The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-06-02

-'N Not too bright or good
For human natures daily food.'"
"The compliment may be well meant,
but it sounds doubtful shall never
trouble you with perfection. Do you
think our marriage will make Eleanor un-
happyP'
"No-yes-I don't know" said Mr..
Eustace, on the rack with my preverse
questions.
"How will Hugh like it?''
"Oh he swears by Eleanor he will take
his cue from her."
"Then / shall make two wretched by
going into your home"
"What is the use of talking about it?
We love each other, and that's enough"
said "my widower" crisply, in what
suspected would be his married tone. Mr..
Eustace stayed as late as any young lover,
and hoped most heartily that his daughter
did not sit up for him.
] scolded him no more ON that evening,
but when he was gone crept very silently
to bed with a little sister, and did more
hard thinking upon the case of Eleanor
Eustace than ! had ever spent on her faith
er. had a vision of the tall, pale, digni-
fled girl Il had seen her once in church,
suddenly dumbfounded by the sight of an
actual step-mother.
1t was not too late to renounce him for
her sake, but could do it? was the
IL Of Gtya ell oil
and beginning palpably to crowd me out
of the home nest. Mr.. Eustace was the
captive of my bow and spear, the first ard
only one We were a family of hearty, not
to say boisterous manners, terribly prone
to call spade spade. l was already
twenty weight; it would be a fearful ordeal
to be the old maid of our sisterhood. And,
after all, Mr.. Eustace would be sure to go
further, and Eleanor might fare worse.
But at least might have the grace to
warn her of her fate rose up in the
small hours and lit candle, in fear and
trembling, for / think this must have been
the first deed done in secret in our house.
l put pen to paper without waiting mo-
ment, lest my courage, like Bob Acres
should all ooze out of my fingers ends
"DEAR ELEANOR EUsTACE - Your
father is going to marry me three weeks
from to-day. He will not tell you, and /
feel that / must. / believe it will be almost
as hard for me to enter your home as a
second wife as it will be for you to receive
me. Ever your friend,
LIZZIE MoRToN.n
posted this deed Of darkness before
daylight, and on the second day the answer
was handed into the breakfast-table with
other letters:
My DEAR MISS MoRToN Your kind
note of the 18th is received. Yours sin
cerely, "ELEANoR EUsTAcE."
That was all. had sent her bit of my
heart and she returned stone. In my
anger tore the dainty little note into
shreds, and cast them into the fireplace.
My little sister picked out the pieces and
tried putting them together like dissected
map. She made out the name ecu
stace," and announced it triumphantly.
"Did he want you to elope with him
before your wedding clothes were done P''
asked Haviland Morton, our naval cousin,
who stayed with us between voyages. 81
suppose you would sooner give him up than
do that?"
81 should hope SO" said mother severe
ly, with an eye to the younger girls.
Secret marriages never turn out well.n
~ am not so certain, saving your pres.
ence, auntie," said Haviland. sit seems
to me all that girls marry for in these lat
ter days is the fuss and new dresses. II
would be a delightful thought to take tC
sea with me that my love and ! belonged
wholly to each other, and nobody knew il
would not have so much as a pair o
white gloves to distract our attention
from the beauty and glory Of the mair
fact"
We all made up a face at Hayiland
absurdity, and went to try ON nay new
dresses.
said no more to Mr., Eustace Of hi
daughter, thinking all the more and tn
wedding day came like all days, il you wal
long enough We were married at noon
and Mr.. Eustace drove me in his carriag
the ten miles that lay between my ol,
home and the new AS we approached tn