The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-02-15
MY ~RTATI

! had plenty of beaux when / was
young, and liked that very well. How
ever, | had heart enough at bottom, and
when Stephen Lashlcy asked ne to
marry him, in the end ! consented
though ! kept him in suspense along at
first.
Neither Steve nor | were rich. My
father had sufficient income to keep the
family in a good style of living; but he
saved nothing, and | could expect moth
ing from him when ! married. Steve
had just begun to practice medicine, and
was sCruggIing as young doctors must,
There was a pretty house just outside
the town that Steve and ! had our eye
on for a long time, and | had promised to
become his wife IA soon as he could call
it his own.
BY dint of such struggling and econ
0my AZ | never could have guessed, he
had put by enough for the first payment,
and was plodding patiently on toward
the second and last.
| can sec now what a selfish creature
! was, what a wretch, indeed, to please
myself with the batteries Of others while
Steve was working 30 faithfully for me,
That sounds as though | wasn't going
to marry Steve for love, but was.
Our town was something of fash
ionable resort for summer boarders and
many of the people were in the habit OF
taking bOarders then. Father had al
ways objected to our doing so but this
summer Of which ! speak he fell in with
n stranger, as he was returning from a
long ride in the country, who having
shared his pheton with him during the
homeward drive, succeeded in 50 in
gratiaLing himself with my father that
he allowed him to board with us.
The stranger was very much in my
line-distinglished looking, possessing
IN eloquent pair OF eyes, nearly the
color ofmy own, and having a propen-
sity to saying "pritty things that was
Just delicious to a girl Of my turn. 1t
was such fun to draw him out, and then
laugh mt him to pretend pleasure then
shvness; to invite and repulse in the
same breath. 1t was n genuine Irritation,
as much 20 to him as to me.
Steve came often to see me, but he
did not see me alone, and he never stayed
late.
Steve's sister Marian and | were init.
mate, and spent much time together.
Poor Steve enjoyed my visits to Marian
much better than he did seeing me any
where else, and | liked it too, AZ much
because of seeing him as Marian. 1T was
then Il miserable piece of heartlessness
for me to permit Mr.. Fordyce, the
stranger, to accompany me thithcr,
thus p%arading, M it were, my conquest,
and the accomplishments and attractions
of Steve's new rival, in the most dis
agreeable manner possible.
Steve was good-naturcd, and kept this
disappointment tohimself, but he did not
like Mr.. Fordyce, and he was quite alone
in that, Everybody liked Mr.. Fordyce
but Steve. He was an immensely popu-
lar man in our small community, enter
ing ~ be did with such genuine yea
into all our interests, and bearing himsel
gcnially towards all.
When Paron Hammond, who lived
nearest to liz, lost n valuable horse IRON
his stable. and came over TO our house
TO see about pursuing the thief, MIR,
Fordyce, though he had Just got home
from Il jaunt with some friends which
kept him almost of the night, insisted oil
being one of the pursuing party, and
indeed, quite led it. 1t was the same
when Mr.. Dudevant's shop was broker
open and robbed. Mr.. Fordyce wen
over and over the ground, and CAV,
shrcwder guesses az to how the robbery
had been managed than anyone else
When other thefts of Il similar nature
and also of lesser degree, continued /,
vex and puzzle US from Rtime to time, i
was Mr.. Fordyce who insisted on sever,
measures, prevailed on the authorities
to offer large rewarGs for the apprehcn
sion OF the offenders, and made himsel
80 active in the matter as to win the
gratitude of the whole town.
lie often Joined our social gathering
and lie came the life of them. ] wa.
quite envicd in having his escort Sc
frequently, and the rumor was very
soon circulated that we were engaged
Steve and | had some words on the sub
Ject several times; aud because it wat
~ unusual for him to insist in such
matter, resented it when he did; and
the more suspected myself to be wrong,
the more | resolved | would not own il.
/ detected Steve's dislike of Mr. For.
dyce, and taxed him With It. Steve
said nothing, but he only shook his head
and looked gravely at me when | praised
him. He never said worse about Mr.
Fordyce than that he did not believe i,
him. Steve objected to my intimac
with him on rather general grounds, an
/ answered in such an illlempered MAJ
ner that Steve, not being ice, and Fin
struch fire and retorted angrily for I'll
first time in all u acquaintance. III
result was a serious coolness. Ste,
apslogized for his part the next day, bl
/ listened c,oly and retained my ange
| flirted with Mr.. Fordyce more de
perately than ever after that, but Il
affair had really lost all ia relish for m
went recklessly on my foolish cour-
ain Mr.. Fptdyee In ~ many words n-k'
mr ir marry him, I fo not know VII.