St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-05-10

"Sister. She says people will call
me hght-m ed-and-imprOper, and
father will be angry-and-oh, indeed,
l musn't."
"Light-minded Improper Just let
me catch them !" thundered Erasmus
so far as one can be said to thunder
with voice lowered almost to whis-
per. "NOw listen to me, dear-dearest
Hilda. have great news to tell. My
patent is granted, my fortune as good
as made. Day after tomorrow l must
60 away"
A sob from below.
care you sorry to have ME go?
Dearest Hilda, are you sorry !? If you
are, even the least tiny bit, let me have
the comfort of hearing you say so.
Don't you know that l love you, my
darling. l loved you from the first mo-
ment, think-from the very day that
you all came to this old house. Could
you care for me, dearest? Will you be
my wife ?"
"Perhaps-I could care" faltered
Hilda. "But-my father doesn't"
"NOw why should we talk of your
lutuOL oiOhC III 6nC DCluodS lONCl
from overhead. eff 1 love you, and
you-like me, all the fathers in the
world shan't stand between us. My
way is all clear now, dear Hilda. l can
make you comfortable, and oh won't
I try to make you happy7 just say
'Yes,' and the rest is easy. Only one
word, dear lovew
sit might be easy to say 'yes,' per-
honct hnnon Hi1Ao Dr.
voice interrupted her:
''My daughter, what are you doing
here at this hour, and with whom are
you conversing ?" asked Pastor Lubke.
There he stood behind her, dim and
appalling shape. Hilda shivered-her
voice failed. Erasmus, his courage ris-
ing with the occasion, answered in her
stead:
'.She was speaking to me, Sir,-Or
rather it was who was speaking to her.
| was telling Miss Hilda what l should
have come this very evening to tell you,
Sir, if this opportunity had not arisen
that | have news which makes it need
full for me to go away, and that l can
not go without saying that love her,
and want her to be my wife, if she will"
His voice faltered and broke.
"And pray, Sir, who are you ?" asked
the pastor, grimly.
"My name is Erasmus Stockton. My
father was Judge Stockton, of Danbury
all my connections are respectable" )"
replied Erasmus, succintly. 81 can re-
fer you to people whom you know for
my character and prospects. have a
little money now, and Smith & Petrie,
of New York, have offered $4,000 for
an air brake of my invention, which is
just patented. l can afford to keep a
wife, Mr.. Llbke."
"And pray where have you learned
to take so great an interest ID my
daughter Hilda ~
cover this fence" answered Erasmus
stoutly. Pastor Libke gave grim lit
tie laugh.
''Such things are not to be settled in
a minute, my young friend" he said.
"YOuth is always in hurry. Hilda,
you had better go in. If you will follow
me to my study, Mr.-ahem Stock
ton, we will talk farther of this matter"
''FOllow" by way of the gate, was
what the good pastor meant and he
was by no means prepared for what
happened, namely, his young friends
vaulting the fence like an acrobat, and
gaining the garden at a single bound.
''Hurrah, darlingn he whispered to
Hilda as the pastor led the way through
the garden. "The fence is climbed. /
always vowed that I would get over
some day or other, and have"
And so it proved. There were some
bitches, some delays. Erasmus was
not allowed to marry Hilda next week,
as was his first wild DrODOsitiOn or even
next month. "Sister's" wheel buzzed
like great bumble-bee all summer
long, and busy fingers toiled over the
wedding outfit through winter days and
spring days, before Hilda was pro-
nounced by her family "ready" to be-
gin her new life. A years engagement
even seemed a disgracefully short one
to "Sister." Had not their own mother
been betrothed for seven before she
married papa7 But at last, spite of
delays and scruples, the long waiting
ended, and Erasmus bore away his
bride. He scandalized his sisters-in-
law greatly by proposing to carry her
over the fence, as the road by which
he himself had come in, but this was
overruled, and they departed prOsaical-
ly in hack, like other brides and
grOoms. And so we leave our little
pair, as likely, for all l can see, to ''live
happy ever after" as any prince and
princess of fairy tale. For fairy tales,
however fanciful, must strike their
roots always in solid basis of every
day cOntentment, and, given the con-
tentment, one can easily dispense with
the fairies.