The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-12-15
Her Punishment
IorlgLnall

WAS uuu uSsuuUie phFu OF forty
and sent a young army lieutenant to
get over 1t" In Manila, He would
not have had 70 go there IL It hadfl's
been for Birdie, nickname given
her when she was a child, but which
was even then inappropriate. II should
nave been Wasp Her mother was
vexed with her for refusing the older
man, and the younger mans mother
was furious that she had sent her son
bali round the globe where she could
not be near him.
Birdie must be punished. Her aunt
lived in her country place In the midst
of farms, and there Birdie should go
Tor the summer. where her propensty
would be In check Birdie protested
but her protest was unheeded. She was
packed of into exile and her aunt was
requested 10 keep an eye on her
At the end Of week she was ready
% promise to behave herself IL per
mltted to so home. or. rather, to the sea,
shore, where her mother was, but the
mother knew her promises would avail
nothing. One evening when the twl-
light was long she was walking In a
mne where she met a young farmer.
e was q splendid specimen OF man
hood, and a. Birdie was a dainty specl
men Of womanhood the two naturally
looked at each other. The next evenIrig
at exactly the same hour the e..
walked ID the lane again. So did ha
She looked very hard at him and inter
passing him turned. He turned too.
lis II you" she said, cor ami
mistaken"
4 think we have met before" he
replied,
What are You doing heref"
= u thought would try farming"
How did you leave them all at
homer
They're all very we'll"
I'm staying with my aunt Do you
know herT'
/ mo: | don't"
"sorry. You might come TO see me If
you knew her, but since you don't''-
she paused.
; Possibly we may meet hereabout
sometimes, l go after the stock at sun.
down, put them in the barn and 60
back about tlEis Time"
Good evening. Glad to have met
you again"
Hope II win not be for once only"
That was the beginning OF It. Birdie
talked a great deal about people she
knew. and the farmer listened to her
references, making only general COM
m6nts upon them. He never addressed
her by name. always getting round do,
ing so-but he might have forgotten
her name. Thtre was an appearance
OF honesty about him, deference-not
une0uth either a vein Of uncultivated
intellectual vigor. that pleased her
On the whole, her exile was not so un,
bearable q she had expected Some.
times she fancied Ne knew more than
she had supposed farmers usually
knew, but Blrele I'D not always tell
all she knew, aud to blame him for
eoncealment would Be like the pot
calling the kettle blnak.
AflalrEs batwuaua the sexes usually
eQinmepce byg beth keeping on their
own side e Ehsd line. Psshaps the man
would hays kapg On hIa side Indefinite
y had BllAalsskAnt a. here She soon
began to peactiee her. httleearts; 6rst
hy look nCQe ard neSef that. q
hair hni he'd lsanndne er1aa (which she
retired In fAasonTafc llaaa by an
open charge OF lh0lfI On the part
Of the man.. In gaFaasf alseayA adrolt.
b thrned these thrusts Keeping ON In
the even tenor Of his ways This was
something HliTle hhd Never encounter-
Cd tefsre she ponrad a. shower Of
Cupld's arrows from her CULVER only
30 see them giance aside or tall harm
less from her would be victim. July
passed into August and August Into
September How they contrived, or,
rather. how birdie contrlved, their fire.
Quent meetings without suspicion she
was at a loss 60 know. Only few
times was she discovered converslnp
with the farmer. but in her case farm.
efss were supposed 10 be out OF the
question
Al last the days grew so much
shorter that one evening when BlrdiE
was starting tor her evening walk her
aunt stopped her and forbade her go
ing, on the gfound that II was already
quite dark. airdie did not dare excite
suspicion by defylng the order She
went OF into corner Of the porch
aud sat down. Then and there came a
revelation. She was suffering under
great disappointment Could II be
that she who had played with the
hearts % many men Of the world could
have ''drifted on the rocks' In t.
case % a countryman2 she went 10
bed early. but not TO sleep, For the
tirzs time In her life she knew how
u felt 10 be on the losing aloe In q
love affair.
The next morning the fnrnaer was
passing a shaded nook near the road.
Hs turned aatda, expecting 10 SO =