Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-09-17

" horrid! Oh, oh, If only hadn't
come-if only l had that youngster
here!''
Still attended by grinning throng,
Tom purchased the tickets. and they
made the boat with half a minute to
spare. Partly from the unwonted ex.
ertions and partly from her feelings
Rachels face was scarlet, seeing which
Tom kept his own carefully impressive.
He remained silent as she talked,
begging him half tearfully to brush
away the grains from her collar. "Oh,
and it's down inside my collar too!"
she cried. Then she saw his eye twin.
kle, and her color famed up again.
She CONCEALED into frozen silence.
you're just as horrid as Marjorie"
she said at last. "You enjoyed her
mean joke about the suit case. and you
haven't minded this one bit, and I'm
not going to PhiladelE hia at all. I'm
going right back on the next boat
There were angry tears In her eyes
as she finished. but they were quickly
repressed when she saw the other eyes
still turned on them from all quarters
with interested amusement.
'That's BETTER" he said dryly as he
observed the change in expression. 1--WE
don't want to give them the idea that
we are making for divorce court
It's too soon to be conventional. You
aren't supposed to weep for at least o
month. Now, then," he went on, calm
" unheeding the one whitening glance
she cast at him when she was sure nc
one would see it. IF you go back the
kid will have the joke on you. You
can't do thing to her. and the more
angry you are the better she'll be
pleased. Furthermore, my dear girl''-
"Tm not your dear GIRL" she observed
briefly.
"Oh. yes. you are. What was go.
Ing to say was that it seems to me
you're little rough on yours truly. I
don't especially mind your apparently
violent aversion to the idea of being
married to me, but I've been intend.
Ing to tell you for some time that
don't share in it. l think the whole
idea is brilliant. I think that kid sister
OF yours is bright enough to be TWEEN.
ty. and I'm going to apologize for my
former insult to her age the next time
I see her." He waited impressively for
his words to sink in. NOW, just re.
feet" he went on; ''the rice throwing
and the unpleasant part of getting
married is over and done WITH Why
not finish it up? Let's do it now-and
then there will be bride and groom
at the house party"
She looked at him in wonder.
"There is nothing the matter with
your imagination, Tom,' she said. her
calmness quite restored by the mag.
nificent GOODNESS of his suggestion.
"Of course there isn't" he smiled.
"I'm not proposing it for Joke. dear.
love you. And it's practicable be-
cause know the license clerk in Phil.
adelphia, so that there will be no trou.
BILE about that
! She began to shake her head. but he
noticed that she did not resent the
term he had used. "Let me think, -
she said at last. "1'll tell you when
We get there. But Tom-Tom-it
would be insane"
"Not a bit of It," he said stoutly
| well both live to call your sister
blessed"
They relapsed into silence which
he was careful to break as seldom as
possible till they were nearing Phila
delphia.
'.Three minutes to the Broad street
station" he said gravely as the train
pulled in at West Philadelphia. "Just
three minutes in which to decide II
we are to avoid our we'll intentioned
! friends at the station
She shook her head. "Oh, no-longel
than that" she said as she smiled uI
at him. tits taken me nearly three
hOurSN