Year: 1873

"Will you be at home tonight, An


ME ?"


The person who asked the question
tall, muscular, goOd-lOoking yOunl
farmer, was leaning on 'Squirt


Moore's front gate talking to tn,
'Squire's pretty daughter, who stooC
inside Of it. AS the simple word
passed his lips he redeemed suddenly
TO the very roots of his hair, as if hI
had been guilty of some great impro
priety.


He was Lashful-extremely bashfu
was David Winthrop-at least in the
presence of young ladies, most of al
in the presence of the girl he loved
No young man in all Wilkes county
owned better kept farm, or talked
with more confidence among his GRO
MES of stock and crops and such like
But the sight Of pretty foot or fact
coming his way affected him queerly
On such occasions he never knew
what to do with his hands and
eyes, and seemed always to feel like
screwing himself into the nearest
mousehole until the danger-that is
to say, the young lady-was passed.


This state Of thugs being consider
ed, no one understood how he con.
trived to muster up courage enough to
enlighten Annie Moore on the sub
ject of his preference for herself. The
matter probably remains to this day
as much a mystery to him as it is to
others.


Miss Annie, however, had a fail
share of tact and womanly cleverness
slowed safely away somewhere in the
recesses of her pretty little head, al.
though it was carried jauntily upon
the inexperienced and rounded shoul-
ders of fresh eighteen.


She did not need to be reminded
that David was worth, in the worldly
way, much more than any of her 9TH
er suitors, and that he was cookbook
ing, good-hearted and Intelligent
anouob 70
tidious person of her class. He was
lunexceptionsble, in short, barring his
uncomfortable and excessive bashful-
ness, which, indeed, was never fail
ing source of merriment to the young
people of their little circle.


And so when David, in his awk-
ward, laundering, half frightened
manner, began shyly to exhibit his
preference for her in various little
ways, such as waiting on her to and
from singing school, constituting
himself her escort when she went
sundays on horseback to the lonely
LITTLE church in the woods, singing
her out as the recipient of whatever
attentions he could find nerve to pay
at the frequent quilting parties in the
neighborhood. Annie did not fright
en- him out of his budding passion by
any show, either of surprise or mark
ed preference, but took it all in the
easiest, ,quietest, unconsciouslike man.
i ner possible. The girls Uttered and
nudged each other's elbows, and the
young men cracked furtive jokes at
the expense of her timid suItor, but
she stood up for him like real kind
hearted, independent Southern lass,
as she was, and tried TO encourage
him out of his shyhess as far as sne
consistently could.


She never seemed to notice any of
his unfortunate blunders, and very
likely helped him along considerably
when his feelings reached the cUlmI-
mating point, one moonlight Autumn
evening, as they were walking to-
gether from corn husking.


That had been just one week ago.
Annie had said Eyes, ,"and had agreed
to take the responsibility of bringing
her father and mother "around" on
the subject. David had not been to
the house since. Probably he felt very
much like dog who fears to venture
upon the premises of a person whose
sheepfold he had just plundered. Thus
it happened that as yet the powers
that were knew nothing of the mo-
mentous secret which they kept be-
tween themselves, tearing to divulge.


And now Annie, who wished to put
of the ordeal of avowel as long as
possible-at any rate to gain time for
one more confidential talk with Da-
vid on the subject-said hastily, in
reply to that STAN mmered query of his
with which we have prefaced this
narrative: "Mother is going over to
Aunt Ruth's with father to spend the
evening, and she wants me to go, too,
but guess / won't. I've been work
ing on fathers new shirts all day, be-
sides doing the dairy work yesterday,
and Pm about tired out" Then she
added, before he could reply: "Don't
come until eight o'clock; 1 shall be
shout through putting things to rights
by that time"


OF course, David was not too obtuse
to understand that he was specially
favored by this arrangement, and he
30 forgot his bashfulness as TO petition
awk1ardIy for parting kiss, which
was at once refused in the most mex
orable manner possible.


iNo. you sha'n'tl There, now
Do take yourself off, will you? Dye
think I didn't see you fidgeting
around En-. Smith at Deacon Ander-
sons sociable, last night. pve not
forgotten that. sir ~


"Oh, now, Annie! Just one?r


But further appeal was broken off
by 9 tantaliZing little laugh, and
when, rendered desperate by this, he
tried to revenge himself, at the very
moment when he thought he was
sure of the coveted prize, and stopped
his head triumphantly over his strug.
Cling prisoner, the rosy, laughing face
| vanished suddenly from under his
[ face and was of and away up the gar
den path leading TO the house almost
before he could realize what had hap
pened.


For one moment David, who stood
gazing ruefully after her, thought Of
pursuit and q recapture. But before
he had time to put his plan into exc
cation his tormentress, after stopping
to give one mocking farewell wave Of
her hand from the front porch, van
ished inside of the ball door. So there
was nothing to be done but to turn re-
luetantly from the gate and take the
road homeward.


If you could have looked into the
family sitting-room st Squire MOore's
shortly before o'clock on that same
evening yeu would have had CHEEKY
picture before you.' The after supper
clearing away was over, for the sit
ting-room was also the loom where
the daily meals of the family were
eaten. The leaves of the old fashion
ed dinner table had been let down,
and the table itself, covered with q
bright oiled cloth, set back against the
wall. The crumbs had been brushed
with q turkey wing from the neat
home made carpet, and A1nie's work
stand was drawn up in front of the
ample and blazing fire ofhickory logs,
which cracked cheerfully in the old
fashioned fireplace.


A bountifully piled tray Of red