Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-10-22
RUTH'S STORY.

near anything more about 1t. L am tired
Of love; every body's in love-Hester is in
love, Godfrey is in love, you're in love,
and, in fact, I'm the only person who is
not in love.
And Ruth, who had the downiest peach
coiored cheeks, colored most beautiful
rich crimson.
What color is red sung out her cousin
triumphantly, and then they both laugh
ed, Rue the heartiest, for when didn't she
laugh, this same Rue
1t was large square room in a country
house, a comfortable, old-fashioned draw
ing room, and the time was the sweet
month of June. The window lay open,
and great scent of roses filled the air
both within and without Far into the
distance stretched the green Of meadow
fields, the boundary of hedges, and beyond
a range of purple hills.
Well, as you won't listen to my love-
story, may L speak of something else p
When is Mr.. Urquehart coming to stay
here
Next week, Ruth answered, briefly.
May / abuse him Rue I?
As much as You please, Fred.
May I really How kind But shan't;
it wonldnt be fair Where's Hester ?
In the garden.
I shall join her there; perhaps she may
listen to my love-story.
Perhaps she may.
And Ruth laughed again, and then he
went out of the room.
Rue, mamma says you are to mend my
frock Look here; I tore it by mistake
trying to get some ferns in the grove.
Rue turned her head from the window,
where she had been following with sad
brown eyes the tall figure of cousin Fred,
az he went off across the terrace to join
Hester in the garden.
What a sad child you are, Kit you're
always q bundle O. rags. Hand me my
quiet.
Stitch, stitch. stitch went the needle
and thread, Kit eager to be off, following
with her eyes every bird that drifted by the
window, every figure that crossed the ter
race.
I see Hester and Fred, broke out the
child. Hester and Fred are always to-
gether now, amt they? REe, may / 60
Yes ; run off, and don't make q mess of
yourself.
Away flew the little girl, and Rue fell to
her stitching and her thoughts once more.
"Always together now" Those words had
given her quite little start, and her
thoughts made journey back into time
when some one had been her property, and
not Hester's at all. All that was changed
now, She saw them coming toward the
house laughing and talking and as they
came over the grass her thoughts were with
other summer times. 1t was all over now.
The blue dapp!ed sky, the forest of trees,
thousands of roses blossoming just as they
man whom she had loved was far, far
away-dead, perhaps, with vast sea
rolling between them. Ruth will never
love another man more ; she is carrying
the memory of that one beloved one with
her to grave.
am very fond Of Rue l wonder does
she know it, OF is there any use in my tell
ing her SO? Fred said to Hester.
Don't ask me; Rue's problem which
the family have never been able to solve,
Hester answered.
Do you think she likes Urquehart.
I havn't an idea.
Do you know what [ think of him,
Hetty?
What?
That he's snob and fool. Shall l
give you little sketch of his way of liv
ing? He spends Sunday in bed, reading
He drinks more brandy, diluted in soda
and water, than any three other men put
together. He is we'll dressed, [ confess,
but he owes Mr.. Poole little account
which that gentleman may 60 whistle for,
I can tell you. There is always a delicate
odor of mile ,tlue7' and bouquet d'anaour
about him, which becomes quite oppres-
sive when he takes out his pocket-hand-
kerchief. He stands in the window of the
Junior Carlton half the afternoon to show
passers-by that he is a member. His own
brougham takes him to dinner parties. He
never gets up until three o'clock p. m, and
he is never in bed before four or five
o'clock a. N. There are some Hebrew
gentlemen who claim acquaintance with
him. He pretends to teach me billiards,
and [ could give him fifteen in twenty. 1
don't believe he ever handled gun or q
bat in his life; and he owns grand little
Arab that he's afraid to mount. In fact.
he's snob and a sneak, and I mean to
tell him SO some day.
Hester said, quietly.
All, that's just it! I should like to write
a pamphlet for young men, with few
hints how to get on with ladies' Walk as
if you had chronic pain below your
waistcoat; look as if your collar would cut
your head off if you turned to one side;
speak, as
Fred, you're jealous, I'm afraid.
Whereupon Fred began to laugh again,
he was such a good -humored fellow.
Rue, papa wants you in the study, q
round faced boy popped his head into the
drawing room to say, and Rue put by her
work and hurried away.
Well. papa
Come over here What do these bills
mean?
She went over, and bent her head over
pile of papers on the table. Well she
knew those bills; she had pored over them
dozens OF times.
The housekeeping papa.
Iknow that, he answered, tartly bnt
I tell You one thing, We must curtail our
expenses, or I shan't be able to keep a
roof over your heads soon. Why here's
twenty pounds for pack of children who
ought to live on bread and milk.
Then Ruth, the Drudge of the family,
was allowed to gather up the unpaid bills
and carry them off.
Rue DO you mean to accept Mr.. Urqne-
hart
Not before he asks me, Fred.
But when he does
You shall stop behind the curtain and
listen, my inquisitive cousin.
i IL, l.