Year: 1873

if | would miss him much for whether


! went ont or stayed at home, bird OF


the air seemed to cary the matter tc


him, and there he would be / had


my second wish gratifed in the course


of time, too, but several things hap.


pened first | knew he had a high


temper, and didn't enjoy being contra


dlcted, and though / was not any too


much given to self-examination, | had


sometimes suspected myself of being a


little bit like him in those respects


but if love doesn't make a man civil,


then nothing ever will, and perhaps il


toned me down a little, too. At any


rate, you'd have thought to see us, that


neither one Of us knew what temper
was everything went as smooth as
glass, and we were engaged to be mar
ried before we knew it, almost. No,
I'm not going to tell you what he said,
you parcel of geese, you. Do you sup
pose | remember, when it's thirty-six
years ago to-day? Now giggle, do; it's
ladylike ! / found an old letter to-
day that posted me as to the date, SO l
hope you all feel better for that.


Well, the wedding day was fixed, and
father bought me house, not very
large, but pretty and convenient, and
near enough to Georges place of bust
ness. One day, when father and I were
starting out together to choose some of
the furniture, we met George near the
store, and father, poor dear man, asked
him to come along, and just than re-
membered that he had an engagement,
too, though it was a different sort from
ours, so Geor and went into the fur
niture store together, laughing and
chatting, and he quite agreed with me
about everything chose, until it came
to one unlucky bureau. 1t was just
what / wanted, and so, although l saw
it was a little scratched, | thought that
could be fixed, and said ia take it.


Stop Il minute, says George, very
wisely, you didn't see that scratch, my
dear child, did you?' Now, perhaps I
was unreasonable, but somehow that
provoked me I fancied | saw the sales
man grin little to himself, though he
was as polite as fsh-hook, and tried
not to look as if he noticed. To be
sure, our engagement was well known,
and nothing to be ashamed of, but | felt
as if George was putting on airs a little
too soon. So ] Just said very quietly,
Yes | saw it, but / like the bureau
better than any of the others, and I
think that can be fixed. 1T would
show through any amount of fixing,
said George, mimicking my tone ever
so little-he'd corrected me forty times,
if he had once, for saying fix instead
of some other word, so that didn't
soothe me but I managed to keep cool
outwardly, and said, Even if it should
show, I prefer this bureau to any of
the rest. I'll take this, I added, turn
ing to the salesman, and then | pulled
ont my watch in a great hurry, and
found had not time to choose anything
more that day, and walked out of the
store. George strutted after me, as
stiff as Il poker, and as soon as We were
fairly in the street, he began That
fellow must have been edited, I should
think. I'm afraid he was, / answer
ed coolly. 'You might at least have
pretended to yield, he went on, even
if You had fought it ont afterward.
Tn not good at pretending, l said,
and as to yielding, it's matter of
opinion whose place it was to yield
There's certain little form Of sound
words which will have to be altered at
one point before you can subscribe to
it, should imagine, he said, and then
he laughed. Now, when l thought it
over afterwards, it came into my head
that he saw he was unreasonable, and
was trying to make things pleasant
again without saying so-catch a man
apologizing, if he can help himself-but
I was angry, and somehow his laugh
Jared, and before / thought what l
was saying, | blurted ont, You seem a
great deal surer about my subscribing
to 1t, as you call it, than l do myself.
He looked straight in my face and shut
his lips together tight, then he said /:
No, am sure of nothing; an hour
ago, no earthly power could have made
me bel1eve that you would act and
speak as you have done this morning.
IF you consider that / have deceived
you as to my true character, | said,


there's time enough yet to escape the
consequences, you're free man, for
anything I shall do to bind you to your
words. He turned as white as a sheet.
Do you mean that? he asked, very
low. Il generally mean what I say,
! answered as indifferently as I
could. 1 comforted myself after
wards with thinking hadn't told a
lie but after that again l concluded
that had. We had come to ourgate by
this time-my gate, l mean-and he
opened it for me without aword. Then he
put out his hand, and l thought he was
going to make up. "You'll at least say
good bye, he said, in the same low,
strange tone--and l had just sense
enough left to shake hands and say it
BY that time next day there had been
an exchange Of notes and things, and
he was gone. l never saw him again
after that morning when left him at
the gate. | knew, when thought it all