Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-01-10
Her Punishment
1OEfginal.1


ger over it" in Manila. He would.
not have had to go there if it hadn't
been for Birdie, n nickname given
her when she was a child, but which
was even then inappropriate. 1t should
have been Wasp. Her mother vas
vexed with her for refusing the older
man, and the younger mans mother
was furious that she had sent her son
half round the globe where she could
not be near him.
Birdie must be punished. HsT aunt
lived in her country place in the midst
of farms, and there Birdie should go
for the summer, where her propensity
would be in check. Birdie protested,
but her protest was UNDECIDED. She was
packed off into exile, and her aunt was
requested to keep an eye on her.
At the end of a week she was ready
to promise to behave herself if per-
mitted to go home, or, rather, to the sea-
shore, where her mother was, but the
mother knew her promises would avail
nothing. One evening when the twi-
light was long she was walking in q
ACtiS NllSl EodS IISG " SoSLiS
He was a splendid specimen of man.
hood, and as Birdie was a dainty speci-
men of womanhood the two naturally
looked at each other. The next evening
at exactly the same hour the girl
walked in the lane again. So did he.
She looked very hard at him and after
passing him turned. He turned too.
"Is it you" she said, cor am l
mistakenly"
81 think we have met before" he
replied.
What are you doing here?"
81 thought would try farming"
"How did you leave them all at
home?"
They're all very WE'LL"
"I'm staying with my aunt. Do you
know her."
"No;.I don't"
Sorry. You might come to see me if
you knew her, but since you don't'-
She paused.
POSSIBLY w may meet hereabout
sometimes. l go after the stock at sun
down, put them in the barn and go
back about this time"
"Good evening. Glad to have met
you again"
"Hope it will not be for once only"
That was the beginning Of it. Birdie
talked Il great deal about people she
knew, and the farmer listened to her
references, making only general COM
ments upon them. He never addressed
her by name, always getting round do
ing so-but he might have forgotten
her name. There was an appearance
Of honesty about him, a deference-not
uncouth either-a vein of uncultivated
intellectual vigor, that pleased her.
On the whole, her exile was not so I'M
bearable as she had expected. Some
times she fancied he knew more than
she had supposed farmers usually
knew, but Birdie did not always tell
all she knew, and to blame him for
concealment would be like the pot
calling the kettle black.
Affairs between the sexes usually
commence by both keeping on their
own side of the line. Perhaps the man
would have kept on his side indefinite
ly had Birdie kept ON hers. She soon
began to practice her little arts; first
by Il look now and then, after that, a
half finished sentence from which she
retired in confusion and lastly by an
open charge Of Indifference on the part
Of the man. The farmer always adroit-
ly turned these thrusts, keeping Oh in
the even tenor of his way. This was
something Birdie had never encounter
ed before. She poured a shower of
Cupid's arrows from her CULVER only
to see them glance aside or fall harm
less from her would be victim. July
passed into August and August into
September. How they %contrived, or,
rather, how Birdie contrived, their fire.
quent meetings without suspicion she
was at a loss to know. Only a few
times was she discovered conversing
with the farmer, but in her case farm
ers were supposed to be out of the
question.
AT last the days grew so much
shorter that one evening when Birdie
was starting for her evening walk her
aunt stopped her and forbade her go
ing, on the ground that it was already
quite dark. Birdie did not dare excite
suspicion by defying the order. She
went off into Il orner of the porch
and sat down. Then and there came d
revelation. She was suffering under u
great disappointment. Could it be
that she who had played with the
hearts Of many men of the world could
have 'drifted on the rocks in the
case Of a countryman? She went to
bed early, but not to sleep. For the
first time In her life she knew how
it felt to be on the losing side in a
love affair.
The next morning the farmer was
passing a shaded nook near the road.
He turned aside. expecting to see a
feminine figure push away the droop-
ing branches and greet him with a face
that laughed. He was disappointed.
But tied to a bush near by he found
a note:
Forgive me for feigning that 1 had met
you before. l never saw you until I met
you here. NV object wos +o Do,, a.