Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-01-08
FAITH MURRAY'S VOW.
ny VIM. o sTODDARD.


Not an ungenerous girl was Faith Muir
ray, by any name OF means, and her
honest blue eyes we very pleasant and
kindly to look into. A part nevertheless,
of Faiths inheritance from her high
headed Scotch ancestry had been some
what hasty and jealous disposition, and a
goodly share of their own unyielding OBJ
stinacy. AS her mother was apt to remark
at times: Faith is dear girl, but she
needs management, and it isn't everybody
that knows how"
Not "every body" indeed; and assured
" not such bluff, frank, straightfor-
wardly up-and-down fellow as Curtis
Rowland.
Tall, broad shouldered, curly headed,
dark eyed, was Curt, and his white teeth
were perpetually cleaning, through his
heavy mustache, in smile that betokened
goodwill to every soul he met, male or
female. ...r
That was very much the way in which
he came so utterly to grief in his "man-
agement'' of Faith Murray. He was as
true as steel, and she knew it; but his
universal popularity had shaped itself,
strangely enough, into one of her pet
grievances, and this she had nursed into
such strength that its evil energy burst
forth, at last, just at the wrong time and
place.
Openly, angrily, and in the hearing of
others even, had Faith told Curt, on their
return from the last picnic and boating
party of the season, that she 'would never
put her foot into boat of his again"
Curt had replied, with laugh, Then
I'll always have to borrow one for you OF
somebody else" but Faith learned after
ward that from that day forth, the square
nosed, but light-built and almost hand
some skiff which had carried so merry
party to the picnic, had never, since that
day, been loosed from its chain at the
head of the little cove where the How
land farm came down to the river.
When winter approached, the boat had
been taken out, of course, and carefully
carted to its customary shed near the
great barns; but Faith felt very sure that
no other female foot since her own had
been permitted to step within it.
AS week had followed week, and month
after month went by, Curt Howland's
broad and merry face had seemed to grow
trifie graver and more thoughtful; bat
his thoughts, however serious they may
have been, had taught him little addition
al wisdom. If they had, he would have
Known better than TO say what he did to
Faith when he made his first outand-out
effort at reconciliation.
He had refused all along to be on any
other than speaking terms and had
left Faith to do her own quarreling" In
away that was exceeding impolitic and
exasperating.
She had fairly longed to see him show
some signs of temper or sentiment, ana
she had derived no small degree OF salts
faction from the manner in which he had
treated his boat She had fairly warmed
toward him, one day, when she learned OF
his borrowing a skiff TO go duck-hunting,
and yet she had muttered:
He said he would borrow boat to
take me out in, but I'll teach him lesson
yet!n
Perhaps Curt thought he had learned
all the lesson that was nee essary, put, at
all events, one fine December day, he de.
cided to call for Faith Murray and ask
her to go with him on the grand sleigh
ing-party to the quilting. bee" across the
river. There would be such magnificent
drive on the ice, and such splendid OPP
portunity to make up, and Curt had laid
The matter very close, indeed, to his heart
and hopes.
And yet, even when he went after her,
ne blundered, just like himself, from the
very beginning. Instead of dashing up
In his gay light cutter, with 'just room
Tor two,' the sleigh he drove was the big
gest of all the half-dozen or so that were
hltched in front of Squire Murray's am
pie door. way, and Faith had said to her
self as she looked at it from the window:
Looks as if he was going 10 carry all
,he girls in the neighborhoodw and her
blue eyes had darkened, and her fair
cheeks had flushed with fresh vexation.
one was, every bit, ready to take fire,
therefore, few minutes later, when her
100 open-hearted admirer asked: