Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-12-08

The evening before Thanksgiving Day
the ladies were going to make visit 4
was not at all incumbent on. John TO go
but he was seeking an opportunity to car
ry off the brilliant Miss Dunton, who
would adorn his parlors when he became
rich and distinguished, and who would
make SO nice head piece for his table
And so he had determined to go with them
trusting to some fortunate chance for his
opportunity
But. sitting in the old "best room," in
the dark, while the ladies were getting
ready, and trying TO devise way by which
he might get an opportunity to speak with
Miss Dunton alone, it occurred to him thai
she was at that time in the sitting-rOOm
waiting for his sister. To step out t.
where she was. and present the case in a
few words, would not be difficult, and il
might all be settled before his sister came
down stairs. The fates were against him.
however For just as he was about to act on
his thought, he heard Amanda Holmes
abundant dresses sweeping down the
stairway. He could not help hearing the
conversation that followed -
"You sec, Janet, got up this trip to-
night to keep John from spending the eve
ming in the Kitchen. He hasn't bit OF
dignity, and would spend the evening
romping with the children and talking to
Huldah If he took it into his head"
WELL" said Jonet, zone can overlook
everything in man of your brothers cul-
ture But what queer way your country
servants have Of pushing themselves.
Wouldn't / make them know their
places!'
And all this was said with the kitchen
door open, and with the intention of wound
ing Huldah. ft4-s.
Johns castles tumbled. The erudite
wife alongside the silver tea-urn faded out
Of sight rapidly. If knowledge could not
give touch Of humane regard for the feel
ings Of poor girl toiling dutifully and
self denyingly to support her family, OF
what account was 1t k58&
Two minutes before he was about to give
his life to Janet Dunton. Now there was a
gulf wider than the world between them.
He slipped out of the best room by the
outside door and came in through the kitch-
en-. The neighbours sleigh that was to call
for them was already at the door, and John
begged them to excuse him. He had set
his heart on helping Huldah make mince-
pies, as he used to help his mother when
boy. His sister was in despair, but she
did not say much. She told John that it
was time he was getting over his queer
freaks. And the sleigh drove off.
For an hour afterwards John romped
with his sisters children and told stories
to the boys and talked to his father. When
a man has barely escaped going over a
precipice he does not like to think too
much about it. John did not.
At last the little children went to bed.
The old gentleman grew sleepy, and re-
tired The boys went into the sitting-room
and went to sleep, one on the lounge and
one on the floor. Huldah was just ready
to begin her pies. She was deeply hurt,
but John succeeded in making her
more cheerful He rolled up his
sleeves and went to rolling out the
pastry. He thought he had never seen
a swceter picture than the young girl in
clean dress and apron, with her sleeves
rolled above her elbows. There was
statuesque perfection in her well-rounded
arms The heat of the fire had flushed her
face little and she was laughing merrily
at Johns awkward blunders in pie-making.
John was delighted, he hardly knew why.
In fixing a pie-crust his fingers touched
hers, and he started as if he had touched
galvanic battery. He looked at Huldah,
and saw halfpainful expression on her
flushed face.
For the first time it occurred to him that
Huldah Manners had excited in him
feeling thousand times deeper than any
thing he had felt towards Janet, who
seemed to be now in another world. For
the first time he realized that he had been
more i'm love with Huldah than with Janet
all the time. Why not marry her, And
then he remembered what the Governor
had said about marrying womans heart
and not her head.
He put on his hat and walked out,-out,
out, into the darkness, the drizzling rain and
the slush of melting snow, fighting fierce
battle All his pride and all his cowardly
vanity were on one side, all the irresistible
torrent Of his love on the other. He
walked away into the dark wood pasture,
trying to cool his brow, trying to think,
and would you believe it p trying to pray,
for it was great struggle, and in any
great struggle true soul always finds
something very like prayer in his heart.
The feeling Of love may exist without
attracting the attention of Its possessor. 1t
had never occurred to John that he could
love or marry Huldah. Thus the passion
had grown all the more powerful for not
being observed, and now the unseen fire
had at flash appeared as an all-consum-
ing one.
Turning back, he stood without the win
dow, in the shadow, and looked through
the glass at the trim young girl at work
with her4ies. In the modest, restful face
he read the story of heart that had car
ried great burdens patiently and n0bly.
What glorious picture she was of warmth
and light, framed in darkness. To his
heart at that moment, all the light
and warmth of the world centered in
Huldah. All the world besides was lone
illness and darkness and drizzle and slush.
His fear of his sister and Of his friends seem
ed base and cowardly. And the more he
looked at this vision of the night, this rev.
citation Of peace and love and light, the
more he was determined to possess it..
You will call him precipitate. But when
all mans nobility is on one side and all
his meanness on the other, why hesitate
Besides, John Harlow had done more
thinking in that half-hour than most men
do in q month.
The vision had vanished from the win
dow and he went in and sat down. She
had, by this time, put IN the last pie, and
.... l,o~ 4 oy,I