Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-11-30


head"
"Well," said Janet, zone can over
look everything in man of your broth
er's culture. But what queer way
your country servants have of pushing
themselves. Wouldn't | make them
know their placesr'
And all this was said with the kitchen
door open, and with the intention of
wounding Huldah.
Johns castles tumbled. The erudite
wife alongside the silver tea-wn faded
out of sight rapidly. If knowledge
could not give touch of humane re-
gard for the feelings of poor girl toll
ing dutifully and seh-denyingly to sup
port her family, of what account was itp
Two minutes before he was about to
give his life to Janet Dunton. Now
there was gulf wider than the world
between them. He slipped out of the
best room by the outside door and came
in through the kitchen. The ncighbor's
sleigh that was to call for them was al
ready at the door and John begged
them to excuse him. He had set his
heart on helping Huldah make mince-
pies, as he used to help his mother
when boy. His sister was in despair,
but she did not say much. She told
John that it was time he was getting
over his queer freaks. And the sleigh
drove off.
For an hour afterward John romped
with his sisters children, and told
stories to the boys, and talked to his
father When n man has barely es-
capped going over q precipice he does
not like to think too much about it.
John did not.
At last the little children went to bed.
The boys went into the sitting-rOom and
went to sleep, one on the lounge and
one on the floor. Huldah was Just
ready to begin her pies. She was deeply
hurt, but John succeeded in making her
more cheerful. He rolled up his sleeves
and went to rolling out the pastry He
thought he had never seen sweeter
picture than the young girl in clean
dress and apron, with her sleeves rolled
above her elbows. There was u statu-
esque perfection in her well-rounded
arms. The heat of the fire had flushed
her face little, and she was laughing
merrily at Johns awkward blundcrs in
ie-making. John was delighted: he
hardly knew why. In fixing piG-crust
his fingers touched hers, and he started
as if he had touched a galvanic battery.
He looked at Huldah and saw half
painful expression on her flushed face
For the first time it occurred to him
that Huldah Manners had excited in
him feeling a thousand times deeper
than anything he had felt toward
Janet, who seemed to be now in an
other world. For the first time he real
lied that he had been more in love with
Huldah than with Janet all the time.
Why not marry her? And then he re-
membered what the Governor had said
about marrying wOman's heart and
not her head. He put on his hat and
walked out-out, out, into the darkness,
the drizzling rain, and the slush of melt
ing snow, fighting fierce battle. All
his pride and all his cowardly vanity
were on one side, all the irresistible
| torrent of his love on the other. He
walked away into the dark wood-past-
ure, trying to cool his brow, trying to
think and (would you believe it?) trying
to pray, for it was great struggle, and
in any great struggle true soul always
finds something very much like prayer
in his heart.
The feeling of love may exist without
attracting the attention of its pOssessOr.
1t had never occurred to John that he
could love or marry Huldah. Thus the
passion had grown all the more power
| full for not being observed, and now the
unseen fire, like a flash, appeared as an
all-consuming one.
Turning back, he stood without the
window, in the shadow, and looked
through the glass at the trim young
! girl at work at her pies. In the modest,
restful face he read the story of Il heart
that had carried great burdens patient
| ly and nObly. What glorious picture
she was of warmth and light, framed in
| darkness. To his heart, at that mo-
ment, all the light and warmth of the
world centered in Huldah All the
workd besides was loneliness and dark
ness and drizzle and slush. His fear
of his sister and of his friends seemed
base and cowardly. And the more he
looked at this vision of the night, this
revelation of peace and love and light,
the more he was determined to possess
it. You will call him precipitate. But
| when all mans nobility is on one side
| and all his meanness on the other, why
hesitate? Besides, John Harlow had
done more thinking in that half hour
than most men do in month.
The vision had vanished from the
window and he went in and sat down.
She had, by this time, put in the last
pie, and was sitting with her head on
her hand The candle flickered and
went out, and there was only the weird
and ruddy freight. cannot tell you
what words passed between John and
the surprised Huldah, who had thought
him already betrothed to Miss Dunton.
| cannot tell what was said in the light
of that fire; don't suppose Harlow
could tell that story himself.
Huldah asked that he should not say
anything about it till his sister was
gone. OF course John saw that she
asked it for his sake. But his own
cowardce was glad of the shelter
Next day brother of Johns (whom
forgot to mention before) came home
from college. Mrs. Holmes husband
arrived unexpectedly. Aunt Judith,
with her family, came over at dinner
time, so that there was large and
merry party. Two hearts, at least,
joined in the deacon's thanksgiving be-
| fore dinner with much fervOr
At the table the dinner was much adj
mired.
"Huldah," said Jane Dunton, Il
like your pies. wish | could hire you
to go to Boston. Our cook never does
so well.n
John saw the well-aimed shaft hidden
under the compliment, and all his man
hood rallied. AS soon as he could be
sure of himself he said:
"You cannot have Huldah; she is al
ready engaged
"How's that?" said Aunt Judith.
"Oh! I've secured her services, " said
John.
"What" said Mrs. Holmes, "en-
gagged your-yourIyOur help before
you engaged wife?'
mot at ALL" said John; engaged
my help and my wife in one. hope
that Hnldah Manners will be Huldah
| II. 4.