The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-07-02

ewes filled with tears. She had made
up her mind to accept the doctor, but
in this decisive moment the thought
of John Armitage sent pang, cruel
in Intensity, through her heart. Then
came the memory of their yesterdays
quarrel, and Nancy faltered, with a
struggling smile.
IL don't know"
She did know when, in the late twi-
light, she and the doctor walked to-
gether into the dusky sitting-room at
home, where her father wss doZing
and her mother knitting, to ask their
consent and their blessing.
"Dear meW said the good farmer,
rubbing his eyes. "TyO sech pieces
of news in one days GURUS herea-
bouts. heerd only an hour sence
that Johnnie Armitage is a-goini to
Texas to kinder farm on his account
1 thought, too, that he an Nancy
fancied each other, hut here she's
wantin' to marry another man. It's
GURUS J"
Nancy had taken her hand from
the DOCTORS arm and had sat down in
the window. She heard, mistily,
comments and congratulations; she
I dlAS ~ Clcu 1uC5blOl5f ihuSnCo - JcACos
She walked down to the gate with the
doctor when he LEFT. and stood there
under the lilacs, his arm around her,
lreplying to his tender talk; but when
1 he was gone, leaving a farewell kiss
on her lips, she rushed up stairs and
threw herself on the bed in 3 perfect
agony of sobbing that she could hard
ly stifie in the pillow.
/ ~, ~ fe kanlr-
neyed. Such happenings are too
common. Nancy came and went
like the ghost of herself, but the
whole village was gOssipping over her
engagement, and her evidences Of
trouble were ascribed to the "queer-
ness of q girl just engaged" Little
tired Mrs. Armitage ran over across
lots one afternoon to tell the Evanses
that John was going Monday, and
she guessed he would manage to get
over and bid them goodbye; and
cried because her pet son was going
away, and was cool and sharp to
Nancy, evidently suspeeting that she
was the cause.
Perhaps light natures suffer most
overwhelmingly. Often in those
beautiful June days Nancy, all alone
ia some shadowy, grassy place, with
sunbeams shimmering above, would
Gonder in q dim, childish way If she
trhould not "die when John went.n
Only one hope was left: John was
coming to say goodbye. Oh, II she
could only let him know how it real
ly wasI But how could she? and
she would look down despairingly at
the little gold circlet on her finger.
Sunday afternoon finally came.
Nancy, sitting in the parlor with the
doctor, caught a glimpse of the we'll
known figure at the gate under the
lilacs again. For a moment the
room whirled around, and she was
deathly white; when she rose me-
ehanically, saying that she must bid
Mr.. Armitage goodbye, and went
out to the doorway where John was
greeting her parents, and warding
off the Newfoundland with laugh.
"Yes," he was replying, as Nancy
came up, "they say there's pretty
good chance out there for q young
fellow with health and energy-How
do you do, Miss Nancy ?-and pve
always been enterprising, so I mean
to try it,"
Nancy stood pulling the rose vines
in pieces while for half an hour the
others talked crops, politics, and pros
poets. She could not have spoken for
her life, though she lorged 70 speak
as condemned criminal longs to ask
mercy. Not once did John turn his
obstinate auburn head to look at or
speak to her, and at last he rose to go.
IIa fY,k ,kavv-f1T,fad h xxyhffa HakoiI-
ing particulars about grazing lands,
touched her hand. Tfhe had looked
at her, the miserable pathetic look of
appeal on her childish face would
have gone straight to his heart; but
he did not dare TO look, and turning
away abruptly walked doxy.a- -tls.,
garden path with the garrulOus old
farmer hOObling by his side. Nancy
had just time to escape her mothers
eye by running up the stairs. She
did not faint; but God forbid that
girls should often know such misery
as she offered then. When she at
last joined the doctor, as in duty
bound, the stunned look in her face
was pitiful. She "was not we'll, !" she
said, in answer to his alarmed quer-
les.
1t was Nancy who proposed that
they should go to church that even
ing. In the corner of the high old
pew, with her veil hiding her face,
she could at least be quiet, and one
hour more OF effort would have been
insupportable. Mrs. sArmitage was
alone in her pew, and cried silently
all through the service. Nancy's
heart so when out too the poor wo-
man that when they met in the aisle,
she pressed her hand impulsively,
saying in a quick whisper, "Mrs.
Armitage, am sorry for you ir
az don't want any of your sorrow!u
was the sharp response. "Its fine to
talk; but you and know well enough
who's the cause of it all. One word
from you would stop it if you were
sorry enough !"
Poor Nancy The clock was on the
stroke of eleven that night when her
lover finally took his leaue, and she
was free to pass the moon-lit sitting
room from end to end with set lips
and wide, glittering eyes. She did
not cry. She felt as il she were going
crazy, and in her desperation she did
not care il she did. Hour after hour
passed, and still she paced there, till |
her rigid face showed whitley in the |
first faint gray of morning. "Oh,
1Oould he go ? could he go? would |
nothing happen to stop him ? Scarce |
ly knowing what she was doing, |
Nancy slipped through the door, and |
hatless, trailing her dainty blue skirt !
through the dewy grass, ran across
lots to the Armitages.
It was all still and dark and deWy.
She heard the village clock strike
three as she paused on the outskirts
of the old-fashioned flower garden be-
hind the house, and shrunk behind 8
hedge of blOssomy lilacs, whose potent
odor sickened her. Her mind was in
q whirl. She did not know why she
was there, or what she should do.
She was in deadly fear lest some one
should discover her, yet she could not |
go away. For half an hour she
crouched there shiveringly, never
taking her eyes off Johns window,
but starting every time the curtain |
blew. Suddenly n step on the garden |
path startled her so violently that she |
scarcely could suppress a scream. 1t |
was probably some of the work peo-
pAC--OAAf IL lnCl snOulu Scc hcI n /
hasty peep through the bushes showed |
her that it was worse than that; 1t |
was John himself, striding straight |
toward the gap in the hedge, and |
wearing 4 most unpropitious face,
Nancy, in blind terror of discovery, |
craWled on her hands and knees close
under the lilacs. He had passed, he
was almost by, when q bird that
Nancy had disturbed flew out with |
loud chirpings. One end Of the lOOs-
ened blue sash had caught on q stiff
bough, and the color arrested his eye. |
Two strides brOugh him to the spot, |
ard he stood with folded arms look. |
ing down at her a moment before his |
amazement found vent in the excla- |
nation.
'sNancy :"
He had never seen such utter aban-
don and agony of shame as that with |
which the poor little maiden hid her
face and covered in the wet grass, |
with the cry
"Oh, what shall do? Don't speak |