The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-12-03

iy, Mary. J., ~,nsro,,, y so;d
deacon Shermer. "lt must De somewhere
around"
eyes, it certainly must" said Mary tremu-
lousy.
"Only," the deacon went on slowly, resumi!ng
his place before the fire, 81 kind o don't like
to have the old clock stand still single n,ght:
When I wake up, you know, it seems like H. T.
was sorter o talking to me in the stiffness:
The deacon looked thoughtful at the fiery back
loo. Mary fdgeted uneasily about the room,
Strengthening table covers, setting back chairs
and thinking-oh, if he would only 60 TO MS
bed
AS he sat there his eyelids began to droop,
and his head to nod somnolently. Mary's eyes
frightened up with sparkle something like
hope, .,,.. :, ton;nc I'M
the stiff back chair you'd better go 10 oeu'
Tll sit up q while longer till the logs burn
out p
"But, father, am not sleepy"
"Go to bed, my child !" reiterated the deacon
with good humored authority that brooked
no opposition and Mary crept out of the
room, ready to cry with anxiety and mortihca'
ton. ven, ,,-
"If Tim will only keep quiet a little while
longer" she thought, sitting on the stairs while
the newly risen moon streamed in chilly splen-
dor. "Father sleeps so soundly-and he is
sure to 90 to sleep in his chair. | could just
steal in and release him as quietly as possible
She sat there, her plump fingers interlaced,
and her eyes fixed dreamily on the floor, while
all the time her ears were strained to the Ut
most capacity to catch every sound IN the
kitchen beyond Hark was that the vail of
the wind, or was it something to her literally
'shearer and daughter?" Yes; she could not
be mistaken now, it was actually snore.
Mary rose softly to her feet with renewed
hope Surely now was the accepted time;
Noiselessly as the floating shadow she crossed
the hall, opened the kitchen door and stole
across the creaking boards of the floor. The
candles were burned out; but the shifting lus-
ire of the freight revealed her father nodding
before the fire, with closed eyes and hands
hanging at his sides.
"He's certainly asleep" thought Mary.
With heart that beat quick and fast she
drew the key from her pocket and proceeded,
in spite of the nervous trembling of her ling
ers, to lift out the lock. So absorbed was she
that she never noticed the cessation of the
heavy breathing-never saw the deacon start
suddenly into wakefuness and look around
him. Love is blind, and it is equally true that
he is deaf. The deacon rose quickly up with
shrewd twinkle in his eyes, and Mary gave a
little frightened shrek as hand fell softly on
her arm, possessing itself quietly of the key.
"Let me help yoa," said the deacon.
"Father, II found the key" faltered Mary,
"and-"
"Found the key, eh |" returned the deacon.
"Well, that's lucky; and now We can ind out
what's the matter with the clock"
Suting the action to his words, he opened
the door of the clock case.
"Ha-lor exclaimed the deacon, as Mr..
Timothy Marshall tumble into the room. $50
you was the matter with the clcck, eh ?"
ayes, sir," said Tim composedly. II hope
havnt injured the works of the clock serious
"You've seriously interfered with me i'' said
the deacon, Waxing indignant. what 90 you
mean, sir, by hiding in my house like a bur-
glar?' !,
'Indeed indeedl father" cried Mary,
burstine.into tears, ut wasn't his fault He
didn't want to hide, but put him there"
"Yeu did, ell And may ask why you did
it?"
"Father," faltered Mary, rather irrelevantly,
"I love him and-he loves me !"
"Is that any reason why he should hide IN
the clock case, miss 2"
"No-but-father oh, father 1 can never
marry Mr.. Stanley. He is so SOFT and l."
Mary's tears finished the sentence for her.
The deacon looked down mot unkindly) on
her bowed head and the tender arm that sup
ported it. Apparently, "the course of true
love-" roughly though it ran, was overwhelm-
ing all his own worldly.wise arrangements in
its tide.
"And so you two young folks really think
you love each other ?" said the deacon, medlta-
lively.
"I' love her with all my heart and soul, sir, y
said Tim Marshall, earnestly. "1m not rich,
I know, but can work for her?'
"And I can work for myself too, father, y
interposed Mary, with eyes that shone like
softened stars.
"And you said YOURSELF sir" went on Tim,
''that the stopping of the clock meant either
death or a marriage Of course we don't
want any deaths; so, Mr.. Shermer, now don't
YOU think the most sensible thing we can do is
to help on marriage as soor as possible" ?"
The deacon laughed in spite of himself.
'Its late" he said. "Come around tomorrow
morning aud we'll talk about it. No, Mary, l
am not angry with you, child. 'spose young
folks will be young folks, and there's no use
tryin' to stop them"
AS the deacon rehung the pendulum and set
the iron tongue of the old clock talking again,
Tim Marshall paused on the doorstep to whis-
per to Mary:
"What shall it be Mary, death or mar
riage7"
And she in turn whispered, ga marriage, I
hope"
"My darlingr' said Tim, "it's worth passing
lifetime behind the clock case to feel as do
now"
RADICAL DIsCoMrITURE.,-It is wonderful
how soon the devices of the Radicals, intended
to perpetuate their power, have been turned in,
to the means of their defeat. 1t is the old
story of being hoisted by ones own petard.
West Virginia was illegally erected into a
State for the sole purpose of sending two Rad
| icals to the United States Senate But after
the present session that State will have two
Democrats in the Senate, and we suppose the
last Republican has been elected in West Vir-