The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1866-12-06

'~e AooA'o8 ~ lue AZ II asking me
10 forget the misery they worked me,
ana l would start and wake and think
it might be so.
Then the days went by so wcarily,
and we saw nothing more Of Gilbert,
and mother questioned about it and I
told her
"t1e stays away because I talked So
much with Mr. Hale at the Dance"
"And who is this Mr.. Hale ?" she
asked.
"He is one Of Gilbert's city friends,
and mother he is so handsome"
"And is handsome all you can say Of
him ?'
r. ''No, mother; he is learned-and 50
different from Gilbert"
ohe looked at me closely and said,
swell, he can't outdo Gilbert Will
lard with his city airs, whoever he is. :"
"He doesn't put on airs" said L,
shortly; and there we dropped it, and
mother never knew the trouble that
came from that night; but I think she
Knows it now, and pities me out of the
great peace which is with her.
But one day, Gilbert came slowly
across the fields, and came in at our
gate. Mother saw him and opened the
door and asked him where Lo had kept
himself so long, and he said : "Some
OF my city friends are with US, and my
time has been filled, and Mr.. Hale sent
me to bring you over, Mat; We will have
quite a party if you will come."
And said mother:
:s''Who' is this Mr.. Hale, Gilbert ?"
He told her about him, and then ask
ed me again to go. And I, thinking
he had been sent for me, would not 90
one step. So he veut away, and I
called after him-""My best wishes to
Mr.. Hale and Miss Howard"
SD hadn't mentioned Miss Howard's
name, had I ?" said he.
-: "No, but I fahcied she was there
isn't she ?''.:,
'@Yes''-.and he was gone, and moth
er began questioning me why didn't
go.
Two evenings after, there came a
knock at the door, and Robert Hale
stood there, asking me to go to the par
ty at the Willard House-said be came
with an invitation from the company to
bring me back: So I put on my grand
dress and went-aud night after night
would Robert come Colbert never came
again. and I would go with him.
l liked the people met there, and
the music Mary Howard brought out
of the piano with her white fineers,-l
And Mary would play for me while I
sung them allemy old fashioned songs =; |
and I stood and wondered at, and hated
her, singing to her playing:
Ono night, after We had tired of our
music, we went out under the great
trees-Gilbert and Mary, Robert and
I. The moonlight fell through the |
branches in great spots, and the wind
whispered to the leaves, and seemed to |
sob and moan above us. Robert and I !
sat down on a little bench in the shad-
ow, and waited for Gilbert and Mary
coming across a cleared spot, where the
moonlight fell all around them. His
head was bent low to speak to her, and !
her eyes were lifted shyly up to him.
I whispered to Robert, ':don't call to
them )" then waited while they came
on, growing cold and vacant. They
passed us, never thinking We sat in the
shadow, and she said:
"Do you know, Gilbert, I once
thought it was Matte Raymond you
liked, and not me?'' |
How I waited for the answer, and it
came:
60! she never fancied me, Mary
she is too self-willed and headstrong to
take'a liking to one of her own nature.
Cant you see that Robert is her pct?
fancied "a bitter tone in it all, and per-
haps she felt it too, for she asked, soft
ly: =: -
! cssBut YOU don't care for he: as you
do for me e?''
And he laughed out and said:
eff did, you would not have been
my confessor, few moments since =; you
get queer ideas in your little head.''
The world seemed Skipping away
from me, and l saw in a fash my
dreary life pass before me, but some
thing held me still and kept me from
going crazcd, and when I came to Rob-
srt was saying something, and I only
caught these words ,"you are so still,
Matte has this surprised you, or
shall I take it that silence gives con-
sent?"
I answered, eyes, silence gives con-
sent," and my voice sounded far off
and strained to me, and then saw
what I had done when answered, "si-
lence gives consent" for he kissed me.
But I kept back the bitter thoughts
and only thought ''it is better So"
Then Robert asked father and moth
er it he might be a son to them; and
he pleased their eyes and they blessed
us both, and fathers voice shook SO
when he said: ~.7.
'a'N1at, I~gucss mother and I shall
miss you; We must not keep you al
ways here when you can get finer quar-
ters.u ..-.,..>- ~~~:.::...: -
And T sat and prayed to God to let
me die and end*it all-sincc it had all
gone wrong. Then the city folks went
hooL ~ %ho:, 0.n.A a