Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-05-02

up and broke abruptly into the middle
other sentence. "Don't think I'm GO
ing 10 take this for your final answer,
Hetty. There's hope as long as there 8
, life. l do believe you love me a little
way down deep in your heart; and If
was a miserable wretch just fit for the
hospital or poorhouse, you would think
it your duty to marry me, and take up
your cross and earn my support, for
!; your soul's good. But here 1 am, q
great, strong man with enough and to
spare, ready to lift you out of life OF
drudgery, and give you every comfort,
and educate the children, and love you
with my whole heart and soul and
strength, and you will persist in turn
ing me off because you are afraid OF
offending the Lord. Idon't believe the
Lord is offended by such things; and
you ought to follow the dictates of your
heart"
He strobe to the door, and slammed
it as he went out and Hetty, whose
nerves were little shaky from watch
ing the previous night, sat down in the
rocking chair, and buried her burning
her outrageously. He was positively
brutal How dared he say he believed
she loved him little down in her
heart? The thought of the insult she
had received made the tears flow and
trickle through her fingers. Aleck had
widened the breach between them, and
as she was sure she didn't love him,
there was no apparent need of grieving
over it. She knew she should be
wonderfully helped, for she always was,
and yet somehow she felt worry low
spirited and miserable. There was a
great pile of vests to stitch for her en-
| IL -
be done in time, even though her head
did ache and her eyes blur with weari-
ness.
AIeck. for his part, threw himself into
the yellow sulky, and gave the sorrel
horse his head. AS he turned away
from the little red farmhouse, where
such patient sweet life was being lived,
he felt heartily ashamed of himself be-
| cause he was SO prosperous and well OH,
with great stock-farm clear from debt,
! the best stone house in the township,
and money in the bank. He was dis
gusted with his stout limbs and excel
leat digestion. If he had been born
halt or blind, Hetty might have taken
him home to her heart. She had mar
ried Will Henderson, he felt sure, be-
caus he was the best and luckiest fellow
| in the world.
The hay harvest was over, and the
| fields were smoothly shorn. Elms by
the way-side seemed to dip with golden
| light. The cardinal flower looked at its
splendid image in the lazy little brook
that flowed along coquetting with alders
and reeds. There were good farms on
either side the way. Aleck crossed the
covered bridge over a wide, shallow
stream, and came out on a bit of smooth
read and an old brown barn with doors
wide open abutting almost upon the
track. Two or three farmers had gath
cred to inspect horse which the owner
of the place tall, black-whiskered
man-in his shirt sleeves, had brought
out from the stable. A passer-by in a
| light democrat wagon slued his vehicle
round out of the road, and stopped TO
observe what was going on. Aleck did
the same with his yellow-wheeled sulky,
for his instinct scented q trade. The
animal on exhibition was a tall chest
nut, clean-limbed, with shiny satin
coat, and peculiarly wicked eye.
"What will you take for that horse,
Bates ?'' inquired Aleck, gafter he had
exchanged mods with the neighbors.
"Wa'al, I don't know just what I
would take. 1 vally him purity high.
He's a nice horse, but he amt just the
beast to work on farm. Now if you
want to swap off that there sorrel of
yours, l wouldn't mind giving little
boot"
! "Come, now, out with it. Bates, what
ails him? Is he spawned, or broken
winded ?"
/" No." said one of the old farmers,
whose face looked like carved walnut,
at the same time ejeeting a liberal
shower of tobacco juice, "he's as sound
as nut, not five years old, but you see
he's got little touch of the devil in
him. Mebbe for a week he'll go along
as steady as an old cow and then he'll
take a notion to kick and stiffen his
hind-legs like steel crow-bars, and, you'd
better believe, any thing that's behind
him is pretty likely to be sent to king
dom come. When he takes it into his
wouldn't hold him; and every now and
then he breaks his headstall all to fin
ders, and chaws up the grain-bin."
"You needn't make it out worse than
it is," said Bates, in grieved tone. 81
don't kalkerlate to deceive any body
about this here animal. I never said he
was likely animal, and amt a-goin
to have a neighbor, after he's got his
neck broke, and been sot on by a
crowner and twelve men, come and
prosecute me for damages but if he's
| Willing w trdoe, kuOWlHS dll Inc lactS,
why, that's his own look
"How much boot will you give ?''
inquired Aleck. laconically.
d" Why, for that there sorrel of yours ~
said Mr.. Bates, I" 1 wouldn't mind cool
hundred and fifty down, or, what's the
same thing, a check for that amount on
Buxton Bank"
"Agreedp p returned Aleck, and he
threw down the lines and sprang out ot
the sulky. "Here, untackle my horse
and put in yours, and then we will &c
over to the house and square up the
money matters"
Two weeks slipped away, and the
widow Henderson saw nothing of Aleck
Gay. Things had happened all along
not the brightest and happiest things
but snailes still shone in Hetty's eyes
though more and more tremulous with
tears. The two little girls had fallen
sick of measels, and the disease seemed
to 60 very hard with Jenny, the young
est, the baby and pet. Anxiety and
constant watching had worn upon
Hetty's nerves, and some. of the work
for her Buxton employer was done when
she was ready to drop to sleep over the
machine. One parcel of vests had
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