The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1913-09-26
1t Sounded
Like Thunder
BY +. A. Mitchell

| met Lille Longman and was intro
duced 10 her at barn dance. ! fell
head over heels in love with her at
once. There was some attempt at fan
cy costume among the girls, and Lille
was dressed like an Indian girl, her
long black hair hanging below her
waist | knew scarcely any one there
and stood watching a set of dancers
who were doing quadrille or some
other of these old fashioned square
dances. Lille was bobbing about, feel
ing happy in the consciousness of look
ing very pretty and showing her long
locks, and all the while she was firm"
quick shots at me with her black eyes.
After the dance | hunted for some
one to introduce me TO Lille and WAS
successful The Girl had known | was
watching her in the dance, and every
one of her antics was for me. | wasn't
a dancing nan and persuaded her 10
sit ont dance with me. Then Il nice
looking, dapper young fellow took her
for another dance. and | looked on
again. This time her antics were for
me all the same, but they We're Of an
other kind She flashed her eyes alter
nately at me and into those Of the fe-
low she danced with. | was too stupid
20 see through this feminine device
then. and it had its effect Quite likely
ii would have worked just as well with
me if | had seen through it. When q
girl wishes to attract and n fellow
wishes to be attracted it's the easiest
lob in the world.
1t wasn't long before | was going to
see Lille She was an orphan and
lived with her grandmother, an old
lady deaf as trolley car conductor
whose car is jammed full of strap
hangers She was half blind too. But
she must have heard by contact with
substances if she didn't hear through
the air, and, as for seeing, the darker
it was the better chance she had of
distinguishing objects. She was like
other deaf and blind persons in that
respect. She couldn't see or hear what
she should see and hear. but had re-
markabe facilities for detecting what
was most inconvenient for others for
her to know.
About the time l made Lilies ac-
quaintance her grandmother was TAX
en- with her last illness. Lille loved
the old lady, and her approaching
demise was an afiliction to the niece.
I A. 70 | h,,t tyva rS
Old and had years before me- in which
to do courtiag, but so impatient was
that grudged the old lady what little
time she needed from Lille. | feared
| would be too old for matrimony he
fore the invalid got into her grave and
| ceased to require attention.
Now that | look back on this period
( can see that was very unreasonable.
! | would 90 to the house and wait q
whole evening for Lille while she re-
mained upstairs with her grandmother
! hoping every minute that she could
! come downstairs for n brief sitting
/ with me. one evening when had
! waited couple of hours in this way
! concluded, considering that the old wo-
/ man WAS blind and deaf and her i'm
| perfect senses must be further dead
ened by illness. TO go upstairs to the
| sickroom, steal in and see if couldn't
! get Il word with Lille.
tiptoed up the staircase and to the
! door OF the room. which fortunately
! found ajar. Lille was sitting in n
! chair where she could see me. She
| came to the door, and | told her that
! if she couldn't come to me | was bound
! 70 60 to her. She went back into the
| room. turned the light very low and
| beckoned ne to enter. There was n
! sofa placed where the invalid could
not very we'll see it. | stole toward it,
and Lille and sat down side by side
with our arms around each other.
We whispered more love than today.
mt fifty, | could talk in a year, and to
! he heard by each other we scarcely
needed to whisper, for when | spoke
my lips touched her coral ear, and
! when she spoke her lips were q mil
! ionth of an inch from mine.
who's there?" came from the in
! valid
Lille arose, went to the bed and
| asked her grandmother if she wanted
! anything She replied that she thought
she heard whispering. Lille told her
| that she must be mistaken, put her
| hand on the sick woman's head to
soothe her and told her she had better
| try to get little sleep.
Whether grandma was satisfied with
this or not she said no more, and Lii
lie. after coddling her awhile, came
! bacl, 20 me. ! had been wishing !
could burst the remains of the drum
of the old lady's ear with ramrod,
! but when Lille came back felt bet
! ter. However, we didn't think it pru-
| dent to do any more whispering and
rcfrained. | took a pencil from my
! pocket and some old letters and wrote
! what | had to say - very short SEN
tences, in every one Of which the word
love" figured conspicuously.
Men. instead Of choosing, as Is sup
( posed, appropriate opportunities for
proposals, are quite likely to choose