Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-04
Being fully recovered, she shook out her

h Being fully recovered, she shook out hel
answered, q IndeedP
EYeS and 1 am going to ask you to be
v my wife. 1 have thought of you for a
: long time"
2 He was very pale, and his Roman nose
looked more like a bridge than ever.
G Mercy on me,p said Ruth, terribly
t afraid he would be overhauled II de-
Y cline the honor"
: Mrs. Clark saw it all through the half
/ opened kitchen door. She would have
flown at Ruth's throat in behalf of her Off
' spring If 1t would have helped him as it
t was she shook her head till her cap fell
: of, and she kicked it away.
Il am" continued Ezra, between his
teeth, "a suitable husbandfor you. We
f both earn our living. Our mothers have
/ to labor. 1 will take care of your mother
in her old age. She need never make
another shirt; but you would have to
work and help me"
"I-neverl l could never dream of
such a husband as you. Please attend to
your company and let me alone"
He turned away in perfect calmness, but
deeply mortified. So was Ruth, and very
angry. He offered her a glass of cider
when it went round, but She would not
take it or look at him.
al deserve your respect he said, hold
ing the glass almost under her nose. 81
insist upon you taking this from my
hand.'
She raised her eyes to his. He looked
so determined that she took it; she was
afraid he would make q scene if she re-
fused, and then it would cJthe out that
she had been subjected to his ridiculous
proposal. The remainder of the evening
was chaos to both Ruth was anxious to
get away, and Ezra desired an end to the
thing. Mrs. Clark was not sorry to see
the party depart. She sent Sally Lane to
bed Immediately, but sat up herself till
Ezra returned from Repton with the hay.
cart. 4
"How do you think that glass Of cider
tasted to Ruth Bowen, Ezry %
al don't think" ar.m
a do; It was as bitter as the waters of
Marah."
"If it was as bitter as the tears that l
could shed as easy as not, she'll be very
Lsick before morning. 1 took her down
from the hay-cart, however; if l hadn't
she would have sprained her ankle.
~ wish her pride could be sprained.7 |
"Never mind, mother; L am going to
wait a while. Good night to you; much
obliged" /
With tears of vexation Ruth related to
her mother what had befallen her, |
"What could have possessed the jack
ass ?r asked Mrs Bowen; he could not
suppose you would inherit any property.
"0h, mother" said Ruth, with heat, Il
think the donkey is in love with me- |
"There's no other way of accounting
for it; but what encouragement had you
given him ?" |
"Don't drive me quite crazy. You know
that 1 never gave any body the least en-
enlargement" .-- ~ /
"You need not Rreup. It viii pass over
SOON it is not likely that he will tell of
his rejection"
"He is JoeTs particular friend" 1
II am sorry for that; "what can Joel
see in him ~"
II know I shall see him whenever L see
Joel; 1 am sure of it." 4
And shedid. Ezra solemnly went every
where with Joel, if there was a prospect of
meeting her. His pertinacity came to be
understood, and Ruth was laughed at for
her adorer. There. was but one way of
eseape-marriage-and there was but one
she would marry-Joel Barnes-Ezra,s
friend, who appeared to be his advocate
from the fact of his allowing Ezra to hang
to his skirts on all occasions. Joel was
genteel. His business, that of clerk in a
dry goods store, suited her; his hands were
white, his clothes always fashionable. But
Joel had no intention of rescuing her from
Ezra's pursuit. The summer passed with
out any mitigation of her troubles; Ezra
was quietly friendly toward her, whether
she turned her back to him, or whether
she set her face in s~cornful rigidRess oppo-
site his. 1t is certain that under this reg
in1e he developed wonderfully, acquiring
experience with his hopelessness that went
far toward turning him into one of "Na-
nobleman !" that is, his Farming in
and his love of labor sat with ease /
and dignity upon him. But farming and t
it up Notwithstanding. If the furniture
dropped apart it remained SO, unless Ezra |
saw it. and had it mended. Occasionally /
she had a fit of moving what she called
+" Lumber" into the unused rooms, and
compelling Sally and Ezra to enjoy bare
floors and walls a while. She swept and
busted, she said, when the Lord willed, /
which was not often. Her duty was done,
however, in the line of miTk-pans their
morning faces" when b put
them put of doors on a board, propitiated
me demon of c~leanliuoeo, aud uns fha say 5
ing clause put in by her friends when they
otherwise, called her a SLUT" She made
\ sincere effort on Sundays to look seme- t
hing like the Repton people whom she L
net at the Presbyterian Church and,
with the help of Sally, succeeded, though '
before she returned her bonnet, shawl and Z
1uo-4 o,-r TO- la,1lou,. III a
he lost so many gloves and handkerchieis /
hat she gave up wearing them atlast, and /
1ourished a leaf of tansey, a rose, or a dry U
of caraway seed instead. 1t was at c
that Ezra began to observe Ruth,
admire, and then fall in love with her ]
pew was behind the one Mrs. Bowen a
seats in, which gave him the advan- S
age of seeing Ruth enter it, and of look c
ng boldly at the back Of her bonnet. :
Sometimes her silk dress rustled against /
and be smelt the Cologne water her @
handkerchief was perfumed with. Mrs.
Bowen and Mrs. Clark were members Of
he church, and the symbolic cup was V
landed by n to the other often but
hey never exchanged more than allow n
of the church. The 'fWidow !
and her wardrobe was a o
estlnb IHeIne between MIS-. Bowen !"
md Ruth; but her wonderful old e
goman's beauty was never recog- i
by them; perhaps they never r
it. Some people never discover genius J
wen when it is born in the same town n
with themselves. l am told that one of a
,ur noted authoresses is considered a miser- T
lble housekeeper in her town, and that Mr.. t
rennyson is called a cross man in his. If a
he world discovers a man of genius these '
say: at can't be; he was born II
lere; we have known him a~lways" t
Ezra was really unnoticed by Rath, and y
indeed there was little about him that was y
ga common, decent farmer q
Mrs. Bowen would have called him, if she d
lad spoken of him at ali. He was unlike 1
lis mother, but favored his father, as she a
said with an odd sigh he was tall y
md angular, ~fair-haired, gray-eyed, and Il
lad a R~oman-Rose. If Ruth had ever q
AIKEN pain to examine his face she would I
AVE seen there a resemblance to herself ?
She was tall and angular also, and had !
air hair; but her features were delicate Z
nd trained, as in fact was her whole self, v
While Ezra, as yet, was but a man in the "
ough. Mrs. CLARK penetrated Ezra's Q
ecret about the time he learned it himself. n