or
unsophisticated might have been pleas
ed to call game of chance, and the
most intent spectator Of the group
around them was Mr.. James Bardlock,
the town marshal. He was simply and
unothcially and earnestly interested.
mus the eye of the law may not be
said to have winked upon the nefari-
BUSINESS now under its vision. It gazed
with strong curiosity, an itch to dab
Die and, it must be admitted, a grow
ing hope of profit, the game was so di-
rect and the player so sure. Several
countrymen had won small sums, and
one, charmingly rustic stranger, with
peculiar accent (he said that him and
his goil should now have smoot' oft
time off his winninks, though the lady
was not manifested) had pocketed $25
with no trouble at all. The two oper-
ators seemed depressed, declaring the
luck against them and the Plattville
people too brilliant at the game.
1t was wonderful how the young
couples worked their way arm in arm
through the thickest crowds, never sepa-
rating. Even at the lemonade stands
they drank holding the glasses in their
outer hands. Such are the sacrifices
demanded by etiquette. But, observ-
ing the gracious outpouring Of fortune
upon the rare rustic just mentioned, a
youth in green tie disengaged his
arm-for the first time in two hours
from that Of a girl who looked upon
him with fond, uncertain smiles and,
conducting her to a corner of the yard.
babe her remain there until he return
ed. He had to speak to Hartley Bowl
der, he explained.
Then he plunged, red faced and exA
cited, into the circle about the shell
ger.
"Hol on there, Hen Fentriss,'' thickly
objected a flushed young man beside
him. ''Iss my turn
I'm first Hartley" returned the 9TH
er. "You can hold yer bosses, reckon
"Plenty fer each and all, gents,'' in
terrupted one of the shell men. "Place
fl111io 1o l>o1
is de mex lucky gent to win our mon
ey? Gent bets four sixty-fve he seen de
little ball go under de middle shell. Up
she comes! Dis time we wins. Platt-
Vile can't win every time Who's de
mex lucky CENT?
Fentriss edged slowly out of the cir
Gle, abashed and with rapidly whiten-
ing cheeks. He paused for moment
outside, slowly realizing that all his
money had gone in one wild, blind
whirl-the money he had earned so
hard and saved so hard to make holi-
day for his sweetheart and himself. He
stole one glance around the building to
where a patient figure waited for him.
Then he fed down side alley and soon
was out upon the country road, tramp
ing soddenly homeward through the
dust, his chin sunk in his breast and his
hands clinched tight at his sides. Now
and then he stopped and bitterly hurl-
ed a stone alta piping bird on the fence
or gay bobWhite in the fields. At noon
the patient figure was still waiting in
the corner of the courthouse yard, meek
~ twisting a coral ring upon her finger
But the flushed young man who had
spoken thickly to her deserter drew an
envied roll Of bank bills from his pocz-
ct and began to bet with tipsy caution,
while the circle about the gamblers
watched with fervid interest, especially
Mr.. Bardlock, town marshal.
From far up Main street came the
cry "She's a-comin'! She's a-cominw
and this announcement of the parade
proving only one Of a dozen false
o1ornoc a Thousand 6ico,1oc;one 4oo1-