The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-05-02
VOLUME XI.

I As"NAe luz ANltAt - ANNulNs W q ullknl
as well harness doves 60 draws, or burn
rose-huds IN our CRATES. Every work
has its own workers, NY dear child.
there are two rules for practical life
first the greater must not be sacrificed
b. the less, and second" Here Willie
was going 81 quote CARLYLE at length,
bat he recollected that he was talking to
girl, and he modified the grand sen
tences of the philosopher ending in,
Know what thou canst work at, into,
"And YOU should do, Re,iolette, what
you can do best Now If you can really
do nothing better than cook, then that is
your work. But in this age Of the world
you art not forced; You can have choice;
and You must remember that we are hv-
ing in the time Of sewing machines and
scientific cooks. There is no need of
immolation IN those departments Of In
bOr. We are living in time" Willie
hesitated in the midst of his elouuence,
aurried by n little thing. very little
thing; Just the toucn of his hand by
Rtdolette's-an action softly, shyly
done, but causing him to descend from
his speech 10 look into her face. He
paused for moment. enchanted by the
serious sweet gaze Of her dark eyes
liked upon his. But he recovered him
self and went on "Do you know what
age of the world You belong 20. Redo
lette? You have no right 10 60 back "a
an age that you we're not born in; You
have no right to marry 4 man who be-
longs exclusively TO that age, and avail
yourself Of nothing that has occurred
since in the great march OF progress.
You can 60 back if You desire it You
are free you live in free land. But
if Won do not desire il, il You feel that
there is something in You higher than a
life of drudgery, unhghted by liberty
that makes drudgery divine unhghted
by love-and oh ! Redolette, You do not
know what You are relInquishing when
you relinquish the possibility Of love
If you feel stir in your pulse that beats
with what is highest and nearest true in
the time We live in, darling Redolette "
/ this time the emphasis was lald with
sufficient stress to compensate for the
I former restraint), "then | would die
7 thousand deaths rather than see you
met in these woods by a selfish soul,
like Red Riding hood by the wolf, and
lurei into a thatched hut, and eaten
up, with no ear 10 hear your poor inno-
. cent cry Of Oh. what big eyes you've
got and, Oh, what sharp teeth you've
got >"
Willie was excited now. He fright
ened Redolette. She sprang up before
Z him with a low cry-a genuine cry of
pain, like hurt child. A sudden pallor
swept her face; the paleness IS of a
vsman's pang swept her childish face.
/ Then Willie took her in his arms, and
called her his precious love, and soothed
/ her with his tenderness, as he had
/ aroused her with his wrath. And then
and there, in the mountain solitude,
witnessed only by lonely height and
I lonely wood and lonely earth and sky,
! he made her make one solemn promise.
/ Not the promise that his heart burned
10 have her make. For what he wished
so arlently, that nothing before OF
after could compare In ardor with that
hours wish, was 10 make her promise 10
be his wife. He reminded himself that
he had no right to do this. He Was
young fellow not vet graduated from
college; and after his senior year, Just
commenced, there lay before him
course Of professional study, and then
the establishing of his professions prac-
tice, for his patrimony WAS by no means
commensurate with his wants. He had
no right to ask her yet.
He only made her grant q promise
formed disinterestedly and exclusively
for her good.
~ 4i,;s .;,,,s ,h a, .,,,, ia sat Cbolo--g
mingled with shadows The air gathered
that strange pure cool which seems TO
blend and at the same instant define the
precious woodland scents. The soft
rustic of leaves, the twitter of sleepy
birds, the faint crashing sough of "the
long rank bent" as they entered the
fields, the infnitesimal fine yet clear
sounds of the summer night rasped not
unmHsically BY the tiny sharp cries and
beating hum OF the insect world--these
were the vocal sccompaniments of the
homeward way, for Redolette and Willie
hardly spoke. Clasping each others
hands they went down the rocky sleeps,
and across the meadows home.
And at the garden gate he kissed her
goodnight and kissed her "good
by, for on the morrow he was TO leave
the mountain farm, and she would not
see him again.
Redolette fingered in the porch some
time before she entered the house. She
watched Willie's figure pass down the
road, and disappear at the river turn;
then she thought and thought. And
when she went into the lighted room
where Judge HUT sat in his armchair
reading the evening news, Aunt Rhoda,
looking up from her needle-work to greet
the child with some reproof for staying
so late, let reproach die on her lips.
Such a strange new look was on Redo
lette's face
"She never was the same GIRL" her
aunt said, long afterward, when this
evening was remembered as part of the
story of a life, "never the same girl
after that walk TO Block Height. But
l never see her" (Aunt Rhoda's gram
mar had grown rusty with her drudging
life) "1 never SEQ her look so beautiful
and so proud-like as she did when the
Judge got up from the chair and was
agoin' to give her a kiss. She drew
back her head like queen, and just put
out her hand for his lips; and he stared
at her, astonished, moment, and then
kissed her fnger-tips. Redolette, said
he, you've been imprudent; you've got
chilled through; your hand is as cold as
ice That was Just all he thought about
it, but women is more keen; and says
10 myself, that very minuit, Yes, she's
caught chill, and she's caught afever,
the fever may last or Il may notS but
the chill she's caught II last her the rest
of her life.
There comes into almost every eR-
perience a night that, for its very dis
tinction Of darkness and gloom and
binding fright, is counted ever after
ward as "the night"
Such a night came to Redolette. 1t
was the hour that Willie had anticipated
when he made her make a solemn prom
ise "for her good"
A night OF storm, OF wild wind and
drenching rain. But wind and rain
seemed feeble elements in comparison
with the cruel anger, the passionate up
braiding, and pitiless threats that formed
the actual dark pre-eminence Of the
eventful night.
One bright scene stood out in relief
against the stormy background-the
opening Of a door in answer to faint,
despairing knock a beaming home
room, warm with fre-light and gay with
cheerful lamps; kind faces, kind voices,
sympathy, encouragement, help. So
every dark night-even the darkest
has its friend.
Before morning dawned Redolette,
urged with all the gentle and firm aid OF
mrl,snh oh hnI LII