Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-02-23
was referred to only as 4y daugh-
FOR" and nOt nv name

was referred to only as ~ daugh-
ter" and not by name.
"Poor Popw she sighed as she re-
turned the letter to its envelope and
passed it back to st. Croix, "he means
so well by us children"
$50 you see, Nicely, you've got to
be careful. No more fudge!"
81 never conceited it would give all
this here trouble!" she lamented, on
the verge of tears.
st. Croix looked shade less au.
stere. "Where'd you get the spiffy
cOat?" he asked. "LoOks for the world
like English tweed"
"It's the teachers. She left me Dor
row the loan of it off of her."
"Now, look here! Why can't you
say simply that she lent it to your
instead of all those superfiuOus words
she let you borrow the loan of 1t
off of her! Ye gods! She lent it to
me- That says what you mean,
doesn't it? Five words instead of
dozen!"
Zach, well !" pouted Nicely, looking
again as though she were on the verge
of tears-and then suddenly, to her
CONSERVATION, she quite uncOntrOllably
misunderstanding her hand against
her mouth to keep from laughing hys-
terically Fortunately for her, he took
it for suppressed sob.
"There, there, my dear" he said
half impatiently, half remorsefuIly.
Never mind! You're past teaching
anyhow! Look here, Nicely, why
haven't you ever mentioned that the
teacher boards with you? You've
talked of everyone else in the house
hold"
swell, you see, had afraid you
might want to be gave an interduc-
ton to her and she's so pretty, had
Jealous"
"She is pretty little thing. But /
wonder" he grinned, "what my broth
er, Marvin. thinks of such a little
ignoramus teaching district school!
I didn't know they had such crude
teachers as that in the schOols!"
"But she's awful good in geogra-
ply! She can bind every state on the
patchwork quilt!'
"Quilt'!"
"yOu knOw-the map. And sums You
had ought to see her do sums oncet
My-goodness! To be sure, she can't
talk very correct. She gets her VS.
and we's mixed terrible! But United
| States history! Why, she knows even
the footnotes, now mind I'm tellin'
you!"
While she talked, he watched her
with shining eyes, but it was her raw
fishing self, not Nettie's proficiency in
SUMS and footnotes, that caused the
shining.
II declare, Nicely, in that coat you
could pass for anything at all You
look positively like a swell Patri-
clan, actually" He laughed. little
dreaming, of course, that the girl un-
derstood why he laughed; why he
thought it funny that Nicely Schwenck-
ton should look "patrician, actually"
"And if I really was so pa-high-
toned like look in this here coat"
she responded wistfully, you could
marry me then! Amt. Mr.. Creigh-
TONI"
Marriage isn't the happiest relation
between a man and woman, Nicely
there is freer, happier relation" he
said y-ingratiatingly
"But since I amt heightened" she
broke in, "why do you take all this
here worry and trouble to meet up
with me?'
you're always asking me that.
Nicely! I've told you-you know"
mo, don't. If you think I'm COM
mOn-tOO common to marryIthen
what is it about me you like so good?"
swell, if you've got to have an an
swer, I suppose, Nicely" he said. re-
garding her appraisingly, ''it's that
you're so absolutely feminine"
Feminine? Well, but my good
ness what would you expect?"
ut makes you, to most men, my
dear, so irresistible! I can't under
stand how you've gone this long with.
out being married. Why haven't you
married, Meely?"
"Ach. l amt got no curiosity"
He WINGED. How blatantly vulgar
she could bel
However, she had given him his
cue-a wedge to break down barriers.
He found himself surprised at his
own sense Of reluctance to come to
the point with her. to put his quest
to the test; an underlined apprehension
of dfsappOintment-th of course
that was ridiculous - surely she
"loved" and desired him, or why had
she been risking so much to meet him
here? Surely she was flattered at
his desiring herl
He suddenly snatched her to him
with passionate kisses-so fiercely that
this time she was too helnleSs in his