The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-12-30

aly, went and unbolted The door, ani
t seemed impatient to have the parting
+ over. In silence the tall man pressed
r her in his arms. and went out into the
night. He came back again before he
. had gone many steps, took her face
f between his hands, and looked into it,
, lie closed his eyes, as if he would shut
the dear face in and keep it there, and
again he hurried away and she stood
. i'll the doorway gazing intently after
him through the darkness. AT the
sound of the latch of the gate she call.
ed him, and he came back again.
Don't GO, John P.Hads BAG scoiiAl
No, darlingrl@7 ls 12i'i h35E. sl't
And he stayed until the relentless
clock-cried out one. And Bessie tore
herself away from him and bolted him
out. Now she was in the little parlor
alone, with 4 sore pain at her heart.
/ A tap at the window pane. She
opened the window with haste and
ljoy. 1t was John again, to say good
bye once more, to reach up to her and
draw her down to him forone biisiful
moment, and she had shat out the cold
air, and stood alone, weeping. Two
years was so long, It was 90 far away
California. .e"si S'i'iff'35 .
Some one really said California,
Bessie started and walked. Jim had
said it, and was geing on: as'ies
California, Oregon and Nevada
Bessie had very vague ideas Of what
her lover was doing In California
how he was making the money that
waste make their marriage possible.
She wrote to him once q fortnight,
and he Wasn't much Of = scribe, and
wrote once in while little, short, ,lov-
ing letters, the main part of which
was: .dt st4e ttae = sT5HI .naftii"
L love you, darling. T. long to see
ysu, 1 am getting on splendidly.
Look for me by the time the wood is
tout, saaJ - tsT1oaiisl gT5x1 sew
aiaga siog ol --.--..qsa sIsys osis
Monday morning the. village was
astir again. just s'if Christmas, and
the quiet Sunday folio owing had never
been, except for the greens which still
decorated the shop-wihdows. The
village blacksmith appeared at his
forge, AZ smutty rs If he had not been
seen, washed and clean, sitting Id his
pew onSunday morning. The village
grocer drove his hard bargains, the
| village barber retailed the news and
curtailed the boards of the village, and
the village Charitable Soup Seciety'
held its meeting in the Sunday School
rooms, under the management Of Miss
Pobjoy, who indeed managed every
thing and ewned everybody in the
village, and knew more about people
than they did themselves. She was
lady of plain visage, some fifty years
of age, with a soft, insinuating voice,
and slight lisp. To Miss Pobjoy.
sorting and tying up bundles of soup
tickets, entered Mrs. Crowell, the doc
tors wife. 's .sf3si
SIS that you, dear p said MlssP objoy.
'I've been into the kitchen to look at
soup, and it's excellent. am sure the
poor creatures should be thankful that
the Lord sends them such good things.
So said to my little German cobbler
this msrning. His wife is sick; and
l said to him that he had only to come
here to get the soup, and 1 gave him
some tickets, but he made some excuse
about having to take care Of the babies.
; You know they've got twins, and
their place is 80 dirty really couldn't
sit down in it. just pare lazinese, /
think. But said to him, Don't de-
spair. The Lord will PROVIDE How
is your baby, dear-and the doctor?
Charming as ever, suppese ?'n 4ui a
'Baby's well, thank you; and the
doctor has just gone to see your Ger
man cebbler's wife, and 1 sent my
girl there to clean the place little,
and take them few thinse.'d'.d ols
'Dear mel Pm afraid you'll spoil
them, you dear charitable creature
Don't make them dependant. Here
comes poor Mrs. Hotchkiss. How
she mourns that husband of hers !; just
as much as the day he died, ten years
ago! Good morning, dear; fm so>glad
you felt able to comet e9jhi@ s.ti 4
. Mrs. Hetchkiss, q widow in con-
spicuoas weeds, sighed out a Thank
you I and threw herself into chair.
well, Christmas is over, she ex-
claimed, I'm grateful To- say. Anni-
versaries are SO painful to people who
have known sorro OWL yias aGo II
sYes, DEAR so painful = said Miss
Pobioy, sympatheticaily. But the
-,nasie " as good at church, and the
sermon SO nice aud spiritual 'sai
q sYes,' said the widow. nleubtfully,
but couldn't get over seeing Bessie
Paige. Il do like to see people show
some feeling .'sia.iia7 q L suoj5gsi s
Mrs. Crowell ventured to suggest
that some people didn't sho,o all they
had but her remark passed unnoticed.
'Why, how, dear p said Miss Pobjoy
to the widow ,aoffsflf1 iai asaii i
why, don't you remember that it
was tive years ago on Christmas that
Bessie Paige buried her father And
there she WIS with red bow in her
bonnet, as smiling and clipper as i'll
the day had no associations for her.
And when they sang the hymn, really
the JOY expressed i'll her. voice was
enough to make any one of my sensi-
tiyeness sick with heartache for such
,hardness.1li oda hsrus GEES as..si s9fB.
8 Mrs. Crowell was seen to smile, but
said nothing. ylBo b,,a lsgH sui :
Is Miss Pobjoy saying something
amusing? z said lady just entering. 4