The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1873-12-25

Why struggle against fate?"
"It was never intended, Mr.. Talbo
: by any fate, that I should listen
v such foolish talk, said Efie, fairl
out of patience. "The best thin
: you can do is to go back to the vi
3 lage, and leave me to gohome alone.
"Wen-but, Efie, I was sure yo
r loved me"
"Then you were utterly. mistaken,
she said, coldly, "and don't call m
Efie."
"And you will not listen to m,
suit?"
''No, nor endure your presence,
she replied, and abruptly turned
away from him
They had been standing, during thu
latter part of the talk, sheltered
somewhatby clump of evergreens
Now Efie turned out into the roac
again. Mr. Talbot called after hel
once, but she did not turn.
"She's little spit6re, anyway" he
mu1mured. Then aloud:
'Miss Efie! Miss Effiel 1 will &c
home with you, if you are afraid"
She turned at once, her eyes flash
ing.
mo, Mr.. Talbot, 1 am not afraid.
Pray do not trouble yourself on my
account. I am much better off with
out you. Good evening"
She hurried on again. He looked
after her moment, and then, with a
shrug, turned back toward the vii
lage. s-.eaI
These last words sounded very
resolute, certainly. He must have
made a mistake. Effie was wiser
than he had thought, and his time for
the last few days had been very evi-
IDENTIFY wasted
Musing thus, he walked on,
when sudden thought struck him
Why should he not go back to New
York, after alll He had only decid-
ed to stay in the country on the
chance of improving his Irritation
with Effie, and, if that was failure,
he had much better spend his Christ
mas in the city.
With this thought he pulled out
his watch. He could just make out,
in the dim light, that by hurrying he
might catch the last express train.
So he gathered together hastily his
effects, and rushed off, leaving the
landlord staring at the unaccountable
suddenness of his movements.
He was just in time to reach the
train, and scarcely half an hour after
he parted from Efie was whirling
past her house on his way to New
York.
Meantime, the young lady he had
left was plodding on through the
storm; and her thoughts were not
very pleasant companions.
This man had insulted her--this
seemed very evident. There was
nothing genuine in his tone. He
had said no word of marriage. Did
he think she was so weak as to toler-
ate such impertinence? Oh! where
was Tom Allen?-dear old Tom, who
loved her SO dearly, and longed to
make her his wife? Tears came into
Efie's willful eyes, and she was sorry
enough for her foolish coquetry.
Absorbed in such reflections, she
had gone on some distance, without
paying much attention to her way,
when a sudden turn in the road
brought her to a stand-still.
She looked about her with dismay;
she was on the wrong track. She
must have taken the wrong turn at
the Evergreens, where she had parted
from Talbot. Just there two roads
met, and in the excitement, bewil-
dered by the storm, she had gone
down the road leading to the next
town, instead of the one on which
stood the house, the home of her
widowed mother.
What should she do? Go back?
No; that looked such a long and
dreary way; and in an evil moment
Efie decided to go across the fields.
With some difficulty she made her
way to the fence, climbed over it, and
went plunging on over the trackless
snow. It was not much worse there
than in the road, but the storm was
driving right in her face now. She
held on, though, manfully, nothing
daunted, for some distance. But
the night grew rapidly darker, the
cold increased, and by the time she
reached the second field, Efie was
fairly bewildered.
Still she tramped on, until she was
suddenly brought up by high stone
wall. 1t doomed up before her out o.
the darkness, black, with snow tuft
ing it here and there, and a grea
snow-cap on its summit.
Now, for the first time, Efie wa
disheartened. That wall showed
she was wrong in the direction sh,
had taken. 1t ran at right angles t.
the road she had left; she ought not
therefore, to have come to it. Their
was nothing for her now but to fol
low it along, until she came to th
next fence, which she knew must b
the one on the road leading to he
house.
Tired, cold, breathless, she reacne
) it at last, and began to climb it. Th
snow was very deep now. 1t wa
: hard for her to hang on with he