Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-04-18

endurance would have given way. AT tho
end Of three months The business increased
40 rapidly, and 80 many hands came up,
that ! was promoted to part of the busi-
ness liked very well-flling out the or
ders, that came in pretty fast, by selecting
the proper wood, and measuring the
lengths, etc. But, l need not tell you all
that. and how one thing led to another
until now hold quite an important po-
sition, with fair salary. a good knowl-
edge Of the business, and the prospect OF
doing better STILL And, besides these, l
have the funniest mite of house that
looks as if the wind had blown it together,
and might, at any time, blow it apart, and
vet Il is snug and tight for ALL"
"You have, indeed, done wonders, Ber-
nard, l knew you could do anything you
wanted to do"
IF / had got nothing from my work but
the consciousness of independence and
manliness, would consider myself fully
repaid"
''Of course you would"
"But then you see got something more
than this, and l shall expect something
worth more than ALL"
"Oh, YOU do! A mill of your own,
suppose!'
mo, you little demure witch, you don't
suppose anything OF the kind. Would l
have come down here in our busiest sea-
son for thatP No, l came to look for a
Jewel without which my life will be moth
ing-my Jessica's love. Will you refuse
to listen to me now, darling?"
There was no need of words; Jessica
turned her blushing. happy face to Ber-
nard, and he clasped her in his arms.
''At last he said rapturously. ''Oh,
my dearest, have waited long for this.
If / were not so happy l would reproach
you for having been so cold and cruel to
me. But, you love me at last -
II will make confession to you now.
Bernard; ! loved you all the time"
my darling! And you let me think
you did not care for me. Why did you
send me away without the least glimpse
of hope for your loveP Why did you tell
me you despised me P"
mo, no, Bernard, never said thatr'
"What you did say amounted to the
same thing, and you would not even soften
it by saying that you would try TO love
met"
"What security would have had that,
after you had won me, you would not re-
lapse into your old self? loved you. but
I wanted you to be worthy of my love-"
Yoa are mine now. at all events And
he held her more tightly.
But he said thoughtfully, '.what will
you do up there in that rough region.
away from your old friends, and you will
not have the comforts you have now in the
old farmhouse ?''
II would thousand times rather be up
thnra <loy In, ,,nn1a'c fsna R1t
we have plenty of time to consider all
that"
''Not so much time! can only stay
four days, for we are very busy just now !;
and we ought, by all means, to be mar
ried the last of the month";
The head was quickly raised from the
shoulder ?n why Bernard Are you
crazy?'
"By no means. What in the world is
the use of our waitingp We have known
each other all our lives, and how do you
suppose / can tcke the time to come
philandering down here every week. In
fact, / ought not to be here now. but l
made confident of Daryl, and he took
compassion on me. At the end of this
month he thinks they can do without me
for week, and then we must be married.
1t is not SO bad up there, after all. 1t is a
beautiful country, and we have little So
ciety. The superintendent wife. and the
wife of the engineer live there in funny
little houses, just like mine and they are
both ladies. And there are good many
cabins dotted here and there in the woods,
and the laborers' wives are nice kindly
women"
Jessica laughed.
"You will make it out a sort Of Para
disc, / expect, if ! let you go on. But
may ask If you had the house built be-
cause you felt so sure OF me ?"
II did not feel at all sure of you, but
could not help little feeling OF hope.
l did not believe you would care so
much about the life led if you did not
love me the least little bit. However, the
house was already built. One of the men,
beers Of the company used to live in it.
Everything seems to have happened just
right for u.s."
"You take too much for granted, Mr..
Bernard, l have not yet consented to your
arrangement"
"But, you, darling? Just consider how
much you will make me do when you get
up thereP"
"This is consideration. certainly" re-
piled Jessica.
"Oh! know well shall have hard
task-mistress. But you will make hap
py home for me as a compensation.
Perhaps Jessica felt that she had been
arbitrary enough. At all events her lover
had his own way and the wedding day
was fixed to suit him; the bride elect re-
fleeing that her trosseau would not re-
quire much time for preparation. Ruffled
dresses and trailing silks would be entire
" out of place in the lumber region.
They were so happy, sitting there under
the dropping branches of the ash, with the
silvery sands at their feet, and the river
gliding gently by, that they forgot to 60
up to the house to tell the wonderful news
to the family until the dusk of the even.
ing stole upon them.