Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-08-27


e yourself. OIL it is shame-a shame!
she broke out again. 'sAnd if you hat
:, come rich, us they expected, every one o.
: them would have been at your feet!''
Cousin Elihu smiled the smile that
/ always frightened his melancholy face, till
, in her eyes it was the noblest, handsomest
/ face On earth.
''Never mind them, Sara, said he, ''you
|, and Ben have been SO good to me that
/ have scarcely noted the rest. So good
that
I He paused and looked at her.
'sSara, when am gone, shall you miss
me?"
i The tears rose to her eyes.
! ooh, how can you ask? You know.
Elihu, that when you go shall think Of
you among strangers, poor, perhaps ILL.,,
perhaps dying"
i She hid her face in her hands and sobbed
! aloud.
4 Elihu waited till her grief had exhausted
4 itself. and then took her hand.
(! "What you say is all very true, Sara. [
am not fit to go out into the world alone.
Will you go with me? You have good
home here, know, but ii have you to
work for, | will give you Il better one. And
by and by Ben can come to us, and we will
make a man out of him. Will you be my
wife, Sara?'
i She looked at him with all the solemn
fervor of a woman's love and devotion
shining in her eyes.
IF you will take me, Elihu, and let me
take care of you, shall be the happiest
creature on earth.
s'From the moment when [ saw you
come in at the farm gate; from the moment
when I knew that your fortune was gone.
and that you were i'll and alone in the
world, have prayed that you might love
me- I don't care where our home is or
what it is, so that we share it together.
can be happier with you in a log hut than
I could be with any one else in q palace;
for you need me, Elihu, and IL have
thought and dreamed of you, and, really
believe, loved you from the day when my
mother first told me about you, when I
was sitting at her knee"
storm at the farm house, when her de-
cision was first made known, Sara followed
the fortunes of her lover to a distant city,
where they were married.
Ben went with her as her protector and
chest man." Her. father kissed her and
cried over her, as he babe her farewell, and
put d pocketbook containing five hundred
dollars into her hand for the wedding por-
ton.
81 can't go with you to give you away,
my dear, and can't let you be married
here" said the poor man. II shall never
hear the last of it if do, and Pm getting
old now. and want peace and quiet in my
own home. But God bless you, Sara, and
your husband that is to be. Poor Elihu!
Your mother loved him dearly, and don It
know fault he has in the world except
that he is poor"
So. strengthened by her fathers APP
prevail and blessing, Sara approached the
altar to consecrate her life to the hero OF
her dreams.
The ceremony over they drove to first
class hotel and breakfasted in a style that
made Sara tremble for the future. And
after BREAKFAST Elihu laid package be-
fore her. and casket by the side of her
plate.
''My first present to my wife" said he.
GAS for you, Ben"
A cry of delight from Ben made his sis
ter turn round to look at him. The boy
was glorious in gold hunting watch and
chain.
"Open your casket, love-" said her hus-
band, smiling.
She obeyed, and river of light seemed
to flash upon her from the diamonds with
in. At the same moment her husband
aroke the seal of the package, and showed
her a bank book inscribed with her name.
'sTen thousand dollars are deposited
there subject to your order,'' said Elihu
carelessly.
''Ten thousand dollars! and the watch
and the diamonds!'' gasped Sara, turning
pale. "What can it all mean ~
). II know" broke in Ben, with a joyous
laugh. "Cousin Elihu has only been pre-
tending to be poor all this time. Nicely
sold all those people at the farm will be p
Sara turned to her husband. He smiled,
and drew her closely to his breast. From
that happy day not a wish of hers or Ben s
has been unqualified. And all the romance
Of her life began instead of ending las she
for time supposedly ''when Elihu came
home"