Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-10-23
MARTHA PHILIPS.

She was dead An old woman, with sill
very hair brushed smoothly away from he
wrinkled forehead, and snowy cap tied un
der her chin; sad, quiet face, patient
mouth with lines about it that told Of sor
row, borne with gentle irmness; and two
withered, tired hands, crossed with rest
| less lock. That was all.
Who, looking at the sleeping form, would
think of love and romance, of heart only
! just healed of a wound received long, long
ago.
Fifty years had she lived under that roof,
a farmers wife. If you look at that little
plate upon the coffin lid you will see aged
J 70r there. she was only twenty when John
! Phillips brought her home a bride.
A half century she had kept watch over
| the dairy and larder, had made nutter
and cheese, and looked after the innumer-
able duties that fall to the share of a farm
er's wife. And John had never gone from
home with buttonless shirts and undarned
! socks had never come home to an untidy
house or scolding wife. His trim, tidy
Martha had been his bride. and though
not demonstratiye husband, he had boas-
ted sometimes of the model housewife who
kept his home in order.
But underneath her quiet exterior there
was story that John had never dreamed
of, and would have believed impossible had
he been told. She did not marry her love-
When she was nineteen, a rosy, happy girl,
stranger came on visit to their village,
and that summer was the brightest and
happiest she ever knew. Paul Gardner was
the strangers name; he was an artist, and
fell in love with the simple village girl and
won her heart, and when he went away in
the autumn they were betrothed.
9Th come again in the spring." he said.
'sTrust me and wait for me, Matte,
dear"
She promised to love and wait for him
to the end of time if need be, and with q
kiss on her quivering lips he went away.
Matte Gray did not tell her mother and
father Of her love, for they had no liking
for London folks, and had treated Paul
none too Hospitality when ne had ventured
inside their home.
Spring time came, and true to his word.
Paul returned he staid only a day or two
this time.
II am going away IN a few weeks to
Italy, to study he said. II shall be gone
two years, aid then l shall come and claim
you for my BRIDE
They renewed their VOWS and parted
with tears and tender, loving words: he
put tiny ring upon her finger, and cut a
little curly tress from her brown hair, and
telling her always to be true and to wait
for him. he went away.
The months went by and Matte was try
ing to make the time seem short by study
inc to improve herself, so that she might
be worthy of her lover when he should
come back and make her his wife.
at must be about time for him to start, y
she said to herself one day.
And by and Dy, as she gdzed over a news
paper. her eyes were attracted by his name,
and with white lips and dilated eyes she
read of his maria &c to another.
| "Married! Taken another bride instead
of coming back to marry me. Oh, Paul,
| Paul | loved and trusted you too much
for this
| She covered her face with her hands and
wept bitterly An hour afterwards she
sat there in the twilight, with the fatal
newspaper on her lap, she heard a step on
| L l,n TOb
| Phillips coming up the steps. He had been
| to see her often before, but had never spo-
ken of love, and had Of course received nc
encouragement from her to do SO. He was
a plain, handwriting farmer, with no To-
nance about him, but matter of fact TO
the core. His wife would get few caresses
OF tender words. He would be kind enough
| give her plenty to eat and Wear-but that
was all.
| Now he seemed to have come for the ex-
press purpose of asking her to be his vile,
for he took chair and seated himself be-
side her, and after the usual greetings, re-
serving scarcely a moment to take breath
began in his business-like way to converse
There was no confession of love, no plead
ing, DO hand-clasping, no tender glances
he simply wanted her to be his wife. His
manner was hearty enough; there was nc
doubt he really wanted her-would rather
marry her than any woman he kneW-but
that was all.
Her lips moved to tell him she did not
love him, but as she let her eyes fall from
the crimson-hearted rose that swung from
the vine over the window, she caught sigh
of those few lines again.
ssMarried ~ she said to herself, 'swha
can do? He doesn't ask me to love him
If marry him can be true wife to him
and nobody will know that Paul ha
Tilted me-"
The decision was made. Her cheek
were ashy pale as she looked straight int
his ewes and answered, eyes, Twill be you
wife"
Her parents were pleased that she wa
chosen by so well-to-do young man. so
was settled, and they were married th
same summer People thought she sobere
down wonderfully; more than that nothin
moro was said that would lead anyone t
suppose that any change had taken place
Yes. she had sobered down. She dare
not think of Paul. There was no hoE
= ahead. Life was time to be filled wit