The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-09-30
APRIL'S TICKLE LADY
BY MARTHA M'cuLlocH.
WILLIAMS.

-INz easy Slak&s SAS ASu NSSb Ss@A
.ns in the fire, elbows on knees,
Jean, her eomraae-cousin. laughed
softly. What is SO tiresome-endur
ing Ned OF doing without BallyE"
Both - neither" Lseta cried,
springins up and dsrttns to the piano.
4 believe it Is mostiy-men In gen
eral,"
Say, rather, the fact that you can't
be quite happy with or without them
Jean retovtsd, Tell the truth, Lee
-yoa know Irritation ts-she salt Of
life to yoa.@
You're no sstter-only slyss."
Leets famed cut
Jean laughed heartily, please *
piain," she said, after s minute
Maybe / an sly: If So I deceive my
self the same as anybody else"
You dent Lesta cried. vhirains
10 face her cousin. "Yo1 Saow-yoa
can't 6say-sou'vs played our cards
esautssaIly-so make Dsvy Andrews
propose
What's Ravy Jean QpsIed, with
inst the faiatast flush.
Jesta stamped hard, The oay
one really worth wilhelm an this
rucs that hss cone calling On rs"
she said.
Jean stared why-yoz called
him q f-ozsa fright ST 5-ss-aad
begged ne to sye you from hin"
she said d~ete1siveiy.
Leetz nodded 7 YVES 8 fool-now
Il an wiser, she said huskfy. Il
didn't mean 10 tell you ever, but it
hurts Sc TO see you playing with him
when r
Playing with him," Jean echoed.
You speak in riddles. You can't
mean playing at love-making, just
because I made him a Ieap-year pro-
posal. You know how that happened.
Ill OF you dared m to do it. 1
chose Day because"
4Bescause you liked him-best of
ALL Leeta exploded. And you,
wanted to see him get hot and red
with all the others laughing at you
twot"
Funny way to show afection-mak-
ing the one beloved mighty uncom-
Portable" Jean interrupted.
Leeta gripped her shoulders hard
saying in a thin-edged voice: You
do love him. Deny tiff you can"
Jean freed herself, looking at the
other half-compassionately, half
scornfully, walked to the door and
said very crisply:
eff it will ease your mind, here and
now I make you a present of all right,
title claim or interest I have, had or
may have in David Andrews, Es-
quire.
Then she rushed upstairs all un-
knowing David had heard her. He
had been just within the entrance.
She had chosen the back way for her
exit. A big fellow, ugly, but after a
frank, engaging fashion, he was much
puzzled as to what was best. If he
could have got away unseen he would
have done 1t, but Aunt Margaret, host
ess. of the two girls, had met Kim
at the yard gate and hidden him go
inside.
Men propose sometimes when they
are disposed otherwise. Davy was
destined to prove the fact. Finding
Leeta in stormy tears, he would have
rushed out but that she all but flung
herself in his arms. And she was
very, very pretty, very, very clinging,
moreover her voice was very soft, her
round arms velvet to the touch. By the
time he had Gained her a little, and
got in the way of comforting her, all
inclination for flight had vanished.
And by the time Aunt Margaret came
in upon them, Leeta was comfortably
nestled within his arm as became his
betrothed.
Aunt Margaret was direct--digcon-
certingly SO sometimes. aWhy. /
thought you were after other game.
Jean, my little brown partridge" she
said, staring open-eyed as David man.
fully explained.
Fate, which asks questions, some
times also answers them. Three days
later David knew with awful certainty
he would never be happy without
oSo- 40 AuSS ASf, 0NJ algl ~ lSNXy
rock, bareheaded, her garments back
ward blown, face appraised, but hands
listlessly down. He laid bold OF both
her hands and questioned her stub
bornly. AS stubbornly she fenced
with him. knowing the hazard OF
truth.
David would not give up. You
knew! You knew.1 he persisted.
as ] know now-When It is almost too
late"
Quite too late" Jean said, turning
away her face.
Then and there came an ennissary
Of kind fortune to the pair. He was
most sportsmanly clad and carried q
gun rather gingerly. Can you tell
me- he began, III / am on the way to
Fair Oaks? ! seem to have lost nv
Yay-why, Miss Jean-it can't be
you?"