Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-09-16

"Ncxt Friday"
"Are you going?"

| Are you 'goinSr
''If Mrs. Mill can come to stay with
you, l would like TO-"
"What will you wcar?"
Il have little enough" replied
Margaret, "Lut l must make that lit
| tic do"
sYour white drcss?"
She nodded; then sighed: IF we
were not so poor"
you'll have bcaux ,ouyh,7 an.
swcrcd the mother, and strange to say
the words grated on Marsarct's ear,
and she managcd to change the sub
ject. 4
Yet it was true enough; the limp
| while drcss-ts,arch WAS not an article
i'll common, use in Lost Chance dig
g'ngs-clung 70 her shapcly firm, and
made her look go,l,lcss-lik in the eyes
of her admirers; to the contrary, not.
withstanding Miss Tcmpkins' remark:
"Ihat dress looks like rag"
The women who sat upon the rough
benches around Mckintry's barn bore
little love 70 Margaret; her only dc.
fender was Matte Holmes. Years
ago, when little Joe had walked out
nearly to the end of the dizzy plank
which had been used in some primi-
tive way for raising hay into the burn
loft, Margarcts eyes and Margarct's
smile had won him back. and the
spring Of gratitude bubbled up in
Mattie's heart ever after; all the more
because little Joe had sickcned and
died The summer after and no one
could do aught for him again.
When Cranbourne first met Mar
Garet and evidently felt the charm Of
her eyes, Matte told him This story,
and it fingered i'll his memory, SO that
every time lie saw her there were
moments th t he f;.ncied that lie saw
IN her facsthe same look which had
coaxcd the little boy back f;lom his
pcrilous place, when one startled " ord
would have caused his death.
Al the close Of the ball Granbourne
asked Matte how her friend was
going to get home.
father and arc going with her."
was The answer.
Won't do rs wcll?' he asked,
coaxingly. Your father don't want
to take that long walk
"Of course you will" said Maggie,
delighted. I'll tell pa"
Margarcts checks and eyes lighted
up alike when he asked her, and a
smothcrcd thought went iiom her
heart to licavcn-a albeit SIcKintry's
barn was hardly the ,,lacc to pray in
THANK you, my Father"
And when, the walk over, she won't
into her tiny room, she fell upon her
knees with u feeling that she had
never dreamed Of before. 'Oh, nv
Father, il it could be -
And so tic weeks slipped into
months, and Margaret began TO feel
that youth and love made up tho sum
Of life; she could have fallen down
and kissed his very footprints when
he went away from the cottage door;
anu one night lie put his arms around
her and told her that hc loved her.
Tee Strange company in which
Gomez had been suspected Of riding
had become strong and daring; house
alter house lNt been surrounded. The
men and women tied or shot, and the
contents rilicd Amurlcr ofpcculiar
atrocity committed by these Spanish
bandits had caused the formation orn
vigilance committee, in which was
enrolled the name ofevery able bodied
man in Last Chance digging, and the
nclghborhood. Cranbournc, who had
conc there in search Of novelty and
excitement, was among tho first TO
volunteer and tho very next day they
were 10 60 off upon their first quest.
Margaret had trembIcd for lis safo.
ty. lie could SEQ so plainly that she
/ f, = .