Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-07-14
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hotel I'll bid you a good evening"
stay. Have you any objection to car
ry note to Miss Atherlon =
i cam say as laye.'
swell, then, as she seems to have
made yeu her confident, | will intrust
YOU with one.;' So saying. he stepped
into the tavern, and in few minutes re-
turned with neat billet, which he put
into the hands OF Johnny, requesting him
to be particularly careful to deliver it to
Lucy herself.
Proud of an office which would intro
duce him into the presence of her who
had occupied SO large a share of his
thought he departed with alacsity-; but
meeting with some of his companions,
who detained him, sorely against his will,
more than an hour elapsed before he
reached the dwelling of Mrs. Atherton.
The lady and her fair daughter were
seated, tfte fete at their work stand.
when a modest knock WAS heard at the
door. and in few moment thc crest
fallen Johnny Vanderbocker stood be-
fore them. Bowling reverently to both
ladies', he advanced in silence. ard laid
the note before Lucy, who at first took it
up with hesitation. supposing thatst con
tanned an etlusi0n ofthe bearers own
hopeless passion but no sooner had the
superscription caught her eye. than she
tore it open. and exclaimed, fife is come,
he is come; Mother, mother! he is
Gomez
'sWho is come 2 inquired Johnny.
whose feelings were too mnch excited to
petm nit him to remain silent. .aucy's
head had fallen upon her mothers shout
der, and the tears were rolling down her
cheeks, while the good lady's eyes were
also filed.
'Never mind said Johnny, in soofh-
ing tone; don't bescared ladies. If he
does carry horse pistols, he is not going
to do as he pleases in Herkimer. Don't,
cry. Miss Lucy-Fil fight sfor you as
long as I can stand At this juncture.
the door again opened, the stranger stood
before them. The blanket. coat fellfsem
his shoulders, and Lucy Atl:ertea rushed
into his arras. sDear Lucy!' Dear
Charles!' was allthev could utter. 'Mrs.
Atherton glided out Of the room. The
old lady does not like you. either thought
johnny; 'she served me just So
s'Fhree are poor company continued
Johnny, to himself. and he too retired !;
but he had the consolation OF believing
that he had found complete solution of
the mystery Of the young lady's conduct
in the morning. she would never he
argued, .have refused me- and three hun
dred dollars, and the bake shop, if she
hadn't been engaged already. She was
sorry about it, no doubt, though she did
pretend not to mind it. Dear me, what
pity! the poor thing laughed SO, and
was so overjoyed when | went there a
counting to-day and now this great back,
woodsman has come from nobody knows
where, to carry her of. Well, she knows
her own business best. Three hundred
dollars wont go a begging long in Her.
E,imer. So good bye to Lucy Atherton.'
But maufully as our hero stroye a
gainst his disappointment, it preyed up
on him; and for two days he remained
in his own house quite dsconsolate, mop
ing.about like a hypochopdriac, and polk
ing the fire with the petulance of bache-
Tor who is past hope, or past forty. At
the emf. of that time he received an unex-
pected visit from the stranger. Stripped
Of his blanket-coa. and leggins. and dis
armed of those ferocious weapons which
had excited our hero's curiosity SO strong
ly. he seemed another person. Although
somewhat above the ordinary stature, his
person was slender and genteel; his
face, which was Drowned by exposure to
the weather. was remarkably handsome.
and his address>E frank and easy. sfis age
might have been two or three and TWEEN
| ty but having already mixed with the
world, and felt the touch of care, he had
the manners of an older man. MIR: Van
derbocker,' said he, you guided me into
the village the othe evening, when was
tired, and perhaps less sociabe than
ought to have beans and 1 have called to
thank you FOR your c.viIity, and to re-
quest the pleasure of your company an
to- morrow evening at Mrs. Atherten's'-.
Johnny pleaded his black coat. and tried
to beg of for he had heard it whispered
I'that Lucy was to give her, hand to the
handsome stranger, and felt but little in
clination to be present at the Wedding
His visiter, however. pressed him, add
ing, Miss Anterior esteems you as one
| Of her earliest friends, and will have il
so.' Il will go then, said Johnny, great
jly soothe'l by the compliment. And
Mr.. Wilkinson, for such he had learn
ed was the strangers name, will you
be kind enough to tell me how you man.
aged to court one Of oursHerkimer ladies',
without ever setting your foot in the vii
lage--our belle. too, that has had so ma.
ny good offers at home p MFR. WiIkin-
son smiled and replied, Lacy and N.Y.
self at Schenectady. where we were
both going to school, we're well enough
pleased with each other to agree to unite
our destinies. Her father was but re-
Gently deceased, and she was supposed
to have inherited fortune. while my
own circumstances were such that it was
with diffic ulfv cOmDleted my education