The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-12-05


child Their amt no cause for being scared. I
don't put much faith in your aunt James old
/ time superstition. Where in the name of all
possessed is the key? could ha' declared left
it in the case"
"Isn't it on the shelf, father ?" asked Mary,
| guiltily, conscious that it was snugly reposing
in the pocket of her checked gingham dress.
"No, nor faint in my pocket neither" And
down went the deacon, stifiy enough on his
knees, to examine the floor, lest perchance the
missing key might have fallen there.
"well, never knowed anything so strange
in all my life," said the deacon.
"It is really strange" faltered hypocrtical
Mary.
"Ill have a regular search tomorrow, said
deacon Shermer at must be somewhere
around"
eyes, it must said Mary, tremulously
"Only," the deacon went on, slowly, resuming .
his place before the fire, 81 kind @ don't like to
have the old clock stand still single night
When | wake up, you know, it seems like it
was sort o. talking TO me in the Stiffness" Tho
deacon looked thoughtfuiy at the fiery back
straghtening table covers, setting back chairs
and tbinking-oh, if he would only go to bed I!
AS be sat there his eyclds began to droop
aud his head to nod somnolently Mary's eyes
frightened up with sparkle something like
| hope.
"Chid !" he said suddenly Strengthening up
in the stiff back chair, "youd better 60 to bed
cit ub i1aI hall hnr ory
"But, father, I'm not sleepy"
500 to bed, my child !" reiterated the deacon
with good bulnored authority that brooked no
opposition; and Mary crept out of the room,
ready to cry with anxiety and modification.
"If Tim will only keep quiet 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 go to sleep in his chair. could just steal in
and release him as quietly as possible" She
sat there, her plump fingers in,erlsced, and her
eyes fixed dreamily on the haor, while all the
time her ears were strained to their utmost ca
pacity to catch every sound in the kitchen be-
yond. Hark! was that the wall of the wind ,
or was it something to her literally "nearer and
dearer?" 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 hail. opened the kitchen door and stole
across the creakng boards of the floor. The
candles were burned out, but the shifting lustre
of the firolght revealed her father nodding be-
fore the fire, with closed eyes and hands hang
ing 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 fingers,
to lift it into the lock. So absorbed was she
that she never noticed the cessation of the
heavy breathing-never saw the deacon start
suddenly into wakefulness 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 little
frightened shrek as hand fell softly on her
arm, possessing itself quietly of the key.
"Let me help you, said the Deacon"
"Father, IL found the key" faltered Mary,
"and-"
"Found the key, eh !" returned the deacon.
"Well, that's lucky and now we can fnd out
what's the matter with the clock
Mary's heart throbbing so wildly moment
ago, seemed to stand still as her father turned
| the key and opened the door of the clock-case.
"Hal-lo" exclaimed the deacon, IS Mr..
Timothy Marshall tumbled into the room. $50
you was the matter with the clock, eh ?"
eyes, sir" said Tim, composedly. 81 hope l
haven't seriously interfered with the works of
the clock"
"You've seriously interfered with me :" said
the deacon, waxing indignant. "What do you
mean, sir, by hiding in my house like thief?'
"Indeed indeed father" cried Mary, burst
ing into tears, sit wasn't his fault He didn't
want to hide, but put him there"
"You did, eh And may 1 ask what for?"
"Father," faltered Mary, rather irrelevantly,
"I love him and-and he loves me-"
'Is that any reason why he should hide in
| the clock case, miss?"
"No-but-father l can never marry Mr..
Stanley. He is so soft, and l."
Mary's tears finished the sentence for her.
bowed head and the tender arm that supported
it. Apparently, the course of true love-"
| roughly though it ran, was overwhelming all
his own worldly wise arrangements in its tide.
"And so you two young folks really think
you love each other ?" said the deacon, medi
tatively.
"I love her with all my heart and soul, sir"
| said Tim Marshall, earnestly. "Pm not rich,
1 know, but 1 can work for her!'
"And 1 can work for myself too, father" in
terposed Mary, with eyes that shone like soften
ed stars.
"And you said yourself, sir" went on Tim,
| that the stopping of the clock meant either a
death or marriage. Of course we don't want
any deaths; SO don't you think the most sensi-
BILE thing we can do is to help on marriage as
soon as possible?"
The deacon laughed in spite of himself. otis
late" he said. "Come around to morrow morn
| ing and we'll talk about it. No, Mary, I'm not
angry with you, child. l sspose young folks
will be young folks and there's no use tryn' to
stop them"
AS the deacon re-hung the pendulum and set
the iron tongue of the old clock talking again,
Tim Marshall paused on the door. step to whis-
per to Mary:
"Whats shall it be, Mary, death or marriage?"
And she in turn whispered, ga marriage,
hope"
"My daring!" said Tim, otis worth passing
lifetime behind the clock. case to feel as l do
now"
The APPLE DUMPLING.-The dumpin are
about the natral size ov yure phist, made out
ov dough, and filled with apples. They are
served up hot with sum sweet tasting liniment
on them, and are az eazy to struggle with az a
sugar plum. They amt SO good kold as they
ought to be. Kold dampin and raw potato eat
similar. l never ct apple dumplin yet, with
out thanking the Lord for that one, and the
landlady for another one. Four apple dump
| Inns at ono sitting iz inst ahout mi size wish