Year: 1859

| give Hle sumo other a0s"tF-uo you suppose
have stayed here until this time, to be laughe


at by you in this way? You must tell me ye


or nc" said Mr.. Summers to Carrie Dayto
| as they were walking one evening in the Ian


behind her fathers house
| am sure have told you no, half doze


times, but if you want me to say it again


can. So no, sir, and the young girl stoppe


in the path before him, and crossed her hand


upon her breast and dropped curtsey, Will


her eyes were twinkling in roguish mirth, an
her mouth drawn down in mock gravity. Bu


she had to stoop and dart away to avoid bein,
| caught as the large hand of her eompaniol


was stretched towards her, and in momen


her merry laugh was heard on one side in tn
| bushes.


Come back, Carrie, Ill not touch you,
called Summers, as he stood still in the path
half fixed smile parting his lips, and she came
back and walked by his side. "This seems t.
be fine play for you, but it is serious matter
and you ought to treat it as such and give d
serious answer


Who ever saw such a man, have answer
ed you twenty times already. Can help il
that no, don't mean yes. Itmust be very pleas
ant for you to hear me decline the honor you
offer over and over"


d" But cannot believe you mean what you
say"


But do, indeed / do "-and Carrie look
ed up into his face with halfserious and half
comical look.


"Then trhy do you mean it ?" he asked in
tently regarding her, don't you like me-
couldn't you be happy as my wife 2'


Il like you well enough you know


" And don't you love me ?"


" No, do not love any one" and the young
face flushed to the temples.


Z" Be careful, Carrie, and do not throw the
card on which my happiness, and perhaps your
own, is staked, with careless hand"


I" 1 tell you Mr.. Summers, I will not be a
minister's wife and spend all of my time in go
ing to prayer-meeting, and in making pins-
fores for sunday-school children" and she
waltzed down the path and back again to his
side and laying her hand coaxingly on his arm
said: Come, don't let us talk about these
things any more; it makes me angry to have
you ask me such questions"


al will talk about them," he said, "and
about nothing else. and you must answer me
too" and he seized the tiny hand that lay on
his arm, in his own powerful one, and smiled
as he felt it tremble. No you cannot go, so
you need not pull your hand so hard, for I am
going to talk to you. Don't you ever expect
to get married, Carrie ?" But there came no
answer from the pouting lips, and looking
down upon the clouded face he said: =" This
will not do, | am master for once, and am not
to be made fool of any longer. For two
years you have dragged me like fish on hook,
sometimes through cool, delightful waters, but
most of the time you have left me gasping on
hot sand, and now l am going to snap the
string, or make you take me in your hand"


Well, if you are not the most unreasonable
man that ever lived. Here l can hardly reach
your shoulder by standing on tip-toe," and she
stretched her head up. and pair of blue eyes
twinkled over his shoulder, and you want me
to take man that is six feet high and weighs
Jet me see'-she continued leaning her head
forward and measuring him with her eye from
head to foot, 90 a hundred and eighty at least,
up in that hand F." and she held out the small
lest and whitest of hands with a laugh that
made the woods echo.


Don't think to foil me this way" said
Summers, as he possessed himself of the out
stretched hand and thus held her complete
prisoner, "do you ever expect to get married,
Carrie -


Why-yes. My mother did, and my
grandmother did, and | should not wonder if l
did, too, one of these days-but what if |
should ?'


I" 1 want to know who you will marry ?''


40, some fine man, who is young and hand
some, and rich, and who adores me-"


Henry Mills, Supposed %


"No wont have him, he is not good look
ing enough"


Then Marion perhapsr'


Well, if Martens speculations turn out
well may be induced to accept him.


Y ou will do no such thing, Carrie Day
ton you know that you despise the conceited
coxcomb. Can't you be serious moment
and say what you really think ?"


Yes I will, if you will let go of my hands;
l cannot talk when you hold them so tight"


q" If l should you would be off to the house
in less than two minutes"


But there is the teabell, and we must go
you hear it ?''


"Yes. hear it," he said seating himself at
the root of tree and drawing Carrie down by
his side, and now as soon as you behave your
self we will go in, for this must end, and aciH
not be played with any longer. And if you
value my love at all treat me in a different
manner, for I shall never speak to you on this
subject again" He never was a handsome
man, but Carrie thought as she looked at him
then, with the lips of his large mouth firmly
set, and his nostrils quivering, as his keen,
black eye was fixed in stern wrath upon her
face, that there was stuff enough in him to
make dozen or two of such men as her 9th
er lovers were.


Summers had loved Carrie Dayton for years
and had been tortured by her whims and
caprices until it was unbareable ,and his deep
affections and rising anger were plainly writ
ten in his face, and her own dropped upon her
knees before the look she saw. He commenced
to speak but she stopped him. "Do not say
what youasEre going to, Summers, do not say
any more. Let us be friends through life," and
she rested her hand upon his knees her voice
was calm and serious, and its tones acted as
magic upon him. The anger left his face and
an expression of the deepest anguish took its
place.


NO." he said pushing her hand away, although
he held her firmly by the arm, g will be eve
ry thing to you or nothing. l am not going
to be on burning Goals all of my life, by keep
up mere friendship; either your husband, or a
stranger. But tell me, Carrie have all of your
denals to me been prompted by maidenly mod
esty and female caprice, or do you really mean
to say that you do not love me-that you can
never be my wife, and remember this is the
last time l will ask you"


Carries playfulness had vanished and she
sat meek enough by Summers side, with her
face turned away, and as he asked her the last
question, she turned to him but caught her
breath as his eye met hers, for she saw that
the veal or woe of life time hung upon her