Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-01-08

aegean to feel unaccountably depressed
bnd unhappy, now that she had attained
the summit of her wishes. She had
plenty of admiration, and joined in the
dance and games with the rest; but some
how over all there seemed to hang
shadow-the shadow, as it were, of sus-
pended sword Unused to merry
ings, the noisy freedoms of the occasion
confused and stunned her. She grew
more and more uncomfortable. The cup
she had so longed to taste was not at all
what she had fancied. BY eleven O'Clock
she had drawn Sarah Matilda into cor
ner and was begging to be allowed to go
home at once.
"What! without seeing the Old Year
outs" said that hospitable damsel. "Oh!
you mustn't do that. There's no fun at
all if yen do"
"Oh please would so much rather"
pleaded poor Milly. II keep thinking, If
mother should wake up. | would so much
rather go now, if Jack don't mind"
So the unwilling Jack was summoned i;
and, with many lamentations and prom
Uses that nobody would say word of her
being there, they were suffered to de-
part. Milly drew a long breath as the
door closed behind them.
"Oh! if only am once at home and in
my own bed, I'll never, never ask to go to
party again." was the comment of her
secret soul.
Don't come any further" she whisper
ed to Jack, at the gate. THE snow makes
so much noise, and father'll hear your
boots"
The house was dark and still, she noted,
as she stole round the corner and it COM
forted her little. She had gained the
door. 1t was only TO lift the latch and
pass the Scylla of the floor and Charyb.
dis of the creaking stairs, and all would
be safe. But how was this? Oh, horror
The latch wouldn't lift, the bolt was down.
She was locked out
This was what had happened. Milly's
unsteady fingers had not closed the door
firmly; and, when the wind rose, an hour
later, it began to swing to and fro on its
hinges The noise reached the alert ears
of Mrs Ives
"What is that bangingg" she said, start
ing up. Dear, dear that tiresome shed.
Milly must have left the door unlatcned.
Father, | wish you'd get up and fasten
it,"
Shivering, but obedient, Mr.. Ives went
| Creeping to the chilly she'd he bolted the
latch; and then, to avert the likelihood OF
another nocturnal promenade, he pro.
ceeded from one door TO another and
fastened all the rest. So, when Milly,
aghast and hel pless, tried iii turn front
door, kitChen-doOr, and side-doOr, behold
they were all fast. The house was mac
cessible.
What could she do? Go back to the
Pratts? Oh! no; that was not to be
thought of for a moment. Feverish with
anxiety, she went her weary round again.
She even tried to raise a window; but its
weight resisted her, and the dreadful noise
it would make was another objection.
The only hope, she thought, was to get
in somehow in the morning, without be-
ing seen. Morning! but that was
so far off. And, as she thought
the consequences of her fault presenting
themselves to her mind with colors grow
ing more lurid each moment-suddenly
all strength seemed to die from her limbs.
She sank down on the doorstep, and began
to cry.
1t was Just then that the sound of far
off bell reached her ears. The clock Of
the Methodist Westinghouse in the Hol
low was striking twelve. The Old Year
was dead. 81 am seeing it out" thought
Milly, "just as Sarah said" and, as the
slow strokes died away, her tears broke
forth afresh. With such an ending to one
year, how was the next likely to beging
The wind had died away. 1t was not a
very severe night; but she shiyered
strongly. The tears died on her glazed
cheeks. Only a low sob broke forth now
and then, like a ripple from the misery
within. And so Milly began her New
Year.
1t was one Of these sobs which caught
the attention Of Tom Russell, as, making
a short cut "cross. lots" toward his home,
he CHANGED TO pass near the door where
our luckless little maid was sitting. He
hadn't been at the party. He didn't care
much for such things, and, besides, had a
sick horse to look after; and the night
so far had gone in blanketing, fOmenting,
and indicating the equine invalid He
was going home now, a spare blanket on
his arm, and in his pocket his phiaIs,
drenching- horn, flask, and so on.
Cupid takes on strange DISCUSSES come
times. That Milly's fate should be near.
ing her at this critical moment, in cow.
hide boots and top-coat, with a brandy
bottle in his pocket, seems funny enough.
But so it was. Tom was a big, sturdy
leIIOW, miuuic-dBed I'd eyes Oh SEVENTEEN
but with the sweetest good temper in the
world and a heart as tender as any wO-
mans. No sound Of distress ever reached
his ear unheeded. He thought this the
plant Of some little ANIMAL kitten or a
| dog; nevertheless, true to his instinct, he
went out Of his way to see. And great
was his bewilderment when the covering
figure on the doorstep met his eyes.
"Milly Ivesl Why, what on earth"
"Ohl Mr.. Russell, don't speak out
loud; please don't" cried poor Milly,
desperately. Father and mother will be
sure to hear you"
"And just what they ought TO do" re-
sponded Tom; "if they've locked you
out, as | suppose they have. Here let me
knock. I'll engage to wake them up"
and suiting the action TO the word and
the word to the action, he was about TO
discharge a ponderous blow at the door,
when Milly caught his hand in both hers.
please lIstenw she said. "They don''
know I'm out"
"Don't know" Language would fail
10 express the establishment in Toms
voice.
n