The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-07-22

loneliness. ! foH the Oeptn OF meaning
in his complaint" .Yes," she said,
trembling, u must confess, and ! do re-
pent, even in his complaint against
Heaven. Alone in the world. Some
times that happens"
And here let it be explained to the
reader that by an accident in the cradle
the writer of the dairy had been made
physically repellant, and his sensitive
soul exaggerated his misfortune into
barrier between himself and the loving
sympathies of all mankind. As for wo-
mankind, he knew not-for his mother
died at his birth-even its maternal ten
derness.
1Leonard, DEAR" Miss Thatcher went
on, "you will think me, perhaps, the most
superstltious being; but think-and the
idea has gathered some reasonable pleas
Il cannot help thinking that this book
is framed as q mode of bequest. believe
the writer, your fathers brother, stung
with the bitter thought that his hard
earned fortune would be spent by those
who never knew or cared for him, de-
vised method by which a part at least
should be the reward of affectionate graf
itude"
She explained to him then her theory
Of the maps, and her instructive construc
ton of one particular map, which she had
studied at the very last reading in the
old mill.
Leonard Msasfelds cheek flushed as
no listened. At the close he said, "Your
reasoning is sufficiently plausible to de-
serve TO be tested, and so it shall be- But
hrst promise me one thing: Promise me
that If this miracle of intuition proves
true, you will be my wife tomorrow.
My darling, you shall not say NO." He
prevented her, indeed, in lover.llke
way, from saying anything. And silence
is dyes" in love.
The last day of August the whole viii
lage of Red Cedar Pond was thrown into
torment of excited curiosity.
The excitement began in one of the twin
houses on the Meeting House Hill" at 5
o'clock in the morning. MlsssTabitha
Butts stood in her night dress peeping
through the blinds of dormer window.
She never could tell, al. she declared after
ward, what made her peep.
She saw the back door Of "Dick Sea.
mans open, and Louisa Thatcher look
mysteriously out. Then she saw Tim,
the miller's boy, creep stealthily around
the porch with the pickaxe and spade,
which he gave to Miss Thatcher,
who disappeared with them :Rto
the house Then Tim stealing back
again as far as the lilac bushes, and
cautiously surveying all approaches,
put his hand over his mouth and gave
low whistle. Immediately from the
horse shed by the church a man came
very quickly, aud, nodding to Tim ss he
passed, fastened to the high-rosd. Miss
Tabitha was sure, although his cap was
drawn over his face, that this man was
the young stranger to the village, who
had been so infatuated with Miss
| Thatcher.
Then Miss Thatcher came to the door
again and beckoned to Tim, and
whispered; and he went around by way
of the church, down the plum orchard to
the mill.
A pickaxe and spade! Miss Tabitha
had cold shivers; she could think OF
nothing but grave. When, two hours
afterwards, the coast being clear, she
sped across the garden patch to the
"meetin'- house shed" her fancy lost none
of its horrors, for there in the northeast
corner, was space of fresh-turned mold.
Miss Tabiths went home, put on her
sun bonnet, and was "down to the village
in no time"
The next excitement was at the SOM
nolent dwelling of old Squire Wells.
Mr.. Mansfield had been closeted with
him an hour. And when the Squire re.
appeared he nearly upset his ancient
wife in the hallway IN his haste to get his
hat and coat, and choked until he was
scarlet, screaming into her wrong ear
that he was going to u "on bznessW
OF he went at such a novel pace that the
poor DANES feeble faculties aroused
themselves to concentrate upon one fatal
remembrance: "When IN old horse
that has alters walked takes to runnin'
away, there's no end O damage"
Excitement third was a sealed letter,
dropped by Mr.. Seaman's Ezri into the
postoffice at 10 o'clock, the hour of gen.
eral delivery, directed to the trustees of
the district school, which body, being in
quorum on the spot, opened at once the
resignation of Miss Thatcher in favor Of
the highly recommended candidate for
the winter term, to whom they had
kindly given her the preference,
Excitement fourth attacked flayen-
haired Nettie's mother, a pleasant-iaced
little widow, to whom Tim, who had rid
den to u and back again at break
neck speed, brought note from the Con-
gregatonal minister of u, saying he
would sup with her that evening, "if
agreeable" as he was coming to Red
Cedar Pond "in virtue Of his Office a
sentence underlined like pleasantly,
that so upset the good widows brain as
to spoil the count OF her one-two three
| four cake.
Last of all, and the grand excitement
of the day, was the ringing, at o'clock
in the afternoon, of the Westinghouse
bell. WHO is dead?" every one asked,
as the first few slow strokes were count
cd; but once fairly set going, the old bell
tripped up all calculations; fifty, eighty,
a hundred; still on; quickly, iubilantly-
ringing, not for the:dead, but for the liv-
ing; ringing for wedding!
Such scampering as there was up the
Millbridge road There was no lack OF
witnesses to the simple, solemn service,
and of the coming down the aisle, on the
arm of her proud young husband, OF a
delicate little bride. with mourning laid
aside for purest white, and dsy-lilies on
her bosom
Not married in haste to repent at
leisure were the two loving people who
took the evening train at u Tor far
commercial city, preceded by their good
fortune in the shape of strong box f lied
with Spanish doubloons and English
bank notes ingeniously bequesthed by an
eccentric missnthropc, and discovered in
its hiding place by woman's wit, kin
died by woman's sympathy.
In one Of the hsppiest Of homes, set
apart upon q low acknowledgements
pedestal that looks at first glance like a
prte-die,4, hes, yellow with age, the long