Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-03-04
ALMOST TOO LATE.

IL
railway which enters New Haven by
the old canal from the north. Where
Mary sat at a front window OF the
tall factory near the Scientific school,
her deft fingers could check, aid, or
ease the machine before her, aud the
portions of a wstch formed them
selves with closk-work regularity,
while her mind travelled out over the
trees without q care for the mechan-
ical labor which was going on. Had
any one leaned near enough to over
come the roar Of the shop. he might
have heard her talking to herself-s
habit. ehe had got from living too
much alone.
"No, no, no." she was saying; 81
eau not ask Stephen, under any cir
cumstances."
But, in spite Of her preoccupatiou,
the moment bell on tower near by
rang out q quarter past eleven, tue
yagrant mind had telegraphed the
fingers, tho fingers had slipped band,
and the machine rested for q moment.
Mary looked up. with como OF the
far-off expression still on her face,
but exuectant. Aud not without |
cause, it would seem, for tho figure |
of yeung man in . straight black
coat passed along the grassy faised
path under the cemetery wall,
and when abreast of Mary's window,
looked up At it eagerly. Neither
made sign. The young man passed
on toward the school with bent head,
az he had come, but with q spring in
his walk, as if no believed in life,
while the young girl smiled to her.
self as she pulled the India rubber
runner, and set her machlne going
again. 1t was in spring, sLo tn
birds sang.
And 30 they loved each other, of
course. Stephen, who had just grad
uated, and was now the new tutor
at the Scientific, had lately begun to
DROP any pretemse tO the contrary
with himself. But Mary? Did she
like any body-her mother even, with
whom Stephen had been boarding
for the last ysar2 Was there any one
in the world on whom she bestowed
more than passing thought both
Stephen aud Mrs. Lagarde would
sometimes ask themselves, when a
fresh whim of indifference or rebel
lion seemed to have nullifed the
work of weeks of mute attention.
Perhaps she was like her father, the
late Lagarde-invent0r and hopeless
struggler against the ignorance of
manufacturers aud the rapacity of
capitalists-whom Stephen had never
: seen. People called her pretty. but
, dull. Stephens, who taught natural
history, knew that she was "a chry sails
containing something great. but
whether q great moth of night or a
f l butterfly, was to him an all too mo-
mentous question.
= "Weli, 1 do declare, Mary" said
Mrs. Lagsrde that day, when her
daughter came fliuging in tho kitchen
Il door, and threw herself into the rock
!. ing-chair near the window, "If you
/. don't look all tuckered out! You're
always a-thinking, thinking, - Il
: your head would split; but what it''
t all about, the Lord only knows. Some
|. say it isn't thinking At all, for think
!. ing is good for people; but you are
;, noways helped by it, AZ far as l Cal
u see."
r The truth was. aremark Of . neigh
;. Dor, repeated to her, ranked in Mrs
" Lagarde's mind. She was reported
to have said, "My little six-year-olt
e is y smarter girl than that big Mar.
II of tho widow Lagarde's.' But Mar
# stared out into tae little garden AM
a answered no word, and the mOthe
went. on with her work as if she wer
used to get no answer.
is "Haye you seen Mr.. Churchill to
is dav 2"
q 81 can not do it, mother" sal
- Mary, raising her head. "He's moth
- ing to me, but somehow can't as
!. him. He's different. Don't you uI
e, derstand 7"
n II might it"
- "Oh, / know what you are goip
. to say. PleaseW
g. "Mr. Churchill is good-lookin
e. young man, don't you think 30 !
No said Mrs. Lsgsrde, after shol
silence.
"Good-looking? No, indeed-hea
II poked out like this all the time, All
ne y thin face. He has q good expre'
D. sion but the idea of calling hi
handsome ~
NC "Well, handsome is as handson
does. He isn't looking as hearty lat
N ly as he used to but give him nil
9, little wife to take care of him"
so "Now, mother!"
" Like Susy Peck, next door, fl
instance. She'd give her eye-teeth
sn get him, l eau promise you. Doh
st she SIT in the front parlor every q
ne ternoon just to bow to him As
passes 2'
ny "Oh!-Susy. Well. don't .
ny what he eau admire in her. Dol
he face !"
.- "Of course you don't; girls nev
:. will learn. Why, don't you kno
- that is just what men like? And y
ry you turn up your nose In the mo
or high and mighty way when . m,
ng like Stephen Churchill takes mott
~, of YOU"
lie ii don't turn up my nose, mothe,
lst said Mary; "but Stephen alwa
The talks to me as if he felt himself
ly. far above meas If | were ano:h
~, kind of insect that he liked to watc
80 believe he would like to put me
", II glass case with the rest of his spt
Ike linens, aud look at me occasional
ne, as he does at that big imperial INC
NO he made such fuss about at o
time. Now it's something else. Tha
Oh about how much he likes me-"
es' "Well, you needn't be so wal
in. about it,"
i "I'm not warm"
-. "Well, I'm glad to hear it," SAID /
cit mother, dryIy. "You needn't hs
auy scruples about the money.
ing the frat place, we can pay it bac
~, in the second, [ know all abe
Stephen Churchill's means ther
Tue nothing he don't tell me. You g.
ar- he gets twelve hundred year VIII,
esh he is, and last winter, when his ia,
bed er died, his share was just about t.
,on thousand dollars a year. So you
leu what his income is. Well. now, j,
In consider " hat he spends. Not tho
re- sand dollars 3 year, for he told
emf himself that Professor Grant b
~. kept him from buying all those boo
S"o and science things he was wild abo
our He's laying up his money-that
ick what he is doing-like 4 sensi
een young fellow; and perhaps it's
cause he sees the need of marryin,
Vi somebody-thath he took the advic,
hes, well. but don't you see that wol
sta be all the more reason But of cou
mes it is stuff and nonsense to supp
that"
'ef' The mother bent over the ran
rles and waited for continuation,
are none came. Mary had leaned so
ing out of the window that she CO
81. not see her face.
III You don't want to ask him. q