I was in love with the sweet little girl, and was walking on
the clouds. If I hadn't been I would have seen that my cake was all
dough in that quarter. I might have noticed that big Dan Forbush had an
amused look in his eye when I went off on one of these trips. If I had
watched the mail I might have seen numerous little billets coming daily
from Bentonville, addressed in a neat round hand to "Mr. Dan Forbush."
But I didn't, I kept right on in my mad career, and one day when my
courage was high I offered my hand and my heart to Miss Ross. She
refused and told me that while she was honored by my proposal, she had
been engaged to Mr. Forbush for two years, having known him down on the
"Sunset" before he came to our road. I took my defeat as philosophically
as I could and the next spring she left Bentonville for good, and Dan
took a three weeks' leave. When he came back he brought sweet Ellen as
his bride. One evening not long after that I was calling there, when
Mrs. Forbush looked up at me very naively and said:
"Mr. Bates, did I pay you back for discharging me?"
[Illustration: "Are you not doing it just because I am a woman?"]
There's no doubt about it, she did, and I felt it.
Pages:
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432