Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-10-11
LOVE ora a LOG.
Miss Becky Newton"

"Wtl, sir.
"Nill y,u marry me ,"
"Nn, l WON'T
'N'ry well, then don't, that's ALL"
"Mr. Fred Eckerson drew away his
chnii and pu ting his feet up on the piazza.
uniClded newspaper. Miss Becky New
ton bit her lip az d went on her sewing
She wondered II that was going to be the
last of il. She had felt this proposal
comiug for nearly month, but the scene
Fhe had anticipated was not at all like
this. She had intended to refuse him,
but II vas to be done gracefully. She
was to reAain firm Notwithstanding his
most eager entreates. She was to have
told him hat though respecting his manly
worth and upright character, she could
never he more than an appreciitive friend.
She had intended to shed few tears, per.
haps, as he knclt in an agOHy of suppli-
cation al her feet. But instead, he had
asked her the simple question, without
any rhetorical embellishments, and on
being ANSWERED, had plunged ut once in
TO his newspaper, as though he had
merely inquired the time Of day. She
could have cried with voXatiOn.
"fOu will n,yer have better chance,n
he continued after pause, as be drlibrr-
ately turned over the sheet to lind the
latest telegruphc reports
"a better chance for what!" she asked
shortly.
"a better chance to marry a young,
good looking man, whose gallanty to the
sex is only exceled by his bravery in
their defence" Fred was quoting from
his newspaper, but Miss Newton did not
kno it,
"And whose cc1t'.m j.. Only ovrcllcd
by his impuuence, rctoited the lazy sar-
CaeilcHl V.
Before long," continued Fred, "you
will Ice ont Of the market. Your
chances, You know, are getting simmer
every day."
"Sr!'
IL wont he great while before you
are ineligible. You Will grow old aud
wruklrd and"
''sueh ru ieness to a lady, sir, is mon
firous 20 exclaimed Miss Newton, rising
hast y and llu, hing To the temples.
" l'l give you "A iintl opportunity, Miss
Becky. VIII yOI nar-"
"Not if yun wert.thr King OF England,'
interrupted Miss Newton, throwing down
her work. II AN not accustomed tu
such insults, sir Aud 50 saying she
passed INTO he house and slammed tn,
doo behind her.
"she is never as handsome as when
she is in rage" thought Fred to him
self after she had gone, as he slowly
folded up his paper and replacing it il
his pocket. 81 was tool to ruad he
80. | shall never win her in tuat way
But lll have htr," he exclaimed, aloud
''B' heaven I'll have her, cost what
may"
V,ry different was the Fred Eckersoi
of he present racing nervously up am
dOw the piaZZt 4, ftum the Fred Eckerso
OF Il few momeuts aEo, receiving his di.
mi sal fruu the woman he loved wit
such calm, impertufbable exterior. Fu
he lpved Beck Newton vita all lis heart
III c real ditlicnlty iu The way, as he nor
I'll u half suspected. WAS not so muc
with himself as in his pocket. Beck
NfwOn had an iusuu,rablu 0 jgction
an empy wallet. The daughter of
We THY Louisiana plaut,r T., r,ared in lu'
ufy, Hul the recipient if Il weekly nlios
aIet Of pin money sLfii lent o pay Fred
VII le bnis for whole month, she hi
10 lanmcdiate id u Of changing her situ
lion for one OF less comfort aud mdepe
de &c. Besides, il had been intimated
her that a ueighbnTil z planter ut unus
ally arist' cratic lineage looked upon h
wlin covvtpus eyes. To be sure, he W
old and ugly. but he was rich, and in h
present mercrnary state Cf mind, Mi
Becky Newton dld not desire tU alt
ST." chance OF b coming a wealt
Witn Slip by unmptoy,d.
F1', alas for human nature II Bee
WIS real y so indiiitr nj TO Fred Eek
son, wins did she run up stairs after Ii
interview, ana takt the starch all ont
hr nice clean UllON shhms by cfyi
hu self into Mysteries OF the bed il "
not al all wrath, not all veXalion, not
pqir. There was somewhere deep do
in bccky Newton's heart feeling VI
mach akin TO remurse She was not 81
thl she would MOI one day be sorry
for ahat she had done, She bad
d nit she could bS very happy as II
Eckerson's wife, after all.
But, then" she cried, growing
with the recollection, "he was 80 ri
and insulting / u'd never live "
such a man never :"
When Fred Eckeison had walked
soue of his feelings on the piazza,
Concluded to take a look at the Il'
Tie MISSISSIPPI, which flowed within
yards of the house, was at that t
nearly at ne height of its"reeular spl
rise" Its turhid waters, rushing swi
toward the sea, had nearly filed
banks, and in many places lad bro
through the levees and il0uded the
lands for many miles. crevasse of
description had been made in the far
b1i k, nearly opposite the house, and
windows OF the Newton mansion c
nanded a view OF vast and gitte
inland sea, not laid down on the n
Tie main curr ut of the stream bore u
its coffee colOred bosom m enorn
mass floating timber, which was dai
along in the boiling flood, rendering
igaliun ", oily impossible. TIE W,
were sill rising, aud the f'vquent era
far and near told Of the uudermi
p wer uf the currrnt, as sections o
sandy buks -uccumhrd and disappei
carrying with them the trees which
hung the stream.
Now it happened that by a curious
Incidence Miss Newton also resolve
look at the river. She dried her /
and putting on her hat, slipped out b
back door to avoid Fred, and soon f
herself at the foot of huge cotton
tree on the bank belOw the b
Throwing herself upon the grass,
lnlled by the rapi flood beneath, she
I'll asleep. Had she possessed any \
OF torsteing the fu ure, Il would
been the last thing she would have
Tor although IL was very pleasant
ping asleep there in the shade, will