Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-08-02

/ in his lap, ana sucl terrible, stony
Hook in his eyes, thar sometimes almost
frightened her. There We're dark, hol-
low circles under his eyes, TOO, anu the
glossy brown hair .dn his tetnlaes grew
the stranger came, would he manifest
the slightest interest in anything; then
he would be nervous and restless until
| Moiiie came mp and said, i'll Il voice
which she tried to make cheerful for his
sake, but which insensibfy grew sadder
and sadder eachday:4 ,s4s
"Nothing yet, sir"
Going about the great lonely house,
aiyayss by day or by night,s a shadow
seemed to follow her. 1t walked with
hef II she walked, and SAT by her as She
sat. Sometimes it grew palpable and
distinct, and then she saw,a white, tair
face. with soft, dreamy, eyes, and slen-
der hands crossed listlessly upon her
lap, and pale. odorous tloNers OH her
bosom and in her hair, and always-al-
| ways that treacherous. unfathomable
lake, Nv ith its wayeless surface beyond,
and the mystic forest sweeping forever
on and on.
Luke did not laugh when she told him
this, as he had done once before. But
he Was not SO hopeful OF success as she
was, and Sentured to hint that perhaps
7tswould be better. now she had gone, to
let her have her own choice.
"I shall never give her uI,, Luke Var
ney," Mollie said, decidedly. "You can
if you choose - Bat when you give her
up, you give me up also, remember
that!P tai, IS 10
.sNow, Mollie, don't be unreasonable.
If we could have saved her from this;
bnt now, when it is too Late
"It is never too late to save the er-
ringy But one isn't obliged tosdo 5it, of
course; and yon. can go back. to your
rocks and brambles, and | will 60 my
way, but it will never be your way"
+ q 'sDonit, Mfollie! don't, dear. | viii
do anything, or go anywhere, but don't
ask mes1o give you up, Aellie--l can't
do it" cried the honest fellow, his sum
ny face growing troubled.
Now it is my private, individual Opin-
ion that Nellie hadn't the least idea of
giving him up, and that it was all a
clever bit of strategy TO elicit the very
declaration it did, for sue did not look at
all surprised or .displeased when she
said:
swirl YOU do what l ask you--or
rather go where I ask you, Luke 2"
..sAnyWhere, or anything, if you will
keep your promise, he answered, ca
gerly.
"Promise?' affecting great ignorance
-"what promise, pray Z"
ss1o marry me as soon as Lena Dins-
more is found and brought home" Luke
ans wered, boldly, but not blushingly.
"Why, Luke Vardey. you impudent
feilowl i never thought OF such a
thing"
"As marrying me, Mollie?''
s'Well--no, not--not then.'
"But Won will, dear?" wistfully. off
you will promise that, Mollie, the farm
may grow up to brambles for aught l
care, and III find her if she is in Amer
lea. Say yes, Mollie."
"Well-perhapsW
"Bht sure" he persisted.
go, don't bother! | want to tell you
YOU what [ want of you. And in the
first place, have you got plenty of mon
ey?'' : 4 - - -
Luke blushed little. The fact was
he had expended his funds pretty thor
Oughly of late IN experimenting on his
little farm. 1t cost a good deal to blast
and sink rocks. and dig out brier and
| berry-bushes by the acre, and lay it
down to meadow land or cranbury cul-
ture, which has been part of his ''sci-
entific" scheme. And SO he said:
81 can get it, Mollie. L believe my
credit is-''
s'Pooll! l only asked to know if
shs1ld give you some."
"Youp' -'r''
ssYes, to be sure. Don't look so as
| tonished, - taking a purse from her
pocket and counting out three hundred
dollars. s'Don't be afraid to use it; it is
his, and he told Inc to do what L thought
best with it, that is, anything to the pur-
pose, of course"
"And now, let me tell you what l
want; yon belonged in Baltimore.
want you to go there and see if he has
been there. People-some at least
would know him, and you can easily
describe him if it is necessary. But be
very careful that, if you find him, he
doesn't elude you and get away. Write
or telegraph the instant yon get the first
| clue"
| e. ssl'l do. the best L can, and you
youth not forget your promise, Mollie: :"
| bending over, with the very natural in
tention of kissing his lady-loVe before
| he started on his tour of knight-erran-
try. But she partially eluded him, and
he only succeeded in kissing the tip of
her nose and one eyebrow, which, how
ever skeptical you OF might be about
it, he considered good deal better than
nothing. Mollie felt little conscience
stricken, though, that, with the shadow
of such great sorrow, she had allowed
even tins; but she comforted herself
with the theory that the lend justified
the MEANS" as a great many shrewder
Diplomats than she have done, hundreds
of times.