The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-12-02

III
opportunity offered he inquired Of Hui
dah, affecting at the same time to know
something about II. 49,,
4 don't want to complain Of your sister
to YOU, Mr.. Harlow"
!Pshaw! call me John, and as for my
sister. I know her faults better than you
do. Go on, please
We'll. It's only that sho told mo thai
Miss Dunton wasn't used to eating ut the
same table with servants, and when one
of the boys told your father. he was mad
and came to me, and said. 'Huldah, you
must eat when the rest do. If You stay
away from tho table on account Of these
city snobs. I'll make fuss on the spot.
So to avoid fuss I have kept on going to
the table, a..
John was greatly vexod with this. He
was chivalrous fellow, and no knew how
such remark must wound q person who
had never learned that domestic service
had anything degrading In It. And the
result was Just the opposite oil what his
sister had hoped. John paid moro atten'
ton than ever TO Huldah Manners DO.
cause she was tho victim of oppression.
The evening before Thanksgiving Day
tho ladies were going to make u visit. II
was not at all incumbent on John to 60
but he was seeking an opportunity to car
ry off tho brilliant Miss Dunton, who
| would adorn his parlors when he became
rich and distinguished, and who would
make so nice hcxd-piece for his table,
And SO he had determined to 90. will
them. trusting TO some fortunate chance
for his opportunity.
But sitting in the old "best roOm," in
the dark. while tho ladies were getting
ready. and trying to devise way by which
he might get an opportunity to speak with
Miss Dunton alone, II occurred to him
that she was mt that time In the sitting
room waiting for his sister. To step out
to where she was, and present the case In
few words. would not be difficult, and
1t might all be settled before his sister
came down stairs. The Fates were against
him, however. For just rs he was about
N act on his thought. he heard Amanda
Holmes abundant dresses sweeping down
the stairway. He could not help hearing
the conversation that followed: ..
You see, Janet. got up this trip to-
night to keep John from spending the
evening In the kitchen. He hasn't u bit
of dignity, and would spend the evening
romping with the children and talking to
IIuldah If hc took 1t into his head
WELL said Janet, 'one can overlook
everything in = man Of your brothers
culture. But what q queer way your
country servants have Of pushing them
selves. Wouldn't make them know their
places'
And all this was said with tho kitchen
door open and with the intention of wound
ing Huldah.
Johns castles tumbled. The erudite
wife alongside the silver tea.urn faded
out of sight rapidly. lfknowledge could
not give touch of humane regard for the
feelings of poor girl toiling dutifally and
self.denyingly to support her family, OF
what account was It?
Two minutes before he was about TO give
his life to Janet Dunton. Now their was
gulf wider than the world between
them. He slipped out of the best room by
the outside door and come In through ths
kitchen. Tho ne:ghbor's sleigh that was
to call for them was already at tho 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 notsay much. She
told John that 1t was time he was getting
over his queer freaks. And the sleigh
drove of.
For an hour afterward John rompod
with his sisters children and told stories
to the boys and talked to his father. When
man has barely escaped going over a
precipice he does not like 70 think too
much about II. 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 tho 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 10 rolling out the pastry. He
thought he had never seen n sweotcr pic
ture than the young girl In clean dress
and apron, with the sleeves rolled above
her elbows. There was y statucsque per-
fection Ia 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 pie-crust his fingers touched hers.
and he started rs If he had touched q gal
vanic battery. lie looked ut Huldah, and
sawa half-painful expression on her flush.
ed face.
For the first time It occurred to him that
IIuldah Manners had excited in him n
feeling thousand times deeper than any
thing he had felt toward Janet, who
seemed to be now in another world. For
the first time he realized that he had bcen
more in love with Huldah than with Janet
all the time. Why not marry hcrp And
then he remembered what the Governor
had said about marrying q womans heart
and not her head.
He put on his hat and walked out-out,
out, into the darkness. drizzling rain, and
the slush of melting snow. fighting n fierce
battle. All his pride and all his cowsrdly
vanity were on one side, all the! irresistible
torrent of his love on the other. He
walked away into the dark wood.pasture,
irving to cool his brow. trying to think.
and (would you believe it' 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 tho attention Of Its possessor:
II had never occurred to John that he could
love or marry Huldah. Thus the passion
l.. Ill L., mi