The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-02-21
"No, Mr.. Hardwicke; / am not

me 60 change my mind. am sorry
| but"
She stopped short, unable to keel
her voice steady. The young man.
color blazed up.
"But you gave me your word tina
you would 60" he cried, indignant
"and you know had set my heart OF
it,"
81 cannot help it." she faltered.
cat the last moment you change
your mind, and disappoint me-" h,
went on, angry that she did not ex-
plain. 81 would not have believed 1t
There is some mystery here"
She made no answer. His anger in,
creased.
"lf you change so easily in one thing
you will in another" he continued ex-
citedly. 81 don't feel safe in trusting
you"
Withdraw your trust, then, Mr..
Hardwicke."
The quiet answer cut him like a keen
blade. He threw the hot-house bios
SONS at her feet, and turning OH his
heel strobe away.
But he could not rest. He tried to
dance, to Danish her face from his
memory, but in vain. Toward ten
O'Clock he left the drawing rooms, and
made his way out in the open air.
81 was an idiot to act as | did. She
looked in trouble, poor little thing !
She has some reason she cannot tell,
perhaps. I'll go back"
And back he started. On the edge
of the thicket which intervened between
the hall and the rectory, the sound of
voices arrested him. He turned in the
direction of the sound and clearly
recognizable in the white moonlight,
he saw Janet. She was hanging fondly
on the arm of tall, bearded man, and
speaking with fearful eagerness.
"Good-by, Ralph, darling! Don't
forget my last words"
81 won't Janet"
He clasped her close, kissed her again
and again, and was gone.
All the blood in Eugene Hardwicke's
body went seething to his brain. He
leaped forward like mailman.
"This is why you changed your
mind is it?" he cried, seizing the
girl by the arm. "You
wanted to meet another lover. But /
won't be triled with. No woman liv-
ing shall play fast and loose with me.
Our engagement had better end at
once"
A little flash lit up Janet's usually
dovelke eyes. She drew her figure up
with dignity.
"You have said quite enough, Mr..
Hardwicke. Our engagement ends
from this minute. Here is your ring,
and l bid you good evening""
The following morning dawned
cherries and stormy; but, despite the
bad weather, at an early hour Lillian
drove down to the rectory.
"What is it, Janet? she asked, enter
ing the little room where Janet sat at
her embroidery. "What is the trouble
between you and Eugene? He has gone
off this morning, we don't know where.
70 India, he says: But it can't be.
What has happened, dearH"
Nothing that can explain, Miss
Lillian. Mr.. Hardwicke could not
rust me, that was ALL"
And Miss Hardwicke was forced to
'eturn as she came, wholly unsatisfled.
After that the slow years drifted by,
lull and uneventful. What fiat affair
ife is when some cruel blight has
swept away all the bloom, and the dew
sparkle and left only the dull, bare
fields. But Janet did not repine. Like
he little brown birds in the hedges,
which chirp and futter, and keep
leart, in the midst of the winter frosts,
she was always cheerful and her will
ng hands never tired of work. And
work is the great panacea for all human
lis.
The summer roses bloomed and fell,
md winter SHOWS whitened the Blue
nils, and nothing happened to break
he quiet monotony Of life at the old
One autumn night when it was cool
enough to have a blaze in the chimney,
Janet sat sewing, while her father
wrote out his sermon for the coming
sharp rap resounded through
he quiet house.
"Who can it be that raps so loud and
10 late ?" said the rector, laying down
lis pen, and going to the door.
A tall figure pushed forward.
"Father! Fatherl"
For an instant the old man hesitated,
md then he opened his arms, and
obbed out:
my son ~
Janet flew to join them.
"Oh, Ralph! Have you Gomez"
"1've come, little one and I've come
I'll right this time. / couldn't forget
,our parting words. I've never touched
| card SINCE I've tried hard to do bet
er, hope. But here's an old friend.
Don't you know him? Father, Mr..
Iardwicke.
Mr.. Hardwicke entered. Janet's
leart beat wildly, but she met him
With a-serene face and a cool bow.
"He knows all" cried Ralph, "and |
las come for your pardon. Fate threw
is together, out there in India; he
aught the fever, and l nursed him;
IL 800 ,,s ,,,l,,, l,a "a bn ,,sng