The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-18
snter Eo,sg Year $.

at is the most absurd thing in the
world ~
Matte Caldwell spoke as if it was
as irritating as it was absurd, this con-
treteDlps she was apostrophiZing 1t
was so novel thing to see Matte in
even an imitation of fit of temper
that Charlie Caldwell, her equally
even-tempered husband, put down his
newspaper to gaze at her in sheer
amaZement. 1890 EE-re7@z . r -
"Wiat IS the matter 81
I edith. She won't go to Newport
| with us, and declares her intention Of
going down to the Hill Farm for the
summerH
''The Hill farm! Why 1 thought"
"0f course you did,, broke in his
fmpulsive little wife; ayon thought
she and I had suffered sufficient tyr
amy and unkindness at the Hill
farm to make us hate the very name,
much less the sight of it. / do"
EstAnd Edith wants to go back
again."
mot to stay, Charlie; only for a
few weeks. Charlie''--and here Mat
tie drew over her pretty face mask
of solemn mystery in expression-"I
believe in my heart it is because
Douglass is coming home"
"Do you? 1 never could under
stand why he went away so suddenly.
So you think it was Edith?"
'1'll tell you all know about it,"
said Matte, perching herself on her
husbands knee. "Before you came
to Hill farm, Douglass had been at
Seaton for a SUMNER ta 1G
al know that. He sent me there.p
"He met Edith at some village
gathering, and certainly was pleased
with her. You know it was Tot very
easy to court anybody at the Hill
farm"
81 should say nOt,v said Charlie,
with a wry face"
his duty to Edith aud me, after poor
mama died, to keep US hard at work,
and certainly to allow no male visit
ors."
"How many times did he set the
dog on me?"
81 don't know; but he treated
Douglass after the same fashion. still,
Edith sometimes saw him, and GER
tainly received letters from him. One
morning she came to my room with
the last happy face I ever saw her
wear, and asked me if could endure
the hard life alone a little while-on-
ly little while, and then she would
send for me to join her in her new
home. She would say no more; but
the next day, with white setface she
told me to forget her foolish words,
and later knew Douglass Fisher had
suddenly left Seaton."
"He came TO me, Matte, and told
me of the farm and of Edith. Ger
tainly he loved her, but I inferred
from his half confidence that his af-
fection was not returned. He spoke
Of some Sudden change in iIer, and the
next news heard he was preparing
for Europe. He had written to me
from Seaton, and the next Summer /
too visited the little village. 1 con-
fess to you I wonderedT how Edith's
cold impassiVe beauty could attract so
sunny nature as Douglass had, es-
pecially with her pretty, saucy sister
near it. 2al
"But, Charlie, she was not cold and
impassive then. There was not a
brighter, livelier girl in Seaton than
Edith, before Douglass, Fisher left-heT
so unaccountably.7 EEAH 2
"You think she loved him ?'s =
ffI am sure of it,"
"And am sure he loved her. And
now, after five years of separation,
you think she is running away be-
cause my cousin Douglass is coming
home Ei- y. 4 49, {.
az think SO; and as she has no home
but this since we were married, of
course she has no place to go to ex-
eepting to Hill farm"
"Mattie, try to find out her side Of
the story. / am sure there is some
10 msstery about it, and we may be able
to set it right yet"
"Oh, Charlie, I would give any
thing to have Edith married as hap
PLY as we are. Misery likes eompa-
n.y." she added, saucily, and ran off.
She was not very skillful diplO-
matist, and finding Edith sitting
rather forlornly alone, plunged head
long into her subjeeE W. -
e1IEdifh, why are you running away
from Douglass Fisher ?" -
The pale, stately girl looked at her
bright, young sister 4 moment in
naughty amazement, but reading tru-
ly the love and pity in the fair face,
answered:
az had rather not meet him. Mat
tie.n ..tl fsf "a 1at
stBut why p, persisted her sister. =
HE is Charles cousin, and know
they are like brothers, so you see be
will be here constantly. Matte, /
could not bear it! / could not meet
him here day after day and know how
false 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 children"
"But, Faith, how was he false ?''
t'You know, darling, how hard our
life was; and how any change seemed
like sunshine; and you know how
Douglass tried 70 win my love. Iney-
er went to the village that he did not
meet me and urge me to marry him
at once. loved him, Matte, but 1
did not give my heart unsought. One
of his favorite pleas was the home we
could make for you, little sister, and /
was finally won to consent. Still, it
remained to set 4 time and form
plan for an elopement.D
t'Why did ycu not do as Charlie and
I did-just walk of TO tie minister
and get married, and then let Uncle
James rave as much as he pleased ?''
81 don't know. We didn't. You
know the old gate post, Matte, that
had the loose tOp?"
"Yes.n
Douglass and L used that for
post-office. We could slip the top
back little, and there was a space
under it where letters could lie secure
from rain or wind, or, what was more
important, prying eyes. Just at the
time / had given my promise to Doug
lass to become his wife, Uncle James
was informed of our meetings by some
ofIicious friend, and kept so strict a
watch over me that it was impossible
for me to go to the village atall. The
old gate post became our only medi-
um of communication, and Douglass
urged me more earnestly to leave the
farm and become his wife. He wrote
! TO me one day that he must soon leave