Year: 1872

leu moustache, the admiration of the girls
and the envy of the boys for miles around, had
been persistently courting her at the paternal
mansion for two years, but could never be
brought to propose. Yet Josiah wanted the
grid as bad, if not worse, than the girl wanted
him and he was always on the point of saying
something, but never yet had it got to his ex-
pectant listeners ears At length, at the end
of two years, Mary Ann got so excited over it
that shecould hardly wipe her mothers dishes,
while Josh would stop and lean upon his hoe in
the corn field and think to himself, "Why am
l such born fool? l really think she'd have
me if l only had gumpton enough to ask her"
With this he resolved to take her to ride that
very day, and have settlement once for all.
At first he thought he could hire livery rig
and goi it in style, but the expense deferred
him. "Darned if dads shay and our old nag
won't do she needn't have me-" So said Josh,
as he threw down his hoe, put on his coat and
started to the house to hitch up old Nancy"
and get his sweetheart. The chaise, which had
done service for many centuries, was drawn
out, and Josiah, arrayed In ruffled shirt front,
scarlet necktie, dark blue vest, white linen
pants, with swallow tailed coat and stove pipe
hat, the colored moustache displayed to best
advantage, stepped in behind the fiery steed
and drove for his dulcinea. She seemed CO.
quettish about "going out in the hot sun with
a man she wasn't engaged to, even if he had
gone with her so longs" but she was persuaded,
and Josh helped her into the "shay." Without
word of conversation between them, the first
mile was passed. Mary Ann sat in one corner
of the vehicle, blushing red as a peony, while
Josiah was hesitating whether to pop the ques-
ton now or wait awhile. A second mile was
passed and still silence reigned broken only
occasionally by the crack of Josiah's whip
against "Nancy's" lean sides. They now en-


tered forest bordering on Joslahs domain,
and out of the sunlight Josiah grew bolder.-
He began to talk about his crops, and another
mile was passed; still he could not muster up
sufficient courage to say a word which must de-
eide his fate. For two long and weary years
the lassie had also waited and watched for the
question, and knew "Barkis was willing" yet
unable to ask her. Outwardly silent but in
wardly fretting and fuming, the country dam
sci sat revolving in her mind how she could
bring matters to crisis. Atlength as the horse
stopped for an instant on the brow of hill to
nibble bit of grass, she bethought herself of
plan she begged her lover to go to a farm house
not far distant, and bring her cup of cold wa
ter Then the sly creature kept watch until
he was half way back to the carriage with the
cup, and partially hidden from view by grove
of trees, when she seized the whip and punch
ed it into the horses ribs with such force as al
most caused them to crack. "Nancy" gave
Quick spring forward, and rushed madly down
the hill, Josh hastily dropping his cup of wa
ter, and flying In hot pursuit. At length he
reached them after hard run, the "shay" lay
broken and overturned in the road, the horse
was quietly browsing the grass near by, while
Mary Ann, her face as pale as marble, and her
beautiful white dress soiled with dust, lay ap-
parently insensible short distance off. JOSH
abs attempts to rouse her were of no avail un-
til, becoming thoroughly frightened, he began
to cover her cheeks with impassioned kisses,
calling upon her to live for him. Then, and
not until then, did the beautiful thing deign to
open her eyes, when with tears gushing forth
she said ooh, Josh ! if you had only said it
afore, this would not have happened"