The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-07-22
WAITING FOR AN ANSWER.

WA INS TSN nv SNNS'EN'
NV story! My lfel Oh, it has been too
uneventful, too simple in its incidents.
could tell you the sorrows of others, but my
own-well well as you will. You shall hear
The wound has never healed, and if put my
hand above it, the place still throbs, even as
it will beat ard ache till kindly nature says
10 me, "Sleep, poor weary one, and rest
And then peacefully, uustingly, may sleep
that long sleep which they say so hippantly
has no waking, but which has waking, as
every lesson which we learn in life persists in
teaching US.
You will smile, perhaps, when l tell you
that | was once what people called pretty
that this palehued face was once plump and
rosy, these sad eyes bright, and this gray
sCant hair goldeA brown, long and flowing.
But why should think you would smile.
Do not know that you must have seen the
gay young plant putting out It's tender leaves
IN spring, growing green and luxuriant OF
foliage IN summer, ripe and ruddy in autumn,
and gray, bent, and withered in agcF And
should | be pitied because have but follow.
cd in the way of naturcy Surely not. 1t is
not for that l ask your sympathy, but for the
blight that fell upon the young plant, and
scared and scratched it so that II seemed for
months that 1t would die, but II lived, as
have lived to tell you this,
Do YOU know that wOndrous feeling which
comes In the early year, and that strange
sense of keen delight, that elasticity Of spirit,
when, full of youth ana hope, the very tears
of joyous sensbility start to the eyes rs you
wander amid the trees and flowers in spring !?
| remember how | felt, oh, so well-cven
though 1t is now forty years ago, and | was
twenty.
-. al 7 ,.o., o,o,,.o,l 7, ,,,os all .,,cI,
q simple, homcy affair. We had known one
another for years-the children of neighbor
ing farmers. Jack-l still call HIM by the
simple old pet name of those days-Jack had
been away at GOOD school and being bright
and shrewd and clever, he had won his way
on, taking to engineering instead Of his faith
Crs farm life; and now 1t had come 10 this
that he had been staying at home month
previous to going out to good appointment
in Melbourne.
That month IN spring, how 1t passed We
had met again and again, and in his honest,
straightforward way, he had asked me TO be
his wife.
"lou know, Grace, that have always low.
cd YOU" he said; "and, now I have hopes
and prospects, 1t cannot be wrong u ask yOn
for your promise
We were walking by the river side as he
said this, and how well can picture it all
the soft gliding water mirroring the trees on
the opposite bank, the young green buds
just breaking from their cases, and, above
all, the soft, tender blue Of the spring sky
the blue, he had told me, that was like my
eyes
ado you want me to promise, Jack :" |.
said, simply, as looked up in hs face.
"No, darling, am satisfied" he cried, as
his strong arms held me to his broad breast,
and that was all No oaths could have
bound me more tightly to him. tell that |
was his wife when he should come to claim
me.
We were late that evening, ana entered
the house shyly, for there had been so much
20 talk OF ana plan. In months time Jack
was 10 SAIL for Melbourne; then he was to
work very hard Tor three years, and come and
fetch me To be bis wife
That month gldcd by, aud the last day had
come. 1t was, as | told you, spring time
joyous spring time, with the hawthOrn's
snowy blossoms, the apple trees pink and
the pear trees pearly with their pyramids OF
flowers. Every meadow passed was starred
with golden buttercups and from every spray
the birds trilled or jcrked forth their merry
songs OF hope and love,
| could not feel sad even though | was
cong 10 meet Jack Tor the last Walk before
Ae went away; but, as ! said, mingled with
The feelings OF ecstacy there was "A tcarlulness
Of eve, and my breath would come at times
with sob
He was by the stilc, waiting for mc-the
stile down by the long mead, halt way be
tween the two iarms-apd as he took my
hands In his, we neither of US spoke, but
stood gazing away over woodland and mea-
dow, all clad IN their wOndrous beauty, and
listened 10 the birds. Now il was the soft,
tender COO of the stock dove from the wood
now the jerked out twittering song OF the
linnets then, soft and mellow, from the
thick hedge rows floated toward us the nuty
notes of the blackbird, while ia! on high
trilled away the larks, singing one against
the other TO their mates, sitting in the tall
grass OF the golden meads
We could not talk, our hearts were too full.
for Jack was 10 be off at day break the next
morning. But there was no need for words
We loved each other In the simple, nature
taught way that has been since the world be
gan, and We knew that every joyous song
around that thrilled upon our ears meant
pure love, and even 10 our sorrow we were
happy.
"0nly three years, darling" Jack whispered
to me, "and then"
The tears rose to my eyes as tried to an
sver him, bat could not speak word.