Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-03-16

tDAlOus- one tG0ag0G EnaG HeILY was
not just the girl for farmers wife, I fan
/ cy, and she had made up her mind that
should marry my far-aWay cousin, Ann
| Dolting. But 1 took my own way, ano
grew fonder Of dear little Hetty every
day. I hoped too, that she liked me bet
ter At last there had been an apple
pairing at neighbor Welcomes dancing
and games had kept US up all night, SC
that it was almost dawn when 1 saw Hetty
home. How peaceful the green fields
were IN the gray twilight, with the pale
moon and stars fading out of sight, and
the dew like diamonds, on every spere OF
long grass I had offered Hetty my arm,
and the dear little hand lay like a snow
fake on the black cloth. Something
not myself, I'm sure, for I'd not have
dared to-made me suddenly stOOp my
head and kiss the pretty fingers, and the
next minute we we're standing face to face
quite still, with both her hands IN mine.
"Oh, Hetty p I said, please don't be
angry; but love you sO--you are so very
dear to me- Ever since that first evening
I've felt that If you should say | might
not have that little hand to keep l should
want to die 1 don't know what there Is
in me to like; but, Hetty, for Heaven s
sake try to like me enough to be my wife.
The best and handsomest fellow In the
world couldn't be fonder Of you than I
am
She wouldn't speak. I tried to see her
face, and it was all wet with tears. But
when put my arm about her she did not
seem angry, and / drew her to my heart,
and held her there long enough to kiss
her twenty times and then we walked on
over the fields, and L thanked God for
giving me so great q treasure. Old Viii
4 L l. -, 70 o faf,
but when l talked to him about 1t as Het-
ty babe me, he said:
IF the girl has set her heart on it she
may marry you, but l can't spare her yet,
and you are both young enough to wait
couple of years so 1t was settled that we
should be married two years from that
time on my Hetty's nineteenth birthday.
''All the better, said the old folks and
Hetty was content; but I felt anxious to
have her all my own. She was so lovely
that l fancied every man IN the world
must envy me.
AS for my doing as I did I'd have stalk
ed my soul, and that's a pretty heavy
stake, that [ never could have done 1t. L
was bewitched, l think, or Satan took
possession of me. But this is how it hap
pened. We had been engaged a year
Hetty and II think, when a pretty
Southern girl came to Butler to live
Butler was the next village. She had an
opportunity of making a show, for her
father owned plenty of darkeys, and gave
her all the money she wanted, she dressed
elegantly, and gave herself airs, and Won
dered why any woman could do house
work. A great black woman with slip
shod shoes came with her to wait on her,
and she never poured out the water to
wash her own hands. She put silly no.
TO a Tqt' q 3
only laughed at her. Why, 1 never knew,
but she took a notion to me-she glanced
and smiled-she wasn't troubled by bash
fulness; and after while L found myself
talking to her a great deal, and thinking
very often how pretty she was. Once or
twice Hetty was silent and little pale af-
ter the parties and husking frOlics where
we met Miss Princely; but never tho t
of her being jealous, for | loved her bet
ter than any living thing, and itseemed to
me that she must know 1t.
One day, or evening rather, l had been
dancing with this Southern girl, and was
about to leave her, when she gave little
laugh and said,
Il thought you had stayed quite as long
as you dared.
"What do you mean2' / asked.
"Oh, we all know whose aprOn-string
you are tied to ~ she replied. Il only
wonder you dare leave her side at all. "
''I dare do anything | choose" said [.
NO" she laughed, you daren't dance
the next three dances with me.
But [ will, said l, and sat down be-
side her. [ saw her eyes glitter, and I
did not dare to look toward Hetty. Soon
the music struck up, and we danced to-
gether. Hetty had another partner. /
envied him her little white hand, but l
could not bring myself to be laughed at,
and danced not only three but four times
with Miss Prineely.
You're braver than I thought she
said, when we were through. Now run
away and be forgiven.
Nv heart gave strange little leap as
she said these words, but l answered by a
laugh, and kept close to her all supper
time. People were talking about it, l
knew, for all were well aware that Hetty
and [ were engaged to each other but
that girls sneer seemed to have made a
fool of me, and I determined to show her
that l was my own master.
When left her at last, she said, 4 am
going away the day after tomorrow for
good. If you dare, come over and see me
! tomorrow evening"
"I'll be there, I said and then went
/ in search Of Hetty. She was not there
/ DR.. Bray and his wife had gone home
/ early, and she had gone with them il
/ their gig.
| [ did not stay long after that
The best part Of that night l passed
walking up and down before her window
/ There was light within, and every now
and then a little shadow crossed the cur
| tain. If I could have seen her then, al
would have been right-but it was too
| late; and I went home just in time tt
change my dress and be called to break
fast.
The day was long one. It was
busy time, and I could not leave my work
but [ thought of Hetty all the while
/ What apology could [ make? I coult
only tell her the truth-and how meanl,
that sounded Tied to her apron
string" and she the gentlest thing tha
ever lived-never trying to rule me
almost hated Miss Princely for tha
speech now.
But Hetty was good and sweet temper
ed, she must forgive me. 1t was the frs
time I had offended and I made sher
work of the mush and milk at supper, an
was up stairs, dressed, and off, in les
time than it takes to tell oft
: When l reached the house, old Trab
was taking supper by himself "Lookin
for Hetty p he asked. She's off spend
ing the afternoon somewhere took he
! knitting work, and said she'd be out late
| Sit by and take a bite.
But / was restless and hurt besides
1t was one of my regular evenings, an
Hetty must have known / would be there