The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-24

IVY, y ou ttie pcoluc yOuISeJl. :. CACldlulou
: Mrs Carter.
''You and Rose have said wait to me
so long, that you can't have the heart to
say it longer, now that there is no rea-
son for waiting. l shah coax Rose over
to my side, and then you can't refuse"
And he did coax them both over to his
side, after countless arguments and OBJ
jections. It was arranged that there
should be very quiet wedding, to which
only a few intimate friends were to be
invited, The next evening.
Then Charlie hurried home to express
gratitude to his father, whom he began
to think he had misiudged.
While this scene was transpiring at the
cottage, Samuel Hodgkins had received
Doctor Hurlburt's answer to his note,
and being somewhat surprised and puz-
zled by it, had transmitted it directly to
the Widow Thomas, thus relieving him
self of all responsibility in the matter.
So the widow, who was adorning her
best cap with new cherry ribbons, in an
ticipation of the doctors taking her gem
tie hint and coming himself to drive her
to the quarterly conference meeting, was
called from that pleasing occupation to
read the following note, a mere scrawl,
written evidently in haste and irritation:
LET her take desert spoonful of extract of
vaerian. night and morning for her nerves,
common sense in as large doses as she can get
it, and stop gaddng abou. evenings.
EDWARD III. HURLBURT."
The widows black eyes snapped so
that the doctor, if he had been there to
sec, would have liked them less than ever,
| o,,Jt tho thot boJ Il L. oIo a.
she thought forever, reappeared in full
bloom. She had been angry often in her
life-the departed Reuben had not been
very easy to manage-but never before
had she felt anything like the warmth she
| felt that moment.
The impertinent old scoundrel Cad
ding about evenings indeed Valerian
for my nerves! as if | were some fidgety
Old maid Common sense in as large
doses rs | can find. How dare he write
such q note Well, have had lucky
escape! Stupid, cross-grained old wretch!
4 life of it l should have had with him ~
And the widow put on her cherry rib
bon cap upside down, and fell to busting
the portrait of her deceased husband with
a vim. With all his faults Reuben was
not the worst man that ever lived
Charley was obliged to repress his
| gratitude for while, for when he return
ed home he found that his father had gone
to q neighboring town to attend Il medi-
cal convention and he would not return
home until the following day.
| When the doctor returned the next af-
ternoon Charley was absent, busted with
preparations for the approaching we'd
ding. DR.. IIurlburt, finding leisure af-
ternoon upon his hands, made an unusu-
ally careful toilet, and drove out to call
on the Widow Thomas.
He had fully made up his mind that it
would be Il lesser evil to have the Wild
ow Zilpha Thomas for a wife, than Mrs.
Barnes for housekeeper, but he had not
the air Of very eager wooer; and in
truth, he was not without his misgivings;
he saw in imagination the widows black
eyes swapping detiantly at him, and Won
dered if he would not relent, if she PROV
ed of quarrelsome temper.
And he cast two or three glances back
at the Widow Carriers cottage, and as he
did so he certainly sighed. The widow
| had been in the window, and she had
bowed to him-bowed, and actually smii-
| ed q little, though in a shy sad way. Dr..
| IIurlburt did not qnite understand it.
Hc had met her but twice, to be sure,
since he had come back to the village,
two years before, but at neither of those
times had she shown any disposition to
recognize him.
His looks had not invited 4 recognition
either then or now, but here she was us
sweet as y May morning. 1t was all her
artfulness, of course. She thought she
could caiole him into letting Charley mar
~ her daughter She would see! He
would send that boy to Europe, to China
if need be, to get him out of Rose Car
ters way.
Still it is certain that he sighed deeply
as he passed the cottage, and Widow
Thomas black eyes snapped before him
all the more ominously in contrast with
the Widow Carter's SOFT shy blue ones
Was Miss Esther Wagg right, and was
it possible that there was still Il spring of
sentiment in the doctors heart, which
fifty years and his crusty temper had not
been able wholly to dry.
From afar off the Widow Thomas saw
| him coming ''riding along with that
grand careless air, as if he owned the
whole town." as she declared, and pre-
pared to do battle She was in such 4
quivcr Of indignation that her cap rib
bons stood up straight, and the swapping
ewes of his imagination were rs nothing
compared with these.
GLOW dare you come here, you insult
| ing, hypocritical villain. you perlidious
wretch Leave this house sir and if ever
you come here again I'll set Tower upon
YOU Us sure rs you live !" she screamed.
To say that the doctor was amazed
would but fully express his emotion. He
was thoroughly alarmed and lost no time
in escaping from the presence OF y mani
&C Gas he felt sure she must be, to his
carriage.
s'Insanc from an evil temper! All, |
knew those evil eyes were not for moth
| ing But why her anger should be di
rected against me | can't understand;
though | suppose her wrath falls upon
any one who happens to be near when.
the fit selzes her o, what an escape |
have had !"
And DR.. Hurlburt went his homcward
way, resolved to be contentcd with q
housekeeper, and thankful that his lot
was no worse.
Barnes met him with an unusually smil-
ing countenance.
''Mr Charley's been waiting to see you
sir, he waited a while, but Of course he
could not wait any longer, and it's six
o'clock this minute. He told me to tell
you how thankful and happy he was, and
that he should feel awful bad if you didn't
come to the wedding"
Thankful and happy" Come to
the wedding Y ''What are you talking
about, you idiot ?" demanded the doctor
ITO his wedding with Miss Rose Ca>-
ter. | thought of course you knew. It's
halfpast eight"
"The young rascal? Does he dare to
do this !" shouted the doctor, and rushed
out of the house, and down to the Wild
ow Carter's cottage.
Mrs. Carter and Charley met him in
the hall. His wrath had had time to cool
a little in his walk, and if it had not he
would have found it hard to be SO dem
onstrative as usual under the widows
calm clear eyes. But he expressed his
disapproval quite strongly enough to
show them that there had been some mis-
take.
Charley produced his note, and the doc