Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-06-04
FAITH MURRAY'S VOW.

Not an ungenerous girl was Faith
Murray by any manner of means, and
her honest blue eyes were very pleas
ant and kindly to look In. A part,
nevertheless, of Faith inberitancefrom
her high-headed Scotch ancestry had
been a somewhat hasty and jealous dis
position, and a goodly share of their
own unyielding obstinacy. As her
Faith is a dear girl, but she needs
management, and it isn't everybody
that knows her"
Not everybody" indeed; and as
suredly not such bluff, frank, straight
forwardly up-and-down fellow as Curtis
Rowland.
Tall, broad shouldered. curly-headed,
dark-cyed was Curt, and his white teeth
were perpetually cleaning, through his
heavy mustache, In a smile that be-
tokened goodwill to every soul he met,
male or female.
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
afterward that, from that day forth, the
square-nosed but light-built and almost
handsome 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 Rowland farm came down to the
river.
When winter approached, the boat
had been taken out, of course, and care
fully carted to its customary shed near
the great barns, but Faith felt very sure
that no other female foot since her OWL
had been permitted to step within it.
As week had followed week, an6
month after month went by, Curt How
lands broad and merry face had seemed
to grow trifie graver and more thought
full; his thoughts, however serious they
may have been, had taught him little
additional wisdom. If they had, ht
would have known better than to say
what he did to Faith when he made his
first out-and-out effort at reconciia
ton.
He had refused all along to be ON an,
other than speaking terms" and hat
cleft Faith to do her own quarreling
in a way that was exceedingly impohti
and exasperating.
She had fairly longed to see him shoy
some signs of temper or sentiment, an,
she had derived no small degree o
satisfaction fIora the manner In whicl
he had treated his boat. She had fairl
warmed toward him, one day, when sh
learned of his borrowing a skiff to G
duck-hunting, and yet she had NUT
tered:
ssHe said he would borrow a boat t
to take me out In, but I'll teach him
lessen yetp'
Perhaps Curt thought he had learne
all the lesson that was necessary, but
at all events, one fine December day, b
decided to call for Faith Murray an
ask her to go with him on the gran
sleighing-party to the "quilting-bee
across the river. There would be sue
magnificent drive on the ice, and sue
a splendid opportunity to make up. an
Curt had laid the matter very close, IL
deed, TO his heart and hopes.
And yet, even when he went after be-
he blundered, just like himself, frol
the very beginning Instead of dashin
ND in bis gay little cutter, with Jus
room for TIVE" the sleigh he drove We
the biggest of all the half-dozen or
that were hi.ched in front Of Squil
Murray's ample doorway, and Fait