The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1873-03-26

ed how Edith's cold, impassive beau.
ty could attract so sunny nature
as Douglas had. especially with her
pretty saucy sister near it,
.sBut, Charlie, she was not cold
and impassive then. There was not
brighter, livelier girl in Seaton
than Edith, before Douglas Fisher
left her so unaccountably.
sYou think she loved him:''
q am sure of it,
"And l am sure he loved her.
And now. after five years of separa-
tion, you think she is running away
because my cousin Douglas is coming
homer
Il think SO; and as she has no
home but this since we were mar
ried, of course she has no place to
| go excepting to Hill FARM
Matte, try to find out her side of
the story. / am sure there is some
mystery about it, and we may be
able to set.it right yet
'sOh, Charlie, / would give any
thing to have Edith married as hap
PLY as we are. Misery likes com
pany r. she added saucily, and ran
off.
She was not a very skillful diplo-
matist, and finding Edith sitting rath-
er forlornly alone, plunged head
long into her subject.
Edith why are you running away
from Douglas Fisher?'
The pale stately girl looked at her
bright young sister moment in
naughty amazement, but reading
truly the love and pity in the fair
fece, answered:
II had rather not meet him,
Matte
But why?' persisted her sister.
.'.He is Charles cousin, and l
know they are like brothers, so you
see he will oe here constantly. Mat
tie. could not bear it! | could not
meet him here day after day, and
know him SO false as he has been.
Let me go, dear. l am a woman
now, and Uncle James cannot tread
me down as he did when we were
mere children
but, Edith. how was he false?"
You know, darling. how hard our
life was; how any change seemed
like sunshine and you know how
Douglas tried to win my love. |
never went to the village that he did
not meet me, and urge me to marry
him at once. / loved him, Matte,
but Ibid not give my heart unsought.
One Of his favorite pleas was the
homo we could make for you, little
sister, and was finally won to a con-
sent. Still, it remained to set the
time and form a plan for an elope-
ment."
"Why did not you do as Charlie
and | did-iust walk of to the min
lister and get married, and then let
Uncle James rave as much as he
pleased?'
q don't know. We didn't. You
know the old gate post, Matte, that
had the loose top?'
..Yes.,"
:.Douglas and I used that fer a
postonice. We would slip the top
back little, and there was space
under it where letters could lie Sc
cure from rain or wind, or what was
more important, prying eyes. Just
at the time I had given my promise
to Douglas to be his wife. Uncle
James was informed of our meet
ings by some officious friend. and
kept so strict a watch over me that
it was Impossible for me to go to the
village at all. The old gate post
became our only medium of com
munication, and Douglas urged me
still more earnestly to leave the farm
and become his wife. He wrote me
one day that he must soon leave
Seaton. and begged me to write upon
slip the time and place where
would meet him, and the train by
which we should leave Seaton after
I became his wife. Darling he
wrote i am rich. and Matte shall |
come to us as soon as you viii. Tell |
me where to meet you, and I will |
have clergyman ready to make you
my wife Trust your life to me,
Edith. and you shall never regret it. I
Matte, wrote him a letter. ap-
a time and place Of meet
ing. 1 went there. He did not
come. Three days ! went almost
hourly to the gate post for some
word Of explanation. None came
I next heard from Seaton,
Douglas Fisher had gone away
.'2 .sWithout writing!''
without one word. He had
written that the letter / told you OF
was his last appeal. j have urged
you SO often. he wrote. that if you
do not reply favorably to this. shall
knowit is coquetry, not love, that