Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-01-31

| Dut, AZ ali events, one line DecefnDe
day, he decided to call for Faith Mul
ray and ask her to 20 with him o
! the grand sleighing party to tn
"quiltiug-bec" across the river
There would be such a magnificen
drive on the ice, and such a splendi
opportunity to make up, and Curt ha
laid the matter very close, indeed, {
his heart and hopes.
And yet, even when he went afte
her, he blundered, just like himself
from the very beginning. Instead 0
dashing up in his gay little cutter
with 'just room for two" the sleigl
he drove was the biggest of all tn
half-dozen or so that were hitched i
front of Squire Murray's ample door
way, and Faith had said to herself, q
she looked at it from the window:
''LOoks as if he was going to carr,
all the girls in the neighbOrhoOd! 2
and her blue eyes had darkened, an,
her fair checks had flushed with fresl
VexatiOn. She was, every bit, read,
TO take fire, therefore, few minute
later, when her too open-hearted ad
mircr asked:
''Y Ou'H step into my sleigh, won
you, Faith, even if you won't put you
foot in my boat?"
And she answered, sharply:
''NO, indeed, sir, l don't care I,
ride IN an omnibus. You will, doubt
less, have plenty Of company without
me"
If Curt Rowland had seemed u
make light of his rebuff at the sum
mer picnic, it was very different now
and there was something in the pain
ed, hurt, disappointed expression Oi
/ his manly and really handsome face
that would have carried the day in his
/ favor under any other circumstances
Every girl in the room was on his side
in q moment-but Faiths rosy checks
burned only the hotter for her con.
seriousness of that fact-and the only
/ person present who felt any real salts
faction was Sile Herring, the village
/ lawyer, who was now sure of his good
| fortune to officiate as Faith Murray s
escort to and from the quilting.
AS for Curt, himself, not a word
said he, but turned steadily and dig
nitiedly toward the door, and in anoth-
er minute the quick, sharp jingle OF
bells told Faith that his sleigh was,
like his boat, doomed to 90 empty OF
lady passengers until her own feet
came back to it.
Up to that moment Curt mind had
been occupied only with joyous an
ticipatiOns of reconciliation with
Faith, and of the fun he would have
on the sleigh-ride, going and coming
as well as at the quilting. Now, how
ever, as his fleet team drew him
swiftly along the river road on his
lonely way hOmeWard, his eyes wan
dered up and down the river, pre-
disposed to discover anything that
might appear to suggest an interfer-
enco with the contemplated merry
making.
1t is very strange how differently
the world will look to man IN one
frame of mind and another! That
morning the sun had been CHEEKY, the
sleighing had been extraordinarily
good, and Curtis merry eyes had dis
covered no flaws in the prospect; but
now, as if his wits were sharpened by
Faith Murray's rough reply, he began
to discern that the snow was remark
ably soft and "soggy;' that, although
the first 'freeZe" of the winter had
been a severe one, and the ice had
formed thick and strong, there had
now, for several days, been altogether
too much sunshine; and there was no
such thing as telling what the effect
of it might be.
Up and down the white expanse he
gaZed, and here and there he saw light
cutters and even heavily-laden wood
sleighs, crossing and recrossing, and
the former now and then putting in
an extra burst of speed over the
smooth and glancing surface. Meth
er to the right hand nor to the left
did he turn. however, and, by the
time Faith Murray and her friends
were on their way to the quilting,
Curt Howland's team was safe in the
stable, while his big sleigh stood emp
ty by the back door OF the house, with
all its buffalo robes, blankets, clumsi-
ness, and disgrace, still clinging to its
unoccupied spaces.
AS for Faith herself, she had hardly
ever seemed in such exuberant spirits
as she displayed that evening, and
Mr.. Silas Herring assumed for him.
self a species of personal triumph, as
he compared his own position and oc-
cupation with what he could imagine
of Curt Howland's broOding at home
over his defeat. The quilting was
thronged with young people and old,
from far and near, but good, old-fash.
| ioned hours were kept, nevertheless,
and all the more so, probably, because
of the anticipated pleasures of the
sleigh-rides afterward.
If Faith Murray had any remorse-
full promptings concerning her con-
duet, she certainly gave no external
token thereof, and led the fun as il
she had never heard of such 4 person
as Curtis Rowland. Perhaps a keen
observer, like her own mother, if only
that good lady had been present,
might have inclined to the idea that
Faith was "Overdoing" something,
but Silas Herring was not a keen ob,
server, and the rest of the merry com.
pany neither thought nor cared what
| might be the source of her high spir.
| its. When at last the "quilting-bee'
broke up, those whose hOmeward way
/ did not permit them to drive III the
| direction of the river, were half dis
posed to envy those whose better for
| tune was to lead them across its broad
smooth bosom. They little dreamed
how much to be preferred were the
rOugher but more safe and solid roads
that took them even among rugged
hills and heavily-drifted valleys.
Somehow or other, instead of going
| to bed at his usual hour, Curt How
land had fingered and lounged in from
of his glowing, log-heaped fireplace
long after every other soul in the
house had gone TO bed. He had pre-
tended, at first, to occupy himsel
with a book. but by-aud-by the vol
ume dropped on the floor. Then, foi
u while, Curt seemed to be absorbed
in watching the vivid changes
wrought by the fire as the seasoned
oak and hickory slowly yielded; anG
then, as the fores tick snapped IN TIVE
and plunged among the coal with
strange, cracking sound, he suddenl,
sprang to his feet, threw on his ha
and overcoat, and strobe out into tn,
open air in front of the house. 1t wa
n clear, beautiful night, Just the sOr
for a sleigh-ride, and not so cold bu
what there was n continual drip, drip
ut the caves of the house. The tinkl
of the falling drops, however, will
now and then the crash of a lOOseneC
icicle, fell on his ears with a painful
Jar. Could it be possible that such
man had nerves? But now, swift,
down the road there came 4 sound o
bells, and the vision of n sleigh wa
halted for a moment by the gate.
''Howland!" shouted a deep, hoars
voice. ''Ah, you are up, are you?-
Well, there's big rise in the river
and it's a comm this way fast. Ty
been Just a racin' down the road t
warn folks not TO try the ice, but
reckon I've come as far as 1 need
t can you give me a sleep and break
/ fast?'
} "Of course I can, promptly rCplie
r,-+ ss,,,l ,-o,,fy-n 1ona a III srbf crOO