Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-03-08

those few hours were the pIeasantest he passed.
Mrs Winslow looked on them with an evil
eye, knew, and suspected a great deal Of
which we were all innocent; for one day, when
she had been dining at my house with her
daughter, aud we were all out in the garden
together overheard her saying
She is just the person to captiVate him,
and you mustn't bring yourself into competi
! tion with her, Lucy. She can outshine you in
conversation, and | know that she is playing a
deep game
La ma y the girl exclaimed An old
maid without the least style and she makes
butter too, and actually climbs up in a chair
! to scrub down her eloSets,-for Edward and
caught her at it one day"
And did she seem confused ?" asked Mrs
| Winslow.
| Ne indeed Now should have died if
he had caught me in such a plight; but she
shook down her dress as though it were a mat
/ ter of course, and they were soon talking
/ about some German stuff FL don't know what
| it waS,-whie had to amuse myself with the
! drawings"
That's the way!" retorted the mother
=" You play dummy for her | wish YOU had a
/ little more spirit, Lucy You wouldn't play
into the hands of this deSigning"-
i" Nonsense, MAMMA! She's real clever,
I good-natured old thing, aud | ike her." ex
claimed the daughter. You're SO suspici-
Gus -
You're so fooIshly secure :" answered
mamma a man is never certain until after
! the ceremony aud you don't know Edward
AmeS, Lucy
a. knOw he's got plenty of money, mother,
I L.. a .
I the reply and they walked out of hearing.
| wouldn't have listened even to 50 much as
7 that if could have avoided it and as soon
as | conld, | went into the parlor, and sat
down to some work. trying TO keep down that
7 old trouble, which somehow gathered size Ike
a rolling SNOWFALL. | might have known what
/ it was, If had not closed my eyes rcsolutely
and said TO myself, The summer will soon be
gone and there will be an end o. it all theu;"
and wiuched. as l said it, like one who sees
/ a GioS eomiEg.
The summer went by imperceptibly; it was
autumn, and still ali things remained outward
" as they had been We went back and
forth continually. rode and walked out, sang
and read together, and Lucy grew fonler and
fender OF me- She could scarcely live ont of
nv presence aad conided to me all her plans
when she and Edward Shoald be married -
nov much she thought of him, and he of her,
ali about their courIShip, how he declared him
self and how she accepted him one soft moon
light night in far Italy. how agitate6 and dis
treSSed be had been when she had q fever, aud
4 thousand other details which swe.led that
great stone in my heart more aud more. Bat
I SLa: my eyes until one day when l saw them
together. He was listening. intent, and very
pale, to something she told him, and, to my
surprise, she Was pale tco, and weeping. Be
fore she cOald finish, she broke Gto passion
ate rush of tears, aud would have thrown her
self q, his feet bat he caught her and she
sunk down upon his shoulder, and he stopped
towards her as he might if he had loved her.
Then knew how loved him.
had ia bear up a little while. for they
were in my house. aud must bid them good
night, and talk idly. 50 that they should not
suspect the wound | lad. But | must DO
something. CT go mad and go | went oat 70
the garlen-walI, aud struck my hand upon it
until the blood ran. The pain or that bal
anced the terrible pain witkia 4 few moments.
and went in to then ea.2 ana smiling. They
were silUEg en- the sofa. he with perplezed,
pale face, and she bluShng and radiant They
started up when they saw my hand bandaged.
ana she vas full Of sympathy for ny hurt.
He said but little, though be looked fixedly
at my face. | know | must have looked
strangely When they were goae, | went into
mT ch2HbeF aud shut the door, when some
such feeling IS I should have closed the en-
rance Of t0Rb behind me f0reFeF. fought
myself all that night. Ny heart was huRgfy
and cried out for blood, and | would promise
ii u0ne at all. Is there any one who thinks
that youth has m0nopOiiZed all the passion OF
life, all the rapture, oil khe wild despair: Let
them breast the deep, strong current Of middle
life
/ never could quite recolIect how that last
month went away | knew that kept NY
self iuceSSaDtly occupied, and that | saw them
almost daily without departing from the tone
of familiar friendship | had worn throughout,
although my heart was full of jealousy and Q
faSt-gr0w ing hatred that would not be queled
Not FOR thousand happy loves would have
let them see ny humiliation. l was even
afraid that already he might suspect it, for bis
manner was changed. Sometimes be was dis
tant. sometimes SAD, aud sometimes almost
/ tenderer usan friend.
Ii got to be October. aud felt that | could
not bear such a state OF thisgs any longer
: and questioned Within myself whether had
: better not leave home for while. If I had
been alone, il would have been easy hnt ny
cousin Mary was still with me, aud l conld
give no good reason for such . step. Before
I had settled upen SnythiRg, Lucy came TO me
! in great distress, with a confession that Mr.
: Anes was somewhat turned against her, and
, that she vas almost heartbrOken about It. ii
, she Lost him, she must die: for she had Sc
: long looked upoa him as her husband, aud
! loved him 50 we'll that life would be nothing
. without him. What should she Go? Woa,d
advise her