The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-30


bridesmaids attire, and then she
wandered about the garden; finally
she sat down on the wooden bench
where last the housemaid Elizabeth
had sat; but instead of beginning to
sing as that young person had done,
Laura began to cry. 2 She was young
for. the years; she had been born in
this house; this garden had been her
playground p &. Ind, but she presently
sentiment at least, for this is equally
true of Josephine, but she does not
much care about going away. But
then there's my mother; how am to
go away from her? and obi how am [
to goa among these strangers? [, who
am so shy, OH if might but stay!"
She kept repeating to herself as she
looked about her, and still wept,t s'Oh,
If | might but stay! But old trains
of thought are apt to recur, and we
may be thankful for it if they are good
ones. An old train of thought rose
up in Laura mind just then, and a
text out of the Bible. which she had
repeated many hundreds of times:
For none of you liveth to himself.'r
Hwas a lovely day early in Oeto-
bers the ground was thickly spread
with yellow leaves; they kept falling
from the poplars land abe1es upon
Laura 5 white gown, and the air was
SO stlllf To ~ ggENTUY 1nt
this was true of her at least ::
she. preceiVed that now she did not
live to herself, that for sometime she
! had not lived to herself, and that her
Of Yah
means one she should have chosen.
was certainly one which was likely to
make hermore useful and less selfish:
it was painful, but she supposed it was
right, and ordained for her in love.
And then she cried a little more, but
stoppedjust as Elizabeth had done, be-
cause she, heard some one coming.
What! is it you, Dick?' she said,
wiping her eyes and trying to recover
herself. 1t is asloEely afternoon, isn't
oMroTompkins, when he sat on that
bench, had made great many blum 1
ders, but he did not manage to make
so many as Dick did, or at any rate, he
came out of his ordeal better-for
when Dick had opened, as he thought,
the case had astonished Laura into
attention, and gone laundering on for
at least three minutes, he came to a
pause, and Laura said, looking at him
rather earnestly @I919tsi 7dqJ
3h"Dick. L don't know what you
lmeanPbns ba1td =i50lJ-ID .I9bTo i
" Dick upoe this, being forced to
straightforwardness,l replied that ne
supposed she knew ne loved her.
ffLove meip repeated Laura; love
mel" and she actually laughed. 1t
was the Esoftest little laugh Ia the !,
world, but Dick would rather not have
heard it just then After that. came a
sob or two, and then more tears, and
then she said "How canyon be so re-
diculous?"
1t was rather difficult to go on, but
he did, and certainly didsnot end till
he had made her fully believe that he
loved her with all his heart.
But when he had done, she only
answered-after a pause of wonder
and the kind of interest that woman |
must feel under such circumstances
i am so sorry, dear Dick"
Dick, upon hearing this, got up and
walked about, with the same sort of
urgency which he had used that night
in the garden. His countenance
showed his feeling so plainly, that
Laura was little awed, this sort of
thing was so perfectly new to her; but /
altar all, she thought-'iWhys didn't /
he let me see that he liked me? Why,
in fact, does he like me at all when he
took the, trouble only few weeks ago
to assure nae of his complete indiffer-
ence?" ..,[.-.;1f - led. 4
Laura" said Dick, at last. "a you
will give me, time, will you not? You
are not going to dismiss me at once.
Thine" repeated Laura, a little dis
mayed; Lam going to my situation
this day week, and I have all my
friends to take leave of, andmy moth
er, and my homei and after am gone,
of course | shall never see YOU. +
esY ou mean that during this event
full week you cannot think much qof
III don't exactly know what I
mean said Laura, now goaded into
little impatienee; you surprise me so
Laura. he he asked a after r.. long
pause, twill you tell me when you ex-
pect to DE here again?'' i
Next midsummer" answered
Laura, with a Oh. sit is a long
Quincy, and Christmas is so near at
hand that Mrs. G. rather urged me
not to come away then besides. all her
Boys are at home for the holidays at f
christmas. and she can less spare the
yoverness when that is the case"
Laura began to give this account +,
'hly thinking Of herself. and what
ong time it will be before, she should
zee her mother and her relatives. not
o mention that sweet garden and the
oyely river that was Slipping on so