The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1878-02-21

.
In came Grantley, his face bright
with the outer cold.
Setting yourself on fire, mother?'
he asked. Il smell something scorch-
ing"
Its not my Dress" she answered
and busted herself with the teapot, and
rang the bell for the tea-things.
In came the girl with the tray. and
again Mrs. Webb had little fright.
ANY letter for me?" asked her son.
with an eager look in his face.
mo" she answered family. Did
you expect one?"
''NOt I, said he, his brOws contract
ing. But Imet the postman on the
hill, and he called out to ne to hurry
home and get my love letter. His joke,
Isuppose."
1t was impudent of him" ," said Mrs.
Webb, not daring to meet her sons
eye. That's a lOYe-letter, is il?"
She tossed him the tradesman's cir
cular. He glanced at it and put it
down.
How sad he looked. What gray tints
there were about his eyes and temples!
How much thinner he seemed than he
did week or so agOl
Was it all that quarrel with the Bur
docks girl? Would it have been better
that he should have had that mono
grammed note?
The mOtherput the thought from her.
She spread the little store of dainties
before her son and tried to make him
eat; and though she had been so fright
ened by his questions, she could not
help approaching the dangerous subject
herself.
Are you going out tonight" she
asked.
mo, "he answered; Il think not.
THE neighbors were telling me you
went over the hill 10 the Burdock's
rather often" she went on.
well, if I have, mother" he an
swered, "that is no sign 1 shall go
again.
"Well, there are better places than
The BurdOck's s, ,"said Mrs. Webb, land I
thought you'd never think of a girl
whose father quarreied with yours, and
may have the evil temper of her moth
er.. She's a firt, too, they say"
Then she bounced out of the room.
When she came back Grantley had gone
mp stairs.
She heard the boards Of his bedroom
floor creak as he walked up and down
for hours, but she did not see him again
that night.
"Wen, WELL" she said to herself,
''heW get over it."
But, whatever the feeling was, love,
anger, or grief, it did not agree with
Grantley Webb. lie grew thinner and
lie took less interest in that
which went on around him. He avoided
all the other young people Of the place,
and seemed to have neither youth nor
spirit left.
Could it be all about that girl Ann,
old Mrs. Webb asked herself, trying to
cheat herself into the idea that the boy
was only i'll.
But in vain she made him warm pos
sets and bowls of herb tea. Even if he
had drank them, which he did not, for
they all went to water the grass Of the
if he had drunk them,
they would have done him no good.
Only one thing could help him-the
only thing that seemed to him impossi-
BILE as he sat at his window, staring
through the starlit midnight at the
roof of the Burdock dwelling, never
guessing that under its caves Ann Bur
dock sat, at once angry and sorry,
of him and none other.
He had net answered her note; he
was uIiorgiving; but she had vexed
him. She was partly to blame.
The old lady in the rufiled night-cap
who often started from her sleep i'll
The big front bedroom of the Webb
home with a dream of letters that curled
up into tinder over the red coal-had
more on her conscience than she knew.
For though Ann grieved size did not
wear her heart upon her sleeve, but
was Outwardly gayer than ever, and
iirted as she never had before, until at
ast the same neighbor who had brought
he news of Grantley's love affair to
his mother, dropping into tea, gave
Mrs. Webb and Ter son bit of gossip
as they sat at the table together.
Ann BurdOck is going to be married
At last. It's that young man from
BIillet."
81 believe weddings when I see them
now" said Mrs. Webb.
but Mrs. BurdOck herself told me
This, said the guest.
When she was gone, Grantley, who
sat before the table still, with his elbows
upon it, dropped his head upon his
lrms, and there was a sound of quick
breathing.
For a little while his mother watched
lim. Then she went close.
"Grantley," ," she said, in a trembling
voice, what is it? What aiIs you?
Tell me-"
Its only that I'm fool, mother"
be answered.
'But-GrantIey, what about?"
He lifted up his young, worn face
hen, and answered.
Mother, don'tyOu know? 'sabout
Ann Burdock. It's been very hard to
Jear, but if she does marry anyone else
IL shall kill myself, think. Life
lUesn t seem worth having"
Life doesn't seem worth having, if
you can't have Ami" the mother said,
n a puzzled sort of way. but why,
what is there in beT?"
"What there never is in more than
me woman to any man, MOTHER" said
Somehow, from the far away years of
,outh, a memory came back to his
mother that helped her to understand
lin.
She felt that she had done very i'll, |
md if confession could do any good,
he would even confess. At least, if