The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-13
LETTY'S PROMISES.

LETTY'S PROMISES.
When Laurence Van Everen was about
to sail for the East Indies, he asked Lefty
to walk half an hour in the orchard with
him, which was wreathed and perfumed
with fruit blossoms.
1--WE {; request to make you, my dear
Lefty" he said, land I'm half afraid you
may think it a selfish thing to ask; in
deed, know it is, but yet, with the re-
nowned selishness of man, I not only ask,
I beg it."
"What on earth can it be-" said Lefty,
smiling. do you want to get me to q
nunnery till you return, or to travel
to Calcutta to marry you? Or do
you want me to give the cold shoulder to
Tom Longworthy, and promise never to
say so much as How do ye doc to him?"
For the gossips had said their say in Van
last voyage, to the effect that Longworthy
had taken advantage of his absence to be
sweet on Lefty, and that Lefty was by no
means averse to sweets, supplemented by
the assurance, "However, Tom isn't
marrying man, and if Lefty hadn't been
promised, he would have paid her no heed {;
Tom always goes in for safe thing"
But this philosophy by no means satisfied
Van Everen.
mo, Lefty it is none of these trifes,"
he answered; " it is something much more
important to my happiness"
"You know will do any thing to
please you"
you will? Then promise me this
thing-solemnly promise that ifany thing
should happen to me, if I should never
return, if should die-promise that you
will remain mine forever-that you will
never marry another Can you promise
this darling?"
Certainly. But you will come back
you mast. Why, should die myself if
you failed. There is no need Of such a
promise, but 1 give it all the same. I
promise solemnly that if you die I will
never marry"
"Thanks, =" said Van Everen, kissing
her cheek with an air Of having conferred
a favor. II have exactly five minutes
left in which to say good-by. There is a
great deal called love in this world which
is only propinquity; but one mustn't call
it loving, so the poet tells us,
Unless you can love as the angels may,
With the breadth Of heaven betwixt us
And you think you can, Letty?'
81 know it. Perhaps you mean to
commit suicide in order to test me.''
And then followed a few minutes of
tender nonsense, and Van Everen tore
himself away. leaving Lefty in tears.
What long long time it was to look for
ward to! How many storms would beat
along the coast, how many suns would
shine, mornings dawn, and evenings
again! In the meantime here was her
trosseau to finish; and she used to sit at
it hour by hour, with her thoughts away
on some distant reach of the Indian seas,
except when Tom Longworthy lo1tered IN
to help kill time. One morning he
brought her letter, which a sailor who
had spoken the Flying Scud, two months
out, had intrusted to him, and he looked
out the window while she read it, whist
ling "The long, long, weary day. softly.
Tom was really a comfort to her, in spite
of Van Everen's unreasonable jealousy.
He could tell her all about the long In
dian voyage, Of cyclones, Gains, and
trade winds-all about the great foreign
cities to which her lover was bound, with
their sunburncd natives, their strange
customs, their fantastic stufs, aud curious
architecture she felt as if she were
there herself. 1t was some months later
that Tom Longworthy came in with a
cloud on his face.
"You are ill?" said Lefty, regarding
him.
"Not at all, thank YOU; only i'll at
ease"
'Then you have some bad news"
eyes, have some bad ncws.'
"Nothing about Lairence?" she gasped.
II hope not"
"You hope not! For Heavens sake,
don't you k1so,c? What is it? Don't think
you are sparing my feelings. You are
cruelty"
"The Flying ,Scul-'
els lost?"
"Has foundered. But there's no Ger
tainty with regard to Laurence; he may
be among the saved. Lefty Lefty! don't
look at me as if had brought it about. I
, would exchange places with him gladly
for your sake: would. indeed!' he cried.
she left her needle where the i'll news
found it, and folded away all the we'd
ding garments. And month followed