The Parker post., 1915-06-12


there and watching me work! | don't
believe you care whether l ever get
! back to town or not
Sure | don't" ! said easily, filling
my pipe. But calm Yourself maybe
the duke viii come and rescue you
What do you mean?"
We'll, it's this way, Eloise, l have
heard Twizdale call enough people
'bltthering ahsses' to gather he knows
| how they act. With that knowledge
he will probably come and rescue you
from this one"
Which one?" she gasped, ex-
hausted with pulling.
Both" | said. Don't be partial.
| Come on, sit down beside me, and
we'll cool off"
With a final exasperated tug Eloise
gave up the ghost of chance she had
with Earsby and followed my sugges-
ton.
1t was really divine little nook for
tete-atete.
Suddenly Eloise laughed,
"As long as we are here, let's have
jolly little picnic all by ourselves"
she said Isn't it delicious in this
green grotto? Look. Dick, up between
the trees you can see the clouds float
ing by Isn't the blue beyond the
green lovely? And over there in the
field. See the men haying in the
sun ?"
| grunted responses indifferently as
though l owned the place and had
brought her along to see it. | couldn't
trust myself to say anything else.
Eloise knew that | loved her, but
she also knew and recognized that
wealth and social position were indis-
| pensable requisites in the man she
married
Whats the matter, Dicky?". cried
| she. You're not yourself at all"
l made what l now recognize as
gallant attempt to founder through q
few of my wel[known. witticisms, but
the only smile | could raise was a
plying one. Eloise told me was
going off horribly-a bally English
expression, | believe-and | admitted
it with a groan. Then | cursed my
self for an imbecile and trembled for
| fear she would divine what the matter
| was
| knew | should soon make fool Of
myself, and in desperation heayed
rocks at Earsby in a last fiickering
endeavor to get him on the move
| But he, .adamant animal, proceeded
| according to the numerical strength
Of grass tufts and no faster For d
| considerable time there was silence
while Eloise hummed
Il certainly do admire those men
over there she said at last warmly.
Yes? Why?" l inquired affably,
to keep up the conversation.
"Oh, l don't know she replied,
half yawning Il just do"
| Now anything that Eloise admires
comes at once under my very personal
| scrutiny. Consequently with feelings
| compounded of the emotions of Ga
boriau and Doyle, | proceeded to dis
cover why she admired those men
The first clue wac this: They were
in a bayfield,, making hay. Their
pitchforks glinted dazZlingly in the
sunlight, which fact brought me to
my second postulate namely, that the
sun was shining. Proceeding logical
'y, | achieved the following:
That the men were making hay
while the sun shone
With a sudden feeling tnat | had
| left part of me floating round In the
air somewhere, | looked at. Eloise.
She was smiling at me divinely and
her eyes were sweeter with love than
a hOneysuckle is with honey.
| Then | made a fool of myself as l
| had feared all the time | would; but
never was a fool more wonderfully
confirmed in his folly.
"By Jove! It's five o'clock" l ex-
claimed after a few seconds, pulling
out my watch IF we can't get your
celestial creature to ambula'e we will
have to walk
At this Eloise gave a little scream
and. springing to her feet, ran down
to the dusty roadway.
He's gone!" she cried in despair
ing voice. "Oh, why didn't ! Think"
Think what?" | demanded fero-
ciously of my future wife.
About darling Earsby He always
leaves here at quarter to five sharp.
You see-oh dear, what have | done?
early in the summer, when I rarely
saw any one, | used to drive out here
with him and read in this little grove
for couple of hours. He nibbled the
grass, and | read and thought about
you and"
Then you expected him to stop
when we reached here this after
nOon?" | cried, insane with joy
why, Richard Parsons" she ex-
claimed reprovingIy The idea of
such a thing"
And we let it go at that since | was
IN no condition to distinguish ideas
from ibexes.
And aftor whi1n uo cfor+o5 y,