The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-12-03
MAGGIE'S LOVER.

He put back the golden hair from
her forehead, and kissed her tenderly.
"Good-by, little hearts ease. In De-
cember l shall return, and then you
shall be all my own"
There was no reply; and though
Maggie Wilmer did not lift her head
from her lovers shoulder SO that he
could look into her eyes, he felt the
half indifference with which she met
his tenderness.
care you not p ne asked, with all n
mans selfshness to enjoy his sweet
dreams to the full perfection.
Il suppose so''-a little pettishly.
Don't tease me, John. There, must
say good-by, now; l hear aunt Anna
calling me.
She put up her rosy lips and met
the kisses he gave her very much as If
she felt it n duty she owed to him
then, breaking away from the arms
that would fain have held her little
longer, she hurried up the path to the
house.
John Martins face saddened slight
", and his bright, earnest eyes cloud
ed. He could not help wishing that
she felt little more keenly this sep
aration. He had been engaged to her
Just one month, and he was going to
be absent until December, and it was
the first of May now. Surely she
ought to be sad at the thought of such
a parting. For himself, .he could
hardly bear the thought of it.
Strong in truth and integrity, reli-
able, fxd as the hills in his principles
of right and wrong, swayed BY no idle
fancies, he had loved Maggie Wilmer
ever since he could remember. She
was barely twenty; he was thirty-two.
A dreadful old man some of my six
teen-vear-old lady readers will ex-
claim. No, nv dears, he was Younger
than many of your brainless beaux are
az twenty, for he did not fritter away
the energies of mind aud body IN idle
dissipation-he had led that calm,
quiet. honorable life which leave men
Young at three-score. BY prudence
and economy he had got together a
very comfortable property-gotit hon
estly, too, which is more than can be
said of the way in which most men
make fortunes.
Maggie had consented to share life
with him, though she could not her
self have told what influenced her
Aunt Anna wished it exceedingly, and
was more iubilant over the engage
ment than either of the parties con-
cerned. She was woman of discrim-
nation, and she should feel pride in
speaking of my nephew, John Mar
tin" before E.any years were past.
And besides, she thought that John
would be sort of balance-wheel for
Maggie's unsettled purposes in life.
Maggie, though she tried to keep it
TO herself, was very far from being sat
isied. She was just at that stage oi
existence when one does not know
what one wants. She had read hosts
of romances, and the heroes were all
dark, acknowledgement men, with com
plexions strongly suggestive of dys.
pepsia, and eyes "black as the ravens
wing" Moreover, they always man.
age to rescue the heroine from some
dreadful danger-invariably appear
ing on the scene at just the critica
m oment, and never failing in the at
tempt, no matter how desperate i
was.
John Martin had ight-brown hair,
and blue eyer, and fair skin, and hac
never saved Maggie from any danger
more than wet feet, by carrying hel
across some mud-hole, in all his life
So you may readily see that he wal
no hero. If John had known any
thing of the condition of her mind
and If he had had grain of sense
bit men In love at his age never have
he would have gone off and left her t.
herself until she found out her owl
lheart; but, instead of that, he pressed
his suit with ardor, and bound he
with promise.
Now he was going to western cit.
on business engagement which woulC
Ioccupy him until December, and q
Christmas they were to be married.
Maggie went into the house, afte
parting with John, full of a vague sens
of relief, though entirely consciou
that she ought to be very blue, and
lperhaps, shed few tears. But thel
people do not do what they ought to
land Maggie, instead of indulging in
good cry, sat down and went to max
ling pink ribbon roses to wear in he
hair to the picnic at Shirley's grow
the next day.
At that same picnic, Maggie me
! Victor Burton, a young artist fror
New York, who had come to the coun
try foi his health and to take sketches
He boarded at the widow Mcdonald
about mile and half from Aun
Annals.