The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-10-11

Peleg has gone of, gal, z he ssid,
steruIy, dunno where. II it's to per-
difion, y0& have got to answer for It at
| the Judgment seat Jane Ross, be hxn't
ln0 mother, and nOWoman had any hold
on him but you. That hold is l0osed,
and the good Lord help him. =
And with these words in her ear
Jane Ross drove away with Mrs. n Ma
honey Middlcbury, whose latest within
| it had been to make a pet Of the fresh,
rosy country lass, whose ndmtfing eyes
| had followed her SO fatteringly when
ever she trailed her silken robes, or
lolled whiting her pretty carriage where
those eyes could see her.
Mrs. Middlebury took her pet to the
city, and rushed with her to the mo-
| distes, and to the hair-dressers, and to
| the shoemakers, and to dancing school,
| feverish with the hope Of making her
new doll gorgeous; and Jane did for q
while feel happier than she had ever
felt in her life. Months passed-four,
| five, six, seven, then suddenly she awoke
one morning thinking OF Peleg; found
that she could not drive him from her
mind; remembered his kindness, his
rustic wooing, his true love; his agony
when she deserted him; and wept. Re-
membered, too, the kindly country folk,
whose hearty welcome had no counter
part in the circle in which she moved;
and the breezy riverside and the green
woods, and the field, and Peleg again
at work there in his shirt sleeves. Re-
membering the meeting house, and the
white-haired minister, and Peleg again
holding the hymn-book for her with his
large hand. ooh! his dear, dear,
rough red hand,'' sobbed Jane. "Oh!
the kind, good hand.'' And as Peleg
hod thrown himself on the grass, SO she
flung herself upon the Ieoss-soft carpet
of her boudoir.
That day she wrote note and sent it
by stealth, since Mrs. Middlebury would
have objected severely, to old Uncle
Caleb. She asked two questions in it;
one was, What is Peleg doing now?''
the other, :. Has he forgiven me?''
| The answer came one day. 1t ran
thus:
JANE Ross: Perhaps you are sorry for what you
have done, You had ought to be-; I've never seen
pess ons We pa oT l. H hs
most like. I've heard Of one, Of his name dom
that. don't expect him back no more; and it's
only az Christian that can even Try tS forgive
most like, until the end of all things.
They told me q story when was a child of a
man that warmed frozen snake in his bosom;
| of that snake.
Jane wassill for days after this note
came, but once better, she flung herself
in reckless sort of way upon her new
| life for comfort.
Little came of it. There were more
dashing girls, who eclipsed her; there
were beautiful girls who made her feel
plain and coarse. Men she admired never
looked her way; men she despised fol-
lowed her like her own shadow.
Mrs. Middlebury, firing of her pet,
would have rid herself of her elegantly
and commercially by marrying her to
one of these men, old enough to be her
father, and fashionable club-room sot
And again Peleg, wholesome and fresh,
with breath like new-mown hay, and
eyes that turned upon woman kindly
and purely-oh such eyes! how rare
they are-eyes that a woman can meet
unblushingly, with no shame in meeting
them-Peleg arose before her, and the
lines she had quoted, those sad true
lines, rang in her ears once more:
:" For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these, II might hare BEEN
Poor Jane grew pale and careworn
between thought and corsets, remorse,
late hours, and chicken salad.
So the day of Mrs. M'Mahoney Mid
dlebury's grandest party came. More
dress, more show, more competition,
more assumption of European absurd
tiles. more of that now unbearable at
tention from that elderly edition of
Champagne Charley, probably; and
Jane. with the stereotyped smile of So
ciety ON her face, was ready for it all.
But her heart was heavy. and her head
ached. and her soul was empty; and
Remorse cripped her tight with his
iron hand, and whispered. Peleg, Peleg.
Peleo! in her rose-leaf ear.
The quests were gathering. when
mysterious signals from the colored
chambermaid 1ured the hostess into the
hall. and in a moment Jane was beck
oned out:
"Here's a dreadful contre tennis, y,
said Mrs. Middlebury. civilian is
drunk. He's been insulting the quests
;is he opened the door. and now he is
flat on the kitchen floor, and every one
is busy, and no time to get a new per-
son for the door. unless Nancy's sup-
gestion is a good one. don't know
what we shall do. Tell her, Nancy
GA person is in the kitchen, Miss, =
said Nancy, "a soldier with one arm,
that has fought the Iniuns. He's beg
GIN his way home-and-I say, maybe
he'll put on Williams coat and open
the door. The most ignorantest person
can open a door proper
g Go and see if he is fit, love,n said
Mrs. Middlebury. "rll give him five
dollars for it, if he is. He must put on
Williams coat though. I shall dis
charge William tomorrow. Oh, dear!
I'm wanted. Go, love-
And Jane Ross followed Nancy to
the Kitchen.
This is the person, Miss said
Nancy.
And tall, gaunt form, with an emp
ty sleeve, turned toward her. For a
moment it seemed strangers face she
looked upon; the next. she knew that
it was Peieo's. He knew her also.
q Your home?'' he cried. Yours !,
let me pass-let me gor' But she, re-
CARELESS of the gaping servants, caught
his wrist in both her ieweled hands and
sohbed
.No Pe,eo No don,t leave mo 90
NV dear old Peler sball die If vo,,
Sneak to m me- that s Won for forgive me
=
He stonned then and locked at her
Che L,,a,iy tbat III Ia, ,.,;th -. aa5