The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-08-31
AQuiick
transition
BY EUNICE BLAKE

Come In, Mr.. Morehouse. It's gtttin
chilly nights now. got some log
blazin' on the hearth, and I'll bring vi
some birch beer from the cellar"
Josh Morehouse, bachelor OF forty
accepted the invitation and was soor
sitting on one end of sofa drawn be
fore the fire, while Amanda Waters
aged twenty, sat at the other. Beside
Josh stood table on which were a dish
of nuts and bottle Of birch beer, Aft
er swig of the beer he began crack
ing the nuts and invited Amanda to
tell him what he could do for her.
Law sakes, Mr.. Morehouse. | don't
believe ! can"
"Waal, now, that's surprisin'."
There's somep'n / want you TO do
for me, but it's awful hard to say 1t.
Fact is, ! want to borry you for
awhile"
"Borry me?"
| Mr.. Morehouse paused while crack
ing a nut and looked at Miss Waters
inquiringly.
you know Enoch Rogers. Well,
| Enoch has been talkin' soft to me late
ly, and don't want him to do il. He's
nice Teller, but he's nothin' but a
| boy. / don't cotton 10 these kids, but
Enoch is givin' me an awful lot of
worriment / don't want to hurt his
feelin's, and / can't stand 1t to have
him follerin' me about, maxim people
believe belong to him."
why don't you tell him, squar, to
keep OFF,
II have. 1t don't appear TO do any
good"
You don't want me to give him
lickin'. do your
"Oh, no, Mr.. Morehouse. wouldn't
have you do that"
what do you want me TO dor
"Waai, I've reckoned that If you
wouldn't mind make b'lieve for awhile
| belong TO you mebbe he'd give me up
and be ruckensiled to get on with.
out me-"
"oh, see! That's a mighty good
way o. lettin' him down"
His mother and my mother are
mighty good friends, and Enoch is a
nice boy. So / mustn't do anything
TO make bad blood. Jest as soon as
Enoch sees that some un has got |
ahead OF him he'll draw off and tind
another gal"
"You don't mean that he'd think |
you'd look at an old Teller like me, do
your"
la sakes. Mr.. Morehouse. how you
talkl You're Just the age for wom-
an between eighteen and twenty-five.
Girls want a husband TO look up TO.
They don't want boy that they kin
wipe the 6oor with"
"You don't mean itl WAL, now, Il
wouldn't a thought any gal except an
old maid would want me-"
Mr.. Morehouse looked very much
pleased. The fire cracked merrily.
on the fender and gliding arti-
cles In the room. The birch beer had
a delicious flavor, and the nuts. hay.
Ing been newly gathered, were the
same. II
when shall We begin. Mr.. More
houseT asked Amanda. moving from
her end OF the sofa toward her make
believe lover.
Begin? Begin whatT' iii
why. pertendln' we're engaged"
isn't there big difference between
and the real thingT
"Mebbe there Is, but II we don't act
'ngaged before people they won't be-
ieye we're engaged. Enoch1l think
IN just sayin' I'm engaged to shet
i'm on" hi
That wouldn't do. would iti But
low are We goin' 90 act engsgedT" III
Laws a-massy. Mr.. Morehouse. you
ont reckon we're goin' 10 know how
D act engaged without any praeticin'r'
~Mebbe not" I'LL
Mr.. Morehouse took another pull AZ
be birch beer. and when be bad set "
own bis mug he found that Amanda
ad moved TO the middle OF the sofa
nd there was barely room for a sheet
I paper between them The Gre was
and giving out its genial
'armth. Mr.. Morebouse felt very hap
=. He looked sidewise at Amanda.
hfle she looked down az Ter lap.
Der dress He wondered II
borrowed lover practicing 20 play bis
M was entitled 10 take a Kiss. He
'opped an arm. which was resting on
q back OF the sofa. 10 Der waist she
4 not move. He felt encouraged
e drew Der toward him tn she was
aning up against him. Her bead top
ed 20 the side. be turned her face.
"a bis lips were drawn magneticnTy
hers
by Jinr." he erclnimed. Il wonder
bein' a real lover h beftern a Dor
81 onsr -
'Nobody hin tel that without try -
- said Amauaa.
Another Hiss helped him On. and stfl
other heiped him on further. al -
= ss be afterward said. sths words
n csms rirht cot hy themselves
tbout my hsvin' anything fo % vita
When Josh MUrehcuse vert hgms
u evening he wss HsturiNhed e. re-
sutserirr thHt hs hsf stood wfttin
hCur IN three different positions
ssrH ~a~rTnrsFraF frrrw~ a~sN $1,000 Al