Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1871-02-22
1 low tone to her remark.

think that | should p
Despite the Indignation, there was some.
| thing of reproach in her look and tone,
that sent thrill Of hope to Hugh's heart.
Stay moment, he said quietly, per.
/ ceiving the attention of the others directed
| towards them, ''and you shall have your
! laurel
/ Il don't care for it. won't ineonve-
| Dience you-''
I But Hugh was already picking his way
over the marshy ground, and the next mo-
| ment was half way up the tall and slender
laurel tree, which bent beneath his weight
Reaching un to the topmGst bough he drew
1t downward, and broke off the coveted
laurel blossom, and with it descended. As
his foot tonched the ground an idea oc-
CURED to him. He took from his vest
pocket the slip Of paper on which he had
written few moments previously, seized
his pencil and added these. wortls-''it you
will answer yes. Mary, give me this token
wear the laurel in your hair, tonight, and
don wear the roses.
Then he carefully, though with trembling
fingers, separated the pure white, half un-
folded petals Of the laurel blossoms, de-
POSTED the folded paper within. closed
over, 1t the petals, and placed it in Mary
hand.
Look within it" lie said, in voice too
low to be heard by the others, and this time
careless of their observation. Look with
Int bears secret at its heart.
When Mary reached the old farm house.
close by. at which the pic mic supper and
dance was to be held, she went 0p directly
to q little dressing room-0ne of the several
appropriated TO the ladies' Here she
was pleased to End herself alone, the first
one of the returning walking-par She
boitcd the door and threw herself upon a
couch She looked excited, angry, grieged,
defiant, all in one.
To neglect me so" she said to herself,
passionately. ''To become jealous, and
doubt me and neglect me, as he has DONE
ever since Mr.. Weston thought proper to
pay me scme attention. What could | do
but TO pretend not to care? And the impu
dence OF this last insult 'Looh 1cithin.
II 5e9rS II secret at its hcn1r Yes, of
course-as if [ had forgotten what we read
In that Book Of Flowers about nay flvorite
laurel. The emblem was ambition-and he
said pain without, but with the drop of
poison at It's heart That was what he
meant, just now, of course. Insolent! !"
She threw the laurel blossom angrily from
her, and burst into tears. These apparently
Gained her, for, when she presently rose.
she looked half remorseful at the flower,
lying broken and bruised on the floor. She
took it mp, looked ut it sadly, until the
tears came into her eyes.
Yet know he loves me, after all 1t
will, it must come right in the end. | will
let him see this evening that | don't care
for Mr.. Weston.
She pressed the flower carefully amid
some folds of paper, and placed it in her
bosom.
Il wish had not broken it so that he
might have seen me wear IT this evening
But will tell him, and sometime when we
arc happier, will show him how carefully
kept it.
Hugh Shirley was standing at the door of
the daucing room IS she entered. She wore
in her hair the cluster OF wild roses that had
been given TO her by Mr. Weston, but there
was no laurel there. As she passed him
there eyes for q minute met. lie was pale
and his face wore a sul stern expression,
such as she had never seen there before
Conscious OF her o@n changed feelings TO
wards him in the past hour, and unwilling
that he should read it on her face. she
turned away her face as she passed. And
y hen she glanced in that direction again,
he was gone.
On the day following she learned that Mr
Shirley had lest Riverside-had started for
Uaiiforuia-and this without word a mes
sage. token Of farewell to herself.
For some weeks after this Mary Morrison
went inJo society, and appeared is gay as
usual. But then her cheek paled, aud her
spirits dropped, and there followed a long
spell Of sickness from the effects Of which
she did not apparently recover during the
winter And though the following summer
found her restored to health her old gay
spirit had lett her. The bright thOughtiess
girl lad, in less than year, maturcd into
the quiet, thoughtful woman. Many ad-
mfed the change, aud suitors were net wan
ting to attest the power Of her attractions
yet she gave them no encouragement. Il
cannot love any man well enough to become
his wife, she said, and | Will not marry
So years PASSED by--two, FIVE, ten years!
Mary Morrison was now tail, elc--...;;isty, ,iig-
nste.. -,vrman or twenty -seven-vsrgiug no.
on IuaideuhOJd. the young girls su!d, tho
the older people insisted that she was hand
somer than ever. and they were right.
Ia this time Hugh Shirley had often been
Il cari from. he was OSperlng-becOmlng
wealthy and iRaycuiial-5ut WAS still un-
married Aud when ten years had passed
since he had left Riverside, he wrote to his
friends that business would require his pres
encc in New York, aud that he would visit
them USlbie G1uIUibs 10 CdHio4iita4.
Mary Morrison knew when lie came, and
It was Eosiced that she STAYED away from
church jbe next Sunday Yet avoid him as
she would, they could not help meeting.
Very quiet was the interview-very cold,
even those present thought it. y few po-
lite inquiries, few common place remarks,
and Il perfectly composed demeanor on both
si!es-this was all. It was plain to be seen
that each was perfectly indifferent to the
other.
Several times again they met, with even
less interchangod rem ark than on the first
interview. Some people thought that there
must even exist feeling of dislike between
them.
One evening when it would have been twl-
light but for the full moon, Mary Morrison
stood leaning upon the gate of her front gar,
den, enjoying the beauty Of the hour, and
the sweet breath of the flowers around her.
The house stood at the end of tie village
street, iuSt where it commenced to be
pretty, shady country road, and few passen-
gers passed here at this hour.
Suddenly, as she leaned pensively on the
gate, the sound of an approaching step caus-
ed her to start. The thick laurel hedge con
cealed the person, but she knew by some
rare instinct that the step was that of Hugh
Shirley and the next moment he stood be-