North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-07-12
Sde&t StmJp y.
HALLE MOVES DECISION.

| line room was rot richly furnished, but It
was very pretty, and bright and cheerful
There were soft crimson shades in the carpet
crimson knottngs in the black cushions of
tie chairs, crimson cover on he little ia
BILE, and crimson blossoms in the single low,
/ road window. And in through the crystal
panes, over the bright carpets and chairs and
table, and upon the neat little figure in the
great recker by the glowing CRATE, the sun
shine streamed golden and clear
Halle Noyes looked very pretty sitting
there by fire, with her violet eyes and
| pink cheeks and amber hair bent over the
snowy crotchet work in her slender rosy
fingers. There vas such a harmony of color
in her dress, (for she wore a soft, dark wrap
per with a crimson cord at the waist, and
crimson Innings to the full, loose sleeves
which reflected rosy glow on her slender
white arms as one caught glimpse of them
she now and then lifted her hand to put
back the FURNISHED rpples of her har,) aud
such an unconscious grace Of attitude in her
position as she swayed back and forth in the
great rocker before the fire, that it was
her but the canary among the carnations and
roses in the window.
Halle knew she was pretty but she was
not thinking Of that, nor she wasn't thinking
of her crotchetng. The slender, glitteriug
needle flashed in and out the fairy network,
and Hallie's thoughts flashed in and out the
network of her perplexities, For at her left,
on the little table, was q buff and scarlet
chess-board, with the ivory men left in the
very positisn by which Fred Dane had check
mated her the evening before and right be-
SIDE it lay her photograph album, open at the
beautifully tinged vignette photograph Of Mr..
Lewis Massie. And the chess board and
photograph were so suggestive that Halle
could think Of hing e.e.
She looked at the chess board, and blush
ed then STE looked at The photograph, and
got her work into snarl. It took her a
Iorg time to get the snarls out. When it
was done she worked quietly for > long time,
never lifting her eyes from the needle, and
looking very grave. The light glowed
hotter, and burned one of her cheeks redder
than the other; her spool fell to the carpet
aud rolled away the yellow canary called
and called for caressing word, but Halle
sat mute and absorbed.
Suddenly she arose and opened tho drawer
in her escritoire upon the table, and took
out miniature case. This she opened and
laid beside the photograph. Oh, Halle,
there was no need of doing that. You knew
before what face you liked best.
"Oh, dear, if he wasn't poor" said Halle
with tears in her eyes.
The yellow canary broke into song of the
cheeriest couent. Halle went over to him.
and put her rosy fingers between the bars of
his cage for him to pick at the tears in her
eyes all the time. Through their glimmer
she saw he. pretty hand. A plain gold ring
would look well on her third fnger-the
splendid diamond which Mr. Massie had
shown her the day before, trying to look into
her eyes, would look great deal better
She plucked sweet little maherna bloom
and went back te her'chair.
She found the fire too hot her work had
fallen to the floor, and some of the loops had
slipped out her spool had run under the
fender, and was soied, and she struck her
foot against the cricket. .-...
"Oh, DEAR" said Halle, chow hateful eve
rytning is" .......
More tears ga thered in her eyes and drop-
ped upon her hand. She tossed the injured
work aud soled spool upon the table, indf-
ferent to their fate, very much tired and
troubled herself, and trying to swallow some
thing that cboked in her throat. She put
her cheek against the cushioned back of the
chair, and turned her face TO the window
closing her eyes.
"Oh wish 1 knew what to do %
She wished that very heartily. Mr.. Mas
sic was wealthy fine looking and influential.
Fred Dane was poor, and handsome. unknown
bound down to toilsome daily labor by the
necessity of supporting an invalid mother
But he had youth, talent, ambition and hope.
Some day he would prove himself more of
man than Lewis Massie could ever be. But
there must be years of struggling with the
necessities of life irst-his wife would be
obliged to give all the fresh years of her life
to poor mans lot. There would be troub-
les and trials and disappointment to test the
love Halle felt surgiDg SO warm ir her heart.
Gould III hear the fnst Whan roor;ad b.,
care and labor, as the wife Of poor man and
the mother of his children always is, would
her love for Fred, rise strong and all sufi-
cient above all When she, walking hum
bly, in her new station, saw the carriages of
her old schoolmates rolling by, would she
not dsspond, grow discouted, say there is but
one life to live, why bear cross through it
Her little children--how they would bisd