The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-03-09

water against vanity but it isn't worth
much against the spring-tide of love. as
John Harlow soon found.
For toward the end of the week he began
to feel warmer feeling for Miss Janet. |
do not think that John was seriously in
love with Miss Dunton. If he had been he
would have found some means of commune
eating with her. A thousand spies, with
sleepless eyes all around their heads, cannot
keep man from telling his love somehow,
II he really has any love to tell.
lie observed often during the week that
Huldah was depressed. He could not ex-
actly account for it, until he noticed some
thing In his sisters behavior toward her
that awakened his suspicion. As soon as
an opportunity offered he inquired of
Huldah, affecting at the same time to know
| something about it.
VI don't want to complain of your sister
to you, Mr.. Harlow"
"Phew! call me John, and as for nv
sister, l know her faults better than you
well, it is only that she told me that
Miss Dunton wasn't used to eating at 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 the table on account of these city
snobs, I'll make fuss on the SPOT So,
to avoid fuss, have kept going to the
table,"
John was greatly vexed with this He
was chiyalrous fellow, and he knew how
much such remark must wound q person
who had never learned that domestic service
had anything degrading in it. And the re-
suit was just the opposite of what his sis
ter hoped. John paid more attention to
Huldah Manners because she was the victim
of oppression. .....
But, sitting in the old "best room,u in
the dark, while the ladies were getting
ready, and trying to devise way by which
he might get an opportunity to speak with
Miss Dunton alone, it occurred to him that
she was at that time in the stting-room.
waiting for his sister. To step out to
where she was and present the case would
not be difficult, and it might be all settled
before the sister came down stairs. The
fates were against him, however, for, just
as he was about to act upon his thought,
he heard Amanda Holmes abundant |
dresses sweeping down the Stairway. He
could not help hearing the conversation that
followed.
''You see, Janet, l got up this trip to-
night to keep John from spending the even
ing in the kitchen. He hasn't a bit of |
dignity, and would spend the evening romp-
ing with the children and talking with |
Huldah, if he took it into his head"
"Well, said Janet" one can overlook |
everything in a man Of your brothers. cul
ture. But what queer way your country
servants have of pushing themselves. |
Wouldn't [ make then know their
places !" ...s.
And all this was said with the kitchen
door open, and with the intention of wound
ing Huldah.
Johns castle tumbled. The erudite
wife alongside the silver tea-urn faded out |
of sight rapidly. If knowledge could not
give touch of humane regard for the feel
ings Of poor girl. toiling dutifully 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 there was
a gulf wider than the world between them.
He slipped out of the best room by the
outside door, and came in through the
kitchen. The neighbours sleigh that was
to call for them was already at the 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 not say much. She
told John it was time he was getting over
his queer freaks. And the sleigh drove
off. ...... '...
For an hour afterward, John romped
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 to think too
much about it. John did not.
At last the little children went to bed.
The old gentleman grew sleepy and retired.
The boys went into the sitting-room and
went to sleep, one on the lounge and one
on the floor. Huldah was Just ready to
begin her pies. She was deeply hurt, but
John succeeded in making her more cheer
full. He rolled up his sleeves and went to
rolling out the pastry. He thought he had
girl in clean dress and apron, with her
sleeves rolled up above her elbows. There
was statuesque perfection in her we'll
rounded arms. The heat of the fire had
flushed her face little, and she was laugh
ing 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 as
though he had touched galvanic battery.
He looked at Huldah, and saw half-pain-
full expression on her flushed face.
For the first time it occurred to him that
Huldah Manners had excited in him feel
ing thousand times deeper then anything
he had felt toward Janet, who seemed to
be now in another world. For the first
time he realized that he had been more in
love with Huldah than with Janet all the
time. Why not marry her? And then he
what the governor had said
about marrying woman's heart and not
her head.
He put on his hat and walked out-out,
out, into the darkness, the drizzling rain,
and the slush of melting snow, fighting
fierce battle. All his pride and all his
cowardly vanity were on one side, and the
torrents of his love ON the other.
He walked away into the dark wood
pasture, trying to cool his brow, trying to
think, and would you believed it p trying
to pray, for it was a great struggle, and in
any great struggle true soul finds some
thing very like prayer in his heart.
The feeling of love may exist without
attracting the attention of its possessor.
1t had never occurred to John that he could
love or marry Huldah. Thus it had grown
all the more powerful for not being obsery-