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Show t: In Town and the Country Ey H. IRVING KING (CupyrlKtit.) JOIIX COITEItFIKI.D hated country coun-try life and had not much use for ttie country in general. I'.ut Celia llucklin lived in the country was a country girl born and bred and that made a difference, even to John. He had often wished that it were otherwise, other-wise, but he had to admit to himself with a sigh that she would not be happy except amid the woods and fields aiid that the roar of the elevated ele-vated line would never make up to her for the calling of the whippoor-wills, whippoor-wills, nor the rattle of the dumbwaiter dumb-waiter for the babbling of the brook. lie went down to I'.rookville where (.VI iu lived as often as he possibly could get away from business and attended at-tended there garden parties, picnics and other sylvan diversions with an assiduity only equaled by that of the mosquitoes in stinging him and the ants in getting into the ice cream. And he pretended to like it because "it would please Celia." The nights in the country were especially awful to him. The strange, weird, subdued noises got on his nerves; he longed to fly hack to roaring Manhattan and get a good night's sleep. lie had met Celia when she was on a visit to some cousins of hers in the city, and had taken great pleasure in showing her about and expatiating upon up-on the beauties of Manhattan; but all the time she had babbled of green fields and sylvan joys. He proposed and was accepted and he and Celia sat on the piazza of the lonely old house of her fathers and discussed the future. "We will build a little house over there on that hill," said he, "so that you will be near your people and your friends. It is quite a ride to and from the city daily ; but I shall not mind it when I know that you are waiting to meet me when I come home." "But John," said Celia doubtfully, "are you quite sure you would be content con-tent to live always in the country?" "Oh, certainly," he replied ; "anywhere "any-where would be paradise to me if you were there, dear." "But do you like the country?" insisted in-sisted Celia. "Of course Immensely," he prevaricated. pre-varicated. Then he went on to picture their happy life to come in their quiet, country coun-try home growing quite eloquent on the subject. Celia did not enthuse as he had expected her to over the prospect pros-pect ; she seemed, on the contrary, rather sad and pensive. He returned to the city the next morning, and the day following he received a letter from Celia. It was a curious letter; John could not make it out ; something some-thing had happened; what was it? She hinted several times that, per-hnps, per-hnps, their engagement had been a mistake that they were not going to be as happy as they had thought they would. But in the next line would be a pledge of love and a willingness to be resigned to fate. John pondered. Then he saw it all ! It was that handsome young fruitgrower fruit-grower whose great orchards were contiguous to the estate of Celia's father. fa-ther. He had been hanging around Celia for years. Once, at a picnic, a country busybody had joked him upon up-on his "cutting out Pete Pryor." Peter and Celia had been to school together as children ; he was of the country, a scorner of cities ; just as Celia was. She had been captivated by his, John's, city manners and city clothes ; but after the fatal "Yes" had been spoken had realized that it was Peter Pryor she loved, after all. John slept quite as badly that night, in spite of the soothing sound of the neighboring elevated, as he had been I accustomed to In the country with the ghostly calling of those infernal whip-poorwills whip-poorwills driving away slumber. Next morning he hung onto his accustomed strap, alighted at his accustomed elevated ele-vated station and walked ofliceward sadly. Should he write Celia a letter j telling her that she was free; or should he go down to Brookville and personally give back to her her troth and resign her to the bucolic fruit- i grower? At the entrance of the office build- ' ing where John did business be encountered en-countered two ladies the cousins of Celia whom she had been visiting when be first met her. "Why, how do you do, Mr. Copperfield," cried the elder j of the two. "Aren't we early birds? You see, we are leaving for Bar Harbor Har-bor today and had to see our lawyer before we started. How are you and j Celia coming on? When are you go- j ing to be married? Oh, it will just be delightful for Celia to come to live in j the city. She has always wanted to. She just hates country life; hut has never been able tc get away from it for more than a week or two at a time. Good-by. That lawyer must be j in by this time." That evening John arrived at Brookville. Brook-ville. "It's all right, Celia, old girl," he cried, as he took ber in his arms. "We'll forget that bungalow on the hill. The five-room-and-bath flat handy to the elevated is all engaged. Come in town with me tomorrow and we'll pick out the furniture." "Oh. John, you dear," she replied, "how did you know what I wanted" Won't we be happy?" And they were |