Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-03-11

sltiliIg stlll: SO / viii help you get dinner.
IL You like | win make some biscuit, and
We sFill have dinner ready in very shrul
time.
iietty was delighted Ben would be glad
Might she look on and learn how?
Mile was young, and frank, and eay,
and she and the children soon became vers
well acquainted over the biscuit. She said
presently, trying potato with fork
The potatoes are done. l will pour the
water Of SO, then put them on again 10 dry.
That will make chem mealy In few
moments we viii peel them, and then din
ner viii be all ready except taking il up .
The dinner seemed very meagre TO little
Hetty a. she run over the items in her mind
potatoes peas, pork, biscuit, butter, Gu.
Gamblers, milk, water She had wanted II
make tea for her visitor, but she declined
decidedly. The poor child said, apologeti-
eally.
When father and mother were alive We
used to have good many things for dinner.
and Martha, our hired girl. used to ee,
then all, but when they died, and SQUIRE
JohTs said he bought mortgage on our
farm and that we had got to pay every
cent the day it was due or lose everything.
we had TO do without good many things.
and are very poor now, and Ben is afraid
we can't have enough to pay il. and ,hey
all say we may look for no mercy from,
Squire Johns, for he is very hard man to
the poor, and he has always wanted our
farm, because it joins some of bis own land
where he wants to build heard an about
it vhen one Of the neighbors was talkins
with Ben, though he didn't want me to
knnv about it Z"
Niillie had listened to this with curious
mixture Of feelings, for Squire Johns was q
declared lover Of hers, and though she had
not yet accepted, she had been both pleased
and Aattered with his attention, and had
certainly given him encouragement. More,
over, he was to receive his final answer in
three days from that time, and she was nor
sure the answer reserved and laid away for
that time was no. True, Mile was moi
10 love with him, but she had waited 81
long in vain for that ecstatic state of feeling
she had heard aud read so much about, tha
she was quite decided that she was not ca
pable of love, and that to like any one va,
as much as she could expect. But she Ger
tainly liked Squire Johns as well if MOI
better than any one, and his love must Ger
tainly be disinterested, for he could moi
know that. But now Mile stopped
Could he not2 Might he not have found
out in some way? II this story we're true,
would such man be likely to marry a poor
girl? For Mile Warner was really 81
heiress in small way. She was sole inner.
itor Of a 6ne uDeucumhered farm from hei
father, and Eve thousand dollars iu bank
stock. But the farm was two hundred
miles south Of this town, where she wa,
visiting cousin, and nobody knew of it
and during her visit she had helped her
cousin in her work as she bad always helped
her mother when she was at home-capable
industrious little girl that she was.
This story agreed With things that she hac
heard hin,ed al, but only hinted at, anc
even that the next moment was smootheC
over, for Squire Johns was rich and infu
entail man, and people could not afford
without some reason, to lose his favor. Sh'
remembered it all now. Could he in reality
be such scoundreI?
She could judge better about the truth
Of the story when she had seen Ben. VIII,
was Benz Two or three enquiries ha,
amounted to nothing The children spok,
just as if everybody must know who Ber
was Was be an uncle, csusin, hired man
or what2 Evidently somebody very old b!
the way Hetty spoke Of him. Whoever
was, what would he think of her intrusion
But she couldn't help what be thought
she shrugged her shoulders as she locke,
ont at the still pouring rain.
Young Ben Hazwell, out IN the field
pitched up the last hay on the load, Leaned
his piteh-fork against tree, and took Of
his straw hat to cool bis moist forehead
His gaze followed the hay, cart, went owe
the broad lands and returned
The hay has gone in, he said with
long breath Of relief. Il could not affor,
to lose even one load now don't know
that 1 can do it; but if l can sell part Q
the land may Il viii he hard pu
| though.
| There was noise of carriage wheels, an
he looked towards the road His brow
face darkened as he looked.
Il could, perhaps, have got an extension
of time if that william had not got th
mortgage 10 his hands; and, dastardly ra,
cal, who makes it his business to rob an
derraud the poor and the fatherless, he ma
rake this farm; he will if be can; for b
has been maneuvering for it long time
bur he shall have it with the soundes
horsewhipping that ever a man had
| Twice thrice the number of strokes of th
united years Of my tender sisters; and m
arm is strong" And he looked after th
carriage with his hands firmly clencbed
my two years at college did me bu
little good. IF I could have finished, an
got a profession, or had good trade,
should not have been so helpless, if tn
worst canes to the worst But I won
look on the dark side, y
The young man followed the cart toto III
barn. The storm was at its height when b
went toward the house from the back way
He stopped in surprise, as he saw thrOug
the window some enc standing at the taolC
| with arms bare to the elbow, mixing fou
| Il must be Martha's, neither hers, th
slender. graceful figure. As he came nea
er, he could distinguish the sparkling piql
ant face. She was laughing and talkin
with Hetty, and evidently giving her th
directions for what she was making. Heti
! -. -. aarar and much ~