The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-07-29
EVANSVILLE, IND. TUESDAY MORNING. JULY 30. 1885,
CBe Gully gonrnal.
ONE DAYS SACRIFICE.
BY VIRGINIA P. TOWNSEND.

| The lips We're just like the tone, that mo
ment, half pouting, half wistful; indeed thu,
was the expression of the whole face as i
pressed itself up to the window pane thai
morning.
1t was sweet face, though by no means ,
beautiful one, and you felt lntuitiyely that the
pout was ilnproyised and that smile wa.
the Indigenous expression OF the full rounded
lips, anu the clear hazel eye.
They looked out those eyes on wnte,
morning, cold and still, for the night beore
had woven its seamless robe over brown field
and barren hill, and the trees lifted up then
charred toreheads under the white baptismal
of December.
Overhead, the clouds were slowly wrapping
their gray folds away from the sun, aud re-
vealng pleasant interludes of soft, blue sky,
the mornings blessed prophecy written in the
heavens above, to the earth beneath, "The day
shall be very bright one"
What glorious time they will have" MUIR
INJURED Grace Hammond, while her little fing-
iers moved along the high frost rim ess the edges
of the pane. It's full fifteen miles te the green
and they'll be three hours getting there
Then such delicious sleighing as it will be,
and there are twenty couples going, Cousin
Charley said.
How | should enjoy it, with the late dinner
and the evening plays, and the delightful ride
home by moonlight Oh! it seems to me l
never wanted to go anywhere so much in my
life.
But then, there's Matte, dear child, she'd
enjoy it more than | would. buried up, as she
is week after week. in that old red school
house, with those tiresome boys and girls.
Goodness! believe it would drive me crazy
i'm less than month, and yet how patiently
she bears it all.
If her father hadn't made that wretched
speculation before he died, mortgaging even
the house they live in.
Mrs. Palmer, with her feeble health. and
those two little children, all dependent on
Mattie's services, and she so delicately, so ten
dery reared. | declare, it makes my heart
ache to think of it.
Didn't she look sweetly, though, at our par
ty, the other evening. l spoke before tho't
"Mattie, how becoming black is to you," and
then the tears came into her eyes. 1t was so
careless of me.
Weston Hunt was really quite smtten with
her. l could see this very plainly by the at
tention he paid her all the evening, and then
his inviting her to go in the sleighing party
to day proves this, ii ever anything did. Why,
there isn't girl in the Meauowbrook that
wouldn't be proud of his attentions. And
then. how some of them have treated Matte
of late, because the family have lost their prop
erty. It's perfect shame, think.
But about the sleigh ride, that's the ques-
ton, and must decide now.
Charey'll be so disappointed if | don't goi
and the DID, poutiDg, half lrreso4ute look dash
ed across the sweet face.
But there's Matte again. 1t would be such
change, such pleasure to get out of that
old school-room for day anu if | were to
teach Tor her, could think, when night came
I'd made her happy, ii l hadn't been so my
self
will, too, that's settled now. Grace Ham
mond, you don't go on that sleighing party
to-day And the young girl perforated this
decision by bringing down her hand emphat-
lcally on the window-sll
Grace i1ammond's monologue must have
given you glance INTO her inner Sell, reader |;
and | can only outline for you very briefly her
mental character.
She was the only child of wealthy farmer,
petted and spoiled from her infancy.
But she was ardent and lmpulSive, with a
rich, deep, loving nature, which no extraneouS
circumstances could entirely change.
She had her faults, and they were many,
bat her heart-and it Is a blessed til NJ when
YOU can say this of man or woman-her heart
was true one.
"Mattie darling'--so wrote Grace Ham
mond ten minutes later--"you are going on
this sleigh ride, SO just don't say another word
about 1t. Cousin Charley told me Mr. hunt
sent YOU an invitation an honr ago. and Pve
taken notion to play school ma'am for you
to day I've been on scores OF sleigh rides
this winter, and think it will do as much
good to drop the mantle of your dignity on
Inc to-day, as it will my giddy self to assume
lit.
So. throw off that school hood from your
brown eurt, izsy darling, and caif up the old
smiles to the soft bloom of your lips, the old
light to the summer blue of your eyes and In
ali the annals OF youth, love and sleigh rides
NAV there be no page So bright as the one this
day shall write IN the history OF Matte Pal
mer and Weston hunt, most feryently prays
i GRACE HAMMOND
j "Not going, Grace! Why, you're surely
not in earnest ?'' and look of mingled cha
grin and disappointment clouded the fine fea-
lures of the young man, as he turned them on
his companion.
I "Yes, am, Charley. You see, I've made
an engagement for the day, which renders II
quite impossible for me to go. Pm sorry, bui
it can't be helped" Spite of her efforts, there
was little thread of disappointment running
through the studied caimness OF the speakers
j; voice
"a fiddle on. your engagements, TRACE
Why, this will be the greatest sieigning party
lof the season. Come, now, don't think for 8
moment of staying at home. We can't de
d without YOU at all so go and get ready in {
hurry. for we start at ten. There's gooc
= Poor Grace; it was very hard the refuse th'
pleading of those dark, handsome eyes, fo
Charles Munson was moresto the girl thai