The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-01

/ trcSScd-
ITS not bit changed YOU are,
! Mile, said Mr.. Norman Nicholson,
admringly. "And it good | m feel
ing to see you again. Are you glad TO
see me. Nillic?'
Oh, of course said Aunt Olivia.
She twisted herself free and went
right to the table Then she turned 10
! the flowers, but Mr.. Norman Nichol-
son had already gathered them up, lcav-
ing a goodlv sprinkling of leaves and
stalks on the carpet.
g picked these for you in the river
field, Mile" he said "Wherc will
! be betting something to stuck them
! in? Here, this will do
| He grasped a frail, painted vase from
the mantel stuffed the flowers in it
and set IT on the table. The look on
Aunt Olivia s face was too much for
me at last ! turned, caught Peggy by
the shoulder and dragged her ont OF
the house.
I He will horrify the very soul out
| Of Aunt Olivia s body if he goes on, -
| | gasped. "But he's splcndid-and
he thinks the world Of hcr-and, oh,
Peggy. did You ever hear such kisscsf
| Fancy Aunt Olivia!'
1t did not take us long TO get well
acquainted with Mr. Norman Nicholson.
He almost haunted Aunt Olivia s house,
and Aunt Olivia insisted on our staying
with her most of the time. She seemed
! TO be very shy Of finding herself alone
with him. He horTifed her a dozen
times in an hour; nevertheless, she was
very proud of him and liked to be
teased about him, too, she was delight
ed that we admired him.
Though, to be sure. he is very diff
ferent in his looks from what he used
to be, - she said. ''He is so dreadfully
big! And do not like beard, but
! have not the courage TO ask him TO
shave it of. He might be offended.
| He has bought the Millman homestead
in Tolliver county and wants TO be
married in a month. But, dear me. that
is too soon. lit would hardly be
proper. -
Mr.. Norman Nicholson could never
be trained to oldmaidishness. and even
Aunt Olivia seemed to realize this.
He never stopped to clean his boots
when he came in, although she had
an ostentatiously new scraper put at
each door for his benefit He seldom
moved in the house without knocking
some of Aunt Olivia S treasures over.
He smoked cigars in her parlor and
scattered the ashes over the floor He
brought her flowers each day and stuck
them into whatever receptacle came
handiest. He sat on her cushions and
rolled her antimacassars up into balls.
He put his feet on her chair-rungs-
and all with the most dissracting I'M
consciousness of doing everything out
Of the way, He never noticed Aunt
Olivia's huttering nervousness at all
Peggy and ] laughed more than was
funny TO see Aunt Olivia lowering
anxiously around, picking up flower
stems and smoothing out tides and
generally following him about to
straighten out things. Once she even
got wing and dustpan and swept
up the cigar ashes under his very
eyes.
Don't Worry
"Don't be worrying yourself over
that, Mile" he protested ''Why,
don 7 mind litter bless you."
How good and Jolly he was, that Mr.
Norman Nicholson! Such songs as he
sang, such stories as he told, such a
breezy, unconventional atmosphere as
he brought into that prim little house
where stagnant dullness had reigned
for years. He worshiped Aunt Olivia
and his worship took the concrete form
of presents galore. He brought her q
present every other trip-generally
some article Of jewelry. Bracelets, rings
chains, ear drops, lockets, bangles, were
| ,
she accepted them deprecatIngly, but
never wore them. This hurt him a lit
tie, but she assured him that she would
wear them all some time.
81 m not used to jewelry, Mr.. Nor.
man Nicholson she would tell him
Her engagement ring she did wear.
it was a rather cloud combination
Of engraved gold and turquoises. Some.
times we caught her turuing IT on her
| E,,,, 1nl
81 would be sorry for Mr.. Norman
Nicholson if he were not so much in
love with her." said Peggy. But as
he thinks that she is perfection, he
doesn t need sympathy
~ am sorry for Aunt Olivia
said "Yes, Peggy, 7 am. Mr.. Mich.
olson is n splendid man. but aunt is
born old maid and it is outraging
her very nature to he ANYTHING else
His big, splendid man-ways are har
rowing her very soul up-she can't get
out of her little. narrow groove, and
it is killing her to be pulled OUT
"Nonsense! said Peggy Then she
added with laugh. "Mary, did you
ever see anything so funny as Aunt
Olivia sitting on Mr.. Norman Nichol
son s kuee?'
n was funny. Aunt Olivia thought
it very unbecoming TO sit there before
us, but he made her do it, He would
say, with his big, jolly laugh, "Don ,,
mind the little girls.' and pull her
down on his knee and hold her there
To my dying day I shall never forget
the expression on the poor little WON,
an S face.
But as the days went by. and Mr.
Norman Nicholson began to insist on
date being set for the wedding, Aunt
Olivia grew to have a strangely dis
turbed look.
One morning Mr. Norman Nicholson
told MS all that he was coming up that
evening to make Aunt olivia set the
day, Peggy and laughingly approved
saying that it was time for him to as
sert his authority, and he went Off in
high good humor across the river field
whistling n Highland strathspey But
Aunt Olivia looked martyr. She hac
a fierce attack of house cleaning thai
H.. IL Il