News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1904-02-24

OF roses
into that den of serpents and leaving
me down here to burn tobacco while
they were killing you? Now, don't
venture to stir until | come back"
"There's no danger if you're careful .
said she, and then when l was among
| the roses: Il knew you'd do just like
matchmaking around in the bushes
| and trying to get bitten. Anybody
could have seen how reckless you
were"
was indeed in no mood to exhibit
the virtue Of prudence. "Be tranquil, -
said |. There isn't a snake in the
world that can catch me, though an
other animal might by running at the
same rate"
81 don't understand" said she.
81 can run three times as fast from
a snake as from anything else that
lives" I explained That's simple
isn't it? There Now we have enough
returned to the boat with my har-
vest of roses and added them to hers.
"You don't look as if you'd had a coed
time said she.
wiped some frozen perspiration
from my forehead and shvered.
Lucy Ann" said l, without meaning
to be familiar, but merely fervent, 1.-THE
honest fact is that l am so afraid of
snakes that / can scarcely sit down on
the ground up there in the field, though
| have been assured by everybody from
Jimmy Lamoine to the most truthful
person l could get hold of that there are
no snakes on the place"
That's 3d." said she. "There aren't
They're ali up there"
And she pointed to the hill.
/ rowed slowly back to the landing
while my pilot arranged the roses in a
manner to display their beauties to the
best advantage. 1t was really a pretty
gift for the girl, and felt under obi
cations to Miss WitherspOOn which there
seemed to be no immediate way of dis.
charging. l tried to speak very kindly
to her and to say the things that she
would like.
AS we passed the orchard 1 observed
lldI llc IL lldu uCStl lCO uCl C1SCl anu
umbrella, which were where we had
previously seen them, she herself hay.
ing gone up to the lodge. This sug-
gested to me the idea that if l could
make sufficient haste l might learn
what reception was accorded my gift
l made the little boat go so fast that
Miss Witherspoon cried out that the
water would come in over the stern
| but l observed that her eyes were very
| bright with the excitement and that she
seemed to like it quite as well as the
| pretty speeches which had been labo,
riously devising. Women are naturally
so deceitful that lying to them is like
playing the piano to Paderewski. Lucy
Ann, though the most truthful of her
sex, could have beaten me out of sight
at saying the thing that isn't meant,
and so she took small pleasure in my
inferior performance, but she really did
! like to see me row boat.
We found Jimmy Lamoine at the
landing, and l was very glad to see
him, for L disliked the idea of asking
Miss Witherspoon to take the roses. AS
for Jimmy, 1 rejoice to speak well OF
him in any way, and it Is, the solid
truth that he delighted to be service.
able. 1 wrote d hasty note on my card
| to this effect:
ITO the keeper of the harbor light,
from the poor sailor who struck the
outer reef"
Jimmy took the bouquet, and we
watched him till he squeeze ed his Srn,
| the orchard.
"As for the pilot'ss lee said Mis-
Witherspoon. "I'ut that doesn't mat
| ter"
| Whereupon / s0lemnly took from my
coat pocket the lSrgest and finest rose
of all and put 1t id 10 her hand. 1t was
great coup, carefully medltated.
| II never thought you'd remember It,