Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-09

AZ always 90 to bed early when there's .
moon" he said, SOS to be out Of tempta-
tion. IF man ever makes fool Of him
self. you may be sure that he win do it BY
"And how is it with women said
mother. m
"Humphl Moonlight or sunlight's all
one to them, reckon"
.Mrs. Poyser said she would never de-
ny that women were fools the Almighty
made them to match the men," / put in.
who's Mrs. Poyser? Does she live
in these partss"
"Glad to hear that. There's enough
sharped -tongued women about here now,
without any more moving In"
"Oh Candase knew best" said mother.
/" She said Men was nat'ally foolish but
they was great deal better than muffin. I"
"Please convince 6ylvie of that doc
trine," said Steven, while 60 home with
Uncle Shubael, for safety's sake"
They went away together, and nothing
would do but mother must have out the
Spectator and hear me read aloud till bed
time, while / was longing to sit on the
doorstep and pile up agony in the moon.
light. 81 .
It came to pass after that day that six
mortal weeks dragged out their slow
length without my once seeing Steven
Frazar. al
Sophie's two children came down with
the measles, and /, being the only single
sister, was Of course, drafted for nurse.
She mentioned once, as / was sitting in
the darkened room, bathing little fevered
head, that Steven had stopped at the door,
and left message from mother, but she
had said was busy just then, and could
not come down to him. Oh, the blind
cruelty of married sister with q sick
baby! Can anything come nigh unto It
in the history Of persecution!
staid with Sophie till her children were
convalescent, and then she let me depart
In peace. &"
+ I was trailing homeward in very dull
afternoon, sourly adding up the hard work
had done, and the small credit which
Sophie, in her motherly selfishness, would
ever give me for it, when sort of vision
of my future unrolled itself before my
eyes.
If I refused Steven because he was
doubtful of the kind of love he felt for me
l knew should never marry anybody else;
I must inevitably come down to cats for
company, and know no change in life ex
cupt nursing my sisters children through
ali the ills that baby flesh is heir to. l
was not the woman to shave mission"
and hew out special niche for myself in
the world. If had weakness, it WAS
for being taken care of. Then it flashed
upon me that Steven might consider his
offer as already rejected, and so leave me
no option in the matter. That thought.
was like touching bare nerve; the pain
of 1t almost made me stand still, but /
hurried on again, when l caught quick,
familiar tread behind me.
"Sylvie," said Steven, coming up with
me and shaking both my hands. "you
haven't the least idea how glad / am to
see you-that is, what there is left Of you
Sophie has worn you to skin and bone. !
at her house, and she told me you
had taken this road. You walked as if
your feet were heavy. Perhaps, after all,
you haze rub6ers. and don't care for my
company" ala
He faced round suddenly, so as to bar
my path, and held out his hands with q
bright yet slightly miscellaneous smile. !
put my two hands in his, and laid my face
down on them. was too tired to do any
thing else.
said, in an unsteady voice, and gathering
me into his strong arms. Have you
pricked me long enough, and will you
show me your downy side at iast'"
"Only love me little" l whispered.
II shall do no such thing must love
you with all my heart and strength, or not
at all. DO you suppose that did not see
and pity your trouble! You wanted
lover, who would go cross gartered, like
MalvOlio,' and waste himself in signs for
love Of you. You could not put faith in
one who pleaded his suit in broad day
light through pantry windows My dar-
ling, 1t was q VOW, and this was the way
came to bind myself to it. When ] was
in college, mere boy, was bewitched
into q passion for girl not worthy to
look in your face. saw her first, In fact,
always, in moonlight walks under the
shadows Of elm trees, whict must have
some diabolical fascination about them.
A genial dimness seemed to pervade all
our intercourse till I found myself en-
gagged. Then I knew that
"Colors seen BY, candlelight
viii not look the ssme by dagl"
Oh, it was heaven to me when was able
to break the cords that bound me to that
woman without being. dishonorablel
What q chain I should have dragged
through life, If l had married her! made
a VOW then, that if ever wooed another
woman, It should be after the most prosaic
method that / could devise, and In the
broadcast possible daylight. My greatest
temptation to break the VOW came over me
in the pine woods, that glorious night
when we 80 opportunity overlook the old
woman who was going to see her sister.
If you had been cross then, it would have
been great comfort to me. Can you for
give mes" i
don't know that I entered in any set
form of words, but Steven seemed to be
satisfied. and We walked home together
through the foggy air as lightly as If our
great content had transmitted it to golden
haze. fitl EE6&fAt ~ ~
As we passed Miss Althea Pratt's house,
she was out of doors, struggling with a
great rose-creeper, which had fallen into q
mass across her doorstep, and utterly re-
fused to be held up with one hand while
she nailed it to the doorpost with. the
other. Steven went In to help her, and
was not a whit cast down BY her ungn'
cious thanks" ~ - e ~