Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-12-03

[ beginning.
Instead of dashing up in his gay little
cutter, with ''just room for two,'' the
sleigh he drove was biggest of all the half
dozen or so that were hitched in front OF
Squire Murray's ample doorway, and Faith
said to herself, as she looked at it from the
window:
"Looks as if he was going to carry all
the girls in the neighborhood," and her
blue eyes had darkened and her fair cheeks
had flushed with fresh vexation.
She was. every bit. ready to take fire.
I therefore. a few minutes later. when her
too open hearted admirer asked:
"You'll step into my sleigh, won't you,
Faith, even if you won't put your foot into
my boat?"
| And she answered, sharply:
"No, indeed, sir, don't care tosride in
an omnibus. You will doubtless haye
plenty Of company without mt.
| If Curt Rowland had seemed TOT make
! light of the rebuff at the summer pic mic,
it was very different now, and tn ere was
something in the pained, hurt, disappoint-
ed expression Of his man y and really hand
some face that would have carried the day
| in his favor under any other circumstances.
| Every girl N the room was On ms side
| in a moment-but Faiths rosy cheeks
b Irned only the hotter for her conscious
| ness of the fact-and the only person pres
ent who felt any satisfaction was S;le Her.
ring, the village lawyer, who was now sure
Of his good fortune to otficate as Faith
Murray's escort to and from t re quilting.
| As for Curt himself, not a II ord said he.
but turned steadily and Indignantly to-
| ward the door, and in another minute the
quick, sharp jingle of bells told Faith that
his sleigh was, like his boat, doomed to go
empty of lady passengers until her own
feet came back to it.
Upsto that moment Curtis mind had
been occupied only with joyous anticipa-
tions of reconciliation with Faith, and of
! the fun he would have on the sleigh ride.
going and coming, as we'll as to the quilt
ing. Now, however, as his fleet team drew
him swiftly along the river road on his
lonely way homeward, his eyes wandere
up and down the river, predisposed to dis
cover anything that might appear to sug-
gest an interference with the contemplated
! merry making.
| 1t is very strange how differently the
world will look to man in one frame Of
mind and another. That morning the sun
had been CHEEKY, the sleighing had been
extraordinarily good, and Curtis merry
eyes had discovered no flaws i'll the pros
poets; but now, as if his wits were sharp
ened by Faith Murray's rough reply, he
began to discover that the snow was re-
lnarkably soft and 'ssoggy;" that although
the first ''freeze" of the winter had been
hard one, and the ice had formed thick
and strong, there had now, fo' days past,
been altogether too msseA-sunshiTlss and
there was no such thing as telling what
the effect might be.
Up and down the white expanse he
gazed. and here and there he saw light cut
tiers and even lleavily-laden wood-sleighs
crossing aud recrossing, and the former
now and then putting in an extra burst of
speed over the smooth and glanclng sur
face.
Neither to the right hand or to tie left
did he turn, however, and by tile time
Faith Murray and her friends were on
their way to the quilting, Curt How land s
team Was safe in the stabl While MS big
| sleigh stood empty by the back dooi of the
house with all his buffalo robes, bl ,nkets,
clumsiness and disgrace still cling to
| its uloccupied spaces.
As for Faith herself, she had har lily eyer
| seemed in such exuberant spirits as size
| displayed that evening, and Mr. Silas Her
ring assumed for himself a species of per
sonal triumph, as he compared his own po-
sition and occupation with what he could
Imagine OF Curt Howland's brooding at
none over his defeat.
| The quilting was thronged with young
people and old, from far and near, but
good old-fashioned hours were kept, new
ertheless, and all the more so, probably,
because of the anticipated pleasures of the
sleigh-riIe afterward.
II Faith Murray had any remorseful
promptings concerning her conduct, she
certainly gave no external token thereof,
and led the fun as if she had never heard
of such person as Curtis Howlands
Perhaps a keen observer, like her own
mother, if only that good old lady had
been present, might have inclined TO the
idea that Faith was Overriding" some
thing. but Silas Herring was not keen
observer, and the rest of the merry CON-
pany neither thought nor cared what might
be the source Of her high spirits. When
1T last the quilting bee' broke up, those
whose homeway did not permit than to
drive in tue direction of the river, Sssge
half disposed to envy those whose better
fortune was to lead them across it's broad
smooth bosom. They little dreamed how
much to be preferred were the rougler but
more safe and solid roads that took them
even among rugged hills and heavily drift.
ed valley.
Somehow or other, instead of going te
bed at his usual hour, Curt Rowland now
fingered and lounged in front of his glow
ing, log-heaped fire. place, long after every
other soul had gone to bed.
He had pretended, at first, to occupy
himself with a book, but by-and-by TIT
volume dropped to the floor. THIN, for {
while, Curt seemed to be absorbed in
watching the vivid changes wrought bl
the fire as the seasoned oak and hickory
slowly Yielded; and that as the foresticl
snapped in two, and plunged among thu
coal with strange cracking sound, he
suddenly sprang to his feet, threw on hi
hat and overcoat, and strobe out into tn,
open air in front of the house.
1t was a clear, beautiful night. lust thu