American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-04-06
VOL. NH.

and ste taught him what love is ~
Cousin Sophia sighed at this iunctur,
She had met with disappointment" i
her youth.
cousin Sophia, 1 cannot credit til
story My father always speaks of Low
- as Pigment of the BRAIN"
" 1t is often SO with elderly men, dear
but they know better all the time. Pri.
: ella Mott forgot her maiden name
: was nearly broken hearted. Not that sh
died on the spot-women seldom do, Eve
she's alive now, and her husband, too
f. she hadn't the strength of mind to re
main single. She married a shiftless dc
nothing sort of man, and your father feel
as If he couldn't do too much for the fam
, lily; he has helped educate ADAM
, ''Oh. Sophia, thee cuts me to the heart
To think that my father, the soul of hon
OF, should have broken his word"
Child, what do you know of thes
matters: You should not have urged mi
to tell the story. l don't know wha
your father would say. Don't breathe i
to him for the worldr'
made no reply l was thinking o
Abraham and Isaac. When Abraham
was commanded to offer up his little sol
did he finch, If father thought it duty
to sacrifice me would he hesitate9
My eyes were opened, now, and / saw
which way the straws were blowing
ner, with those handsome, opaque eyes
fixed on me. But when at last the declar
alton came l was not exactly prepared
for it. For the quiet Adam to speak in
such an imprisoned manner was a mar
vel. 1t moved me; but whether my heart
was touched, l could not tell. He said
he would try and wait with patience for
my answer. 1t scented to me he would
have to wait till doomsday.
| L sat in nv room half that afternoon
thridding my fingers through my hair,
wondering how girls did make up their
minds? BY comparison, probably. For
instance, did l like Adam better than
Solomon Potter? o, certainly, he knew
a great deal more? Better than DIR. Hath
away? Why, DIR. Hathaway wasn't to be
| taken into account; he was not sutton
like Solomon and Job, and though an ex-
cellent man, must be at least thirty-five
/ years old If lived in that wide and
dangerous place called 1.-THE world"
should l be likely to meet people more
agreeable than old bachelors and ''preach-
| ing friends:" But this question did not
bear upon the subject. My lot was cast
among Quakers.
Miriam Grant came in that evening,
and longed to open my heart to her |;
but she was not girl to respect ones
confidence, though such pretty, Win
some creature, that loved to watch her.
Adam seemed to find her entertaining
She was not overawed as l was. Why
hadn't he fancied her instead of me, and
saved me all this trouble of making up
my mind?
Presently Dr. Hathaway, who boarded
at Friend Grants, came to walk home
with Miriam. He talked to me, but
scarcely listened. / was thinking how l
longed to ask father if he really wished
me to cancel his debt to the mother by
marrying the son? Not that should ever
say as much to father; 1 could not break
through the reserve which had always eX-
listed between us.
81 see thou art in perlexity," said DR..
Hathaway, falling into the ''plain Ian
guage," as he sometimes did with me
when very much in earnest. as there
anything l can do for thee, Eve ~
"Nothing. o no, Friend Edward, and
l mustn't tell thee what it is" stammered
/. Il am not perplexed at all and if l
am, thee mustn't notice it,
He looked at nae, and then glanced
across the room at Adam, who seemed to
be furtively watching us. In my simple
ity | never imagined that the story was
very easy to read.
>" My dear child" said the doctor, in his
kind way, " would not intrude on thy
confidence for the world, but"
What he might have said, 1 do not
know; something to be remembered after
ward; something to give me little aid,
do not doubt; but just then Cousin Sophia
came languidly along and desired the doc
tor to pronounce on q new symptom"
/ was vexed; wished to talk longer with
Friend Edward Not that would have
told him anything, but might have asked
a few leading questions, l thought, without
betraying Adam. While Miriam was put
ting on her things, he found time to
say
over-persuade thee to any step thy heart
does not sanction. Next time we meet
have long story to tell thee. Good
by"
rang in my ears.
But was not true to myself any more
than was the great grandmother of us all.
l did not know what the truth was. My
mind was tossed up and down like the
sea in a storm had no mother whose
dearly-that was what l thought-and
father said to me with such a confident
look:
'1m glad thee seems to be led in the |
right path, Eve"
Cousin Sophia rallied me upon being in |
love. John made broad jokes on the sub
ject. / supposed they all knew better
along, just as the adverse wind blew me
that first day against Adams drab coat.
supposed was led in the right path |
when put my hand in Friend Motifs,
and said:
'If thee wants me, am thine"
'Thank the Lord" calculated Adam;
''let US pray"
''Thee is good daughter" said father,
buoyantly; "theell make n good wife,
''If thee chooses to be a fool" said
brother John, doggeGlv, give nothing to
say. If thee would only look straight be-
fore thy nose, thee'd see a man worth
twenty Adam Motifs"
81 suppose thee means myself, John"
Father and Adam had long talks about
my property, which had been accumulat-
ing in baxk ever since my mothers death.
AS Adam was to he merchant, father
thought it best for him to take my money
and set himself up in business. / had no
objection to make.
When father and Adam discussed these
matters, stole off by myself. l loved to
keep out of the way on. the slightest ex-
cuse. Adam had always been hard to en-
terrain, and now conversation with him |
was well nigh impossible. We sat i'm the |
parlor by the half hour without speaking |
Only when he talked about the war, then |
he was eloquent, and ! listened with |
pride. He said he must leave at the call |
of his country, and l replied
adam, I'll never stand in thy way"
One day Miriam Grant gave a party |
1t was then that our engagement became |
known, though what little bird whispered |
it ! never knew, unless it was Cousin |
Sophia.
Dr Hathaway tho first n