The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1913-07-18

during our lonR talk about you IN the
library
VIII"
Then she swallowed and her face
Tell perfectly blank. BY Jove, l could
have kicked myself for q jolly ass for
breaking 1t TO her so raw, or course
she would know that II her father
talked OF her, 1t would be nothing FOL
me to hear that was true or kind
nothing she could wish might b said
to the man she loved.
fastened 10 reassure her:
But | don't believe a dashed word
OF anything he said about you"-l
spoke hotly-"and / don't care a jolly
hang for what the others said. either
SO there you are!"
oh, you don't?" Could tell how
had touched her by her expression,
don't you know; and she fell to look
Ing at me the queeYest way. And
would o mind telling me who the
others are?"
| eyed her gloomily, sympathetical-
ly. AS II she didn't know already!
"Well-oh, dash II, my mind has
been filled w!th-er-tust anything"
l began cautiously.
Il knOws'-she murmured It q II
to herself-~one can see that" And
she bit her lip.
In the first place, you know"-and
there I pulled up. No, dash 1t, /
wasn't going to say a Jolly word about
poor Jack-no. sir! But then, about
the other one-well, she was 1ust a
t~reacherous snake In the what's-tts-
name. and she ought 10 be exposed.
BY Jove, she should bel
TITS the trump. you know" said
Indignantly.
"The-the what?'
Her pretty teeth flashed like the
keyboards Of a tiny organ-you could
even hear a little gurgly. musical
CULVER somewhere behind. And then
| remembered that, of course. she
wouldn't know whom I meant.
"Oh, your guest. you know-your
friend from school," | went on, try
ing to tread cautiously and yet feel
ing myself growing red. "Oh. see
here now, l don't like to say things,
but-er-"
"Oh, go on" she trtlled, her sweet
face shining wistf,n.
well, | mean this-er-Miss Kirk
land; came out with US this morning,
don't you know. l think of her as the
~frump-little MISUNDERSTANDING Of
mine, o know, she's so awful" And
l screwed my glass with a chuckle.
For an instant l thought she
wouldn't catch it, she stared at me so
blankly. Then the joke OF 1.-THE
jolly aptness, SO to speak-got her
full n square, and she Just lifted a
scream, hugging her knee and rock
ing back and forth, her face sufYused,
her laughter pealing like a chime OF
bells.
And | Just rocked, too, keeping her
company. Really, | don't think l ever
laughed so much since some chap
plunked down on the hard crown OF
my new tile last winter. At least I
wanted to laugh--in church, O
know, and IT'S so awful how you feel
there when something-oh, you know!
And II you could have seen that poor
fellows face!
BY Jove, how glad I was for her
jolly sense of humor that could see
he point OF things so quickly, and
think them clever. Always had so
dashed little patience with stupid peo-
pie, don't you know. And just here
another little thing came to me and 1
let her have 1t:
"Oh, ! say!"-I leaned nearer.
chuckling-"your father pretends to
think her a most beautiful and win
ming girl-fancy!" And my face
stretched itself In such a jolly grin
hat | could hardly hold my glass.
She bent toward me, smiling ador-
ably. You near this-er-'Miss
KirklaMd?' ?"
nodded ch~ortltngly.
She peefed at me through her long
what-you-call-'ems-oh, such a way!
But you don't think so, do your"
How sweetly. how fetchingly she said
X.
"Me?" l gasped. BY Jove, in my
horror. l lost my grip upon my Jolly
grammar. "Oh, l "a now! think
the frump-this Miss Kirkland. you
knows a fright-regular freak. dash
it! I told the Judge SOL"
"You-you-"
"Of counsel" And I shrugged dis
gustedly, making the ugliest grimace
1 possibly could. why. dash It, II |
were a woman and had a face like
hers, l never would have left China,
or England-or wherever her jolly
home was-no, sir!"
She caught her breath with q little
gasp-then she was of again! This
time she rested her arms upon the
rail behind and buried her head in
them. her lovely shoulders juggling up
and down, her sobbing laughter send
ing her OF at last into a spell Of cough
Ing.
"Oh!" she breathed. lifting at last
her %gloriously blushing face and dab
bling ut 1t with her ridiculous little
handkerchief, "oh. you'll kill mel
know you WIFI"
I certainly had stirred her up. ard /
was delighted. It was funny to think