The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-07-11
$3.50 PER- ANNUM I'm ADVANCE.
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY. JULY II, 1861.

1Ol
this very long time.
Bessie looked up quickly with great amaze
ment; thinking of her She was wiser when
she cast her eyes down again. Mr.. Brown had
not the smallest conception that he had explain
ed himself without saying syllable, but he had
Notwithstanding, leaving Bessie thunderstruck,
yet with a moments time to deliberate. While
he went on with his embarrassed slow express
sions fancying that he was gradually convey
ing to her mind what he meant, Bessie, in a
dreadful silent futter and agitation, was revolv-
ing the whole matter and asking herself what
she was to answer. She had ten full minutes
for this before he came to the point and, accord
! ing to his idea, the truth burst upon her. But
I 1t is doubtful whether that ten minutes prepa-
ration was Of any advantage to Bessie 1t de-
stroYed the Inconsistencies which was her
greatest charm; it made an end Of her straight
forwardness; worst of all, it left her silent. She
gave terrified glance up at him when it actu-
| ally happened. There he stood full in the light
with all his awkwardness more clearly revealed
than usual; six-andforty, abrupt and almost &C.
| centric telling that story very plainly, with
out compliment or passion; would she have
him? He was content that she should think it
over-he was content to wait for her answer;
but if it was to be no, let her say it out.
Strange to say, that word which she was ex-
horted to say out did not come to Bessie's lips.
Perhaps because she trembled great deal and
really lost her self possession and for the mo-
ment did not know what she was about. But
even in her agitation, she did not think of say
ing it. Mr. Brown, when he had had his say out,
marched up and down the path before her, and
did not interrupt her meditations. Another
dreadful ter. minutes passed over Bessie. The
more she thought it over the more bewildred
she became as to what she was to say.
Please would you walk with me to the
railway were the words that came from Bes-
sizes lips at last. She rose up trembling and
weak and, with kind of instinct, took Mr..
Browns arm. He, on his part did not say any
thing to her. His agitation melted away into a
subdued silent tenderness, which did not need
any expression. lie took her back into the
streets, all along that tiresome way. He suffer
ed the noise to surround and abstract her with
out any interruption that would make her con-
scious Of his presence. 1t was strange walk
tor both. To have called them lovers would
have been absurd-to have supposed that here
was marriage Of convenience about to be ar
ranged, would have been still more ridiculous.
What was it? Bessie went along the street in
kind of cloud, aware of nothing very clear
ly; feeling somehow that she leaned upon some
body, and that it was somebody upon whom she
had right TO lean. They reached the railway
thus, without any further explanation. MIR.
Brown put the trembling girl into carriage
and did not go with her. The Carlingtord at
torney had turned iuto palladin. VAST pos
sibla that his outer man had smoothed out and
expanded too?
am not going with YOU he said, grasping
her hand closely;' l won't embarrass or dis
tress you, Bessie but recollect you have not
said no and when l come to Grove Street, to-
morrow, I'll hope to hear you say yes. I'll lett
you off, said John Brown, grasping the SOFT
white hand so tight and hard that it hurt Bes
sic ; I'll let you off with liking, if you'll give
me that at my age, don't even venture to say
fgr myself that Pm much i'll love-
And with that, the eyes that had betI aged
him before, flashed in Bessie's face, contra
diction of her lovers words. Yes it astounded
HIM almost as much as it did Bessie. He would
still have fatty contradicted anyone who accus-
ed him OF that folly; but he went out with an
undeniable blush into the London streets, self
convicted. years observation and an hours
talk had resulted in a more philosophical sem
timent than Mr.. Brown was prepared for. He
went back to the streets, wondering what SHE
would like in all those wonderful shop windows. |
He traced back, step by step the road they had
come together. He was not six-and-forty, six !
and-twenty was her true reading, That was q
sweet May-day of his youth that had come to |
him, sweet,if untimely-a missed Mayday, per
haps all the better that it had been kept for
him these many tedious years.
And though Bessie cried all thu way down to
Carlingtord, the no she had not said did not oc
cur TO her tears and indeed, when she remem
bered how she had taken Mr., Browns arm, and
felt that she had committed herself by that act,
the idea vas rather relief to Bessie. 1T was
as bad as saying yes at once, She said to herself
with many bushes. But thus, you perceive,it
was done, and could not be altered She must
stand to the consequences of her weakness
now.
1t made great noise in Carlingford, as
might be supposed it made vast difference in
the household OF Mrs. Christian which was re-
moved to the house in which she had formerly
to establish herself as heir at law. But the
greatest difference of all was made in that DIM
spacious, wainscoted dining room, which did
not know itself in it's novel circumstances.
That was where the change was most remarka-
bly, apparent, and all these years, Phoebe Thorn
sons shadow has thrown no cloud as yet over
the path of John Brown.