Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-09-15

placed in Janet's hand q round shining dol
lar But Janet needed assistance, SO sht
concluded to make Fanny her confden
the very afternoon, before we started, and
in that case prevent all possibility of rails
ing the house with sudden outcry.
| Well, the long looked for, hoped for, and
yet dreaded night arrived at last.
| How slowly its leaden feet carried away
the hours, and what strange heartful O
emotions l bore up, as Il sat by my cham
Der window looking out, as thought fol
the last time, upon the home of my faith
er.
The moon was out in all her splendor
she was kind to me, lighting up with hel
silver touches all the spots my eyes might
wish to rest upon before l went out into
the world wanderer. The broad fields
lay out smooth and shining before my
gaze; the fields in which had worked
when boy-ah! dear kind father be
had been to me e!-At this juncture my
throat began to SWELL turned from the
window.
4 L 4
exclaimed, rubbing my eyes with my coat
sleeve. mo one ever had better moth
er than have"
/ sat down in chair and sobbed out
right. looked arouEd for something to
take with me that my mothers hand had
blessed with her touch. There was spin
ming wheel in the room where / slept; at
the spindle hung wooden rell. With my
knife l half cut and half tore it of, press
ed it fervently to my lips and then placed
it tenderiy in my vest pocket; l had no
time to do more; the old clock in the kitch-
en- warned me solemnly that my appointed
time had arrived and with slow, sad, yet
noiseless step, Tleft my childbood's home.
Once out in the open air, my wonted
ligbtness of spirits returned. l consoled
myself with the thought that in few
years | should return strong, healthy,
wealthy, respected and influential man, an
honor to my parents, blessing to my
friends, and the husband of Janet.
have wondered since, how succeeded
in getting away from home with my horse
and cart without arousing any one. But
as good luck would have it, made a tri-
umphant exit, and in few moments was
jogging tearlessly along toward the house
of Japet. My only dread was the little
spirit, Fan; if, after all, she should betray
us; what dreadful, direful, desperate mis-
chief it would be! l groaned aloud at
the thought; yet put brave face upon
the matter; / said that if it was right we
would 60, if not right We would stay at
home; yet right or not right, if that mis-
erable little Fan did betray us, I'd spend
all my days in avenging the wrong-that
was certain. Was | in earnest? Did
mean it? We shall see.
How earnestly and anxioGsly l gazed
toward the chamber of Janet, as after fast
ening my nag by the road side, walked
cautiously up the long lanethat led to the
doctors house. Oh, joy inexpressible the
waving of white handkerchief in the
moonlight told me that every thing was
right, and that in few moments should
clasp Janet to my breast, mine, mine for
ever! All, how happy l was $50 happy,
indeed, that l stood still there in the moon
light, wilk my two hands pressed firmly
to my side, for fear my overloaded heart
would burst from me entirely. What fig
ure | must have cut then! What an Apollo
l must have looked, with my fine proper
tons wrapped up in my wedding suit! l
was slender; | was tall; was gaunt; l
was sure was terrible ugly y-looking at that
moment.
What possessed me l cannot tel, but
from an old chest had taken blue broad
cloth swallow-tail coat that had belonged
to my grandfather in the time of the wars.
and in The pride of my youth had got into
it. The tails came nearly to my heels,
while the waist was nearly to my arn-pits.
The sleeves reached to my fingers. hiding
entirely from view the luxuriant white silk
gloves which 1 had allowed myself for the
occasion. Above this uneouth pile of blue
cloth was perched hat. Oh, ye stars and
moon that looked upon it, testify with me
that was hat!-a hat and not a stove
pipe, hat and not boot leg! That hat.
looking back at it through the mist of
twenty-five years, it seems to have risen to
the stature of two full feet while its brim
appears little wider than nv thum nail.
My eye-sight isn't quite SO perfect as it
used to be, and so may not see quite
rightly. Make all due allowances, dear
reader.
Isay that must have looked ugly at
that moment. Be, that as it may, l
thought | was looking splendidly and that
the figure cut was an honor 10 the name
of Brown, and / was proud of it; proud
as ! stalked up TO Janet's window, and pla-
ced carefully there the ladder that was TO
bear her to my side. Everything was ST.
lent about the house. Fate was surely
with US. Fanny had been bribed into our
service. As stood there / could see her
little figure fit noiselessly to and fro by
the window, and how / blest ber-blessed
her from the very bottom of my heart, for
her sisterly kindness!
At last Janet commenced descending the
ladder, and as she did so the moon crowd
ed in out of sight under huge black
cloud. The heavens favored US; our sue
cess might be looked upon as fixed. Three
steps more upon the ladders rounds, and
Janet's dainty little feet would stand upon
terra frma with my own. The steps were
taken, and she held for moment fondlv
the sleeves of my blue broadcloth, before
we looked up to the window, both with
r