Kansas University Weekly.
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fellow and that he entered my neighbor's gate and went straight towards the hammock. The girl did not see him until he was very near, then she arose from the hammock, dropping her book, made a movement towards him with outstretched hands, then stepped back and drawing herself up proudly gave him a slight bow and motioned him to a settee. He seemed to accept the suggestion somewhat reluctantly, but seated himself and began twirling his hat uneasily, while the girl sat up stiffly in her hammock. Only a gesture now and then showed that they were talking. Once the girl threw out her hands towards him and then the young fellow got up abruptly and strode angrily back and forth under the trees, then threw himself on the grass for a moment, when he arose and took his seat again.
A long time now passed quietly; they were evidently deep in conversation, when suddenly the young man's attitude changed, he jumped up and stood tall and straight before the girl, who leaned back in the hammock looking up at him. He shook his head, turned and walked slowly half way to the gate, then he turned and went quickly back to her for a moment, then started away again, on he went, dejectedly, with his head bowed and his hands deep in his pockets. The girl watching him made no movement until he reached the gate and had half opened it. Then she left the hammock, uttered a low cry, the young man turned eagerly,—and at that moment I heard some one from behind me calling, "Jane, Jane do come here!" and I saw no more. H. P.
The Tramp's Story.
"Once when I was down in Kentucky," said the little dark man in the shabby clothes, puffing a cloud of smoke through his bristly whiskers, "I came one night to a big plantation, and crawled up into a barn loft to sleep. I stretched out on the hay and dozed off in a minute, but along in the middle of the night I was woke up by a dog barkin'. He was fastened to a corner of the barn, and I could hear him tugging at his chain, and I laid there sort
of half dreamin' and listenin'. Well in a minute I heard a woman talkin' real low and sweet to the dog and pretty soon he got quiet. Then I heard a gate swing and then a horse whinnied somewhere down the road that run off through the woods.
"I was pretty well awake now and it wasn't long till I heard somebody come down the road from the house. I got up and peeked out the loft window. It wasn't very dark, and I could see a man standin' by the barn and listenin,' and then he started off down towards the gate. He had somethin' in his hand that looked like a gun. I went and laid down again and tried to to sleep but it wasn't ten minutes till heard two shots down the road and right afterwards an awful scream.
"I began to think somethin' was up, so I crept over and looked out of the window again. I couldn't see anything at first but pretty soon somebody was comin' up the road. They come along by the barn and then I could see it was a man and a woman. The man had a gun in one hand and had hold of the woman with the other. She was cryin' and groanin'; they went into the house and I heard him bolt the door.
"By that time I was gettin'scared and I climbed down out of the loft and started down the road. When I got about a quarter of a mile I saw somethin' lyin' in the road, and as I come up to it I saw it was a man. I stooped down and put my hand on his chest but there wasn't any signs of life. He was a fine lookin' young fellow, and dressed fine, but he was stone dead. His horse was standin' there tied to a tree.
"There wasn't any use of my stayin' around, so I just kept on down the road and didn't lose any time gettin' over the line into Indiana."
L. N. F.
A Passing Thought. BY J.W.HULLINGER.
Speaking of some conventional absurdities recalls the peculiar sensation caused by watching two society ladies kiss. How the cold chills do start as we behold the two mouths narrow down to the smallest possible compass, as if the point of contact must vary, directly as the square root of their affections, and inversely as the number of times the process is repeated.
I would see some good in all things. Let me therefore commend the mathematical precision, though lamenting the sad waste of good material.