The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-05-13


her. Once she was rather favorably in
clined to accept the attentions he offered,
but now she shrank from them, and was so
cold and distant that her mother scolded
and cried, and came near being i'll over it,
after he had gone.
You are the most stubborn, heartless
girl ever saw" she said, between her
sobs. " Your father is in some sort of
trouble, know, or Vancouver, who is a
regular vnlture, would not be lowering
about the place as he is. Now here is Sim
clair, handsome, wealthy, of good family,
and in love with your very shadow, as any
one can SEQ, and you are as short and as
cold as ifyou were princess, with half
dozen of Kingdoms at your command
You've no feeling for your father, as much
as you pretend to care for him, or you
would sec how easy it would be for you to
help him. It's easy enough to make pro-
fessions, but that wont save the farm.
never could hold up my head again in So
ciety if this place had to be sold for debt.
What would such people as the Mordaunts
care for us then2"
GAS much as they do now," Edith an
swered, quietly.
And all our furniture and clothing"
she went on, weakly; "people would talk
if dressed half decent, though / don't
know why should give up my clothes !;
it's about all the comfort / have now. And
that reminds me, Mrs. Mordaunt says l
can have my pearl silk made with an ac-
commodation train-to loop up, you know
and then it will do for the street as well
as for an evening dress. Laura Swift has
got one made so. 1t is wine-color Uelours,
and is very stylish looking. You may be
sure she will dress now."
In this way she ran on until Edith could
endure it no longer, and throwing scarf
over her mead, went out and paced up
and down the piazza till she heard her go
to her room. Their she paused and listen
ed, the anxious beating Of her heart sound
ing like the tramp, tramp of an army in her
cars,
How hushed and still everything seemed!
The moon, just slipping behind the pines,
cast a ghostly line of shadows over the up
land and the river, and faint pale mist
lowered and trembled over the meadows,
and faded away in vague purple glooms
where it touched the forest Edith shiv-
cred nervously, though ordinarily she was
stranger to nerves. | have theory that
no one but a woman really knows the
depth-the terrible depth-of meaning
there is in that one word-waiting To
sit through long-O Heaven, how long =
hours of silence, with terror and pain, and
nameless foreboding pulling fiercely at
the heart; to start and listen-to fancy all
dreadful things-and still to sit and wait
| By-and-by Edith heard faint uncertain
Stephen voice-then more steps, and
then, as, springing to the window, she
leaned forward and listened, to these words,
slowly and fearfully distinct
course you, Rick Saunders 1t is you
who have wrought my ruin--I see it now.
With your assumption of friendliness, with
your accursed pretence Of innocence, and
ignorance, and honesty, you led me on
where confessed villain would have had
no chance. And now it's all gone the last
chance lost %
"Well, yes, squire, calculate Anna
Stanly aint great sight better off tonight
than if she'd married your fathers hired
man, instead of his son. l don't mind
telling you since we're on tho subject that
/ have been looking forward to this time
something over twenty years. Not that
she is of much account, anyway but when
Rick Saunders is sighted or trod on, he
never forgets it, Goodnight, and pleas
ant Dreams"
A muttered oath and mocking laugl
broke through the stiffness, blending to
gether in strange accord. Another mo
ment and Edith was at her fathers side
and Rick Saunders was slouching of
through the darkness saying over anc
J over to himself
: "There's no chance-no chance Van
couyer wont take it now, and it'll have tt
be sold for debt--sold-s ~
In her dainty furnished bed chamber
Anna Grantley slept in unbroken repose
the faint stain of tears on her soft pink AM
: white cheeks, which still retained tn
freshness and fairness of youth. In anothe
chamber still, Efie and Alice, their dim
| pied arms over their heads, and tangle G
chestnut curls shading the snow Of tn
delicate ruffled pillows, slept the sweet ur