San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-08-03


, tude began to praise his young col
, that was pasturing in a field adjoining
our garden, and he remained with me
, Shortly after, when he found that a quee
feeling in his head agreed with the sam
discomfort in my own poor Uranium
he brought a chair behind the counter
and in low tender voice he detailed t.
me the interesting diagnosis OF his pc
malady.
On the other side of me the minister
son, who was home from college, ant
suffering from that period of egotisn
which comes to young men OF his kind,
remained during the entire evening, to
show his contempt for the young, the
fair, the frivolous. A few old married
friends, whose wives were sick or away,
lowered about the grocery counter, SC
that it really did happen that l was sur
rounded by men. The evening was
passing pleasantly enough. My dark
corner was we'll patronized, and every
woman who has to do with church en-
tertainments will understand my graft
fication and relief when l found it was
nearly 10 O'Clock and all was well. At
this time letter was put into my hand
by one of the little post-office messen-
gers-we always made feature of the
post-oflice at our festivals, where pink
and parti-colored missives, with doves
and other doting designs upon the en-
velopes, were distributed at extrava.
CANT rates of postage. I had just been
favored with liberal offer from GUS
toner, and, elated with my bargain,
proceeded to put up my bundles, not
giving much heed to the love-letter from
the neighboring booth. Truth to say, l
felt little tingling of the blood at the
idea of the mockery that might be con-
cealed therein by one of those witty vii
lage youths, and the letter lay there for
full half hour, when somebody said,
in the most commonplace way,
$50 Jack Hunter is back from
China"
In moment every thing was black
before me. 1 dropped my hands and
my eyes to the counter, and when this
sudden dizziness was gone, / saw upon
the little tawdry envelope jacks scrawl-
ing handwriting. Here was the little
line 1 had coveted all these years, and
this is what my half-blinded eyes made
out:
81 came home because was mad to
see you-because all these years, and
your old pertidy, couldn't kill my love
for you. l find you just as expected
to, in q space small enough to be filed
outside and inside with-men. You are
as beautiful and fascinating as ever, and
as fond of admiration. hear that you
are about to be married to the grocer at
your elbow, who so engrosses your at
tention that you do not care to look at
the passers-by. God help him, and God
bless you! Ihave had my lesson. Now
I shall, perhaps, be satisfied. Good-by."
Five minutes after that was running
home, without my hat, and with his note
crumpled up in my hand. The people
at the festival no doubt thought that
mamma was taken suddenly ill. They
could not have fancied I was running
after Jack, because he had been there
at the church for an hour, and had
been totally unconscious of his presence.
Dear Heaven! how could it be that 1
didn't know, that something didn't tell
me, that didn't feel he was near meP
But didn't. 1 went on talking to
the grocer about a remarkable opera
ton for an ulcer that he had undergone,
when Jack must have been only a few
rods away! I ran down the road, my
heart in my throat. Fortunately, the
village street was deserted. Every
man, woman, and child were at the fes-
tival, except those who could not be out
at all; so ran on unchecked, dim
fear gaining weight with me that Jack
had not unpacked his trunk, and was off
to China again within the hour. But
when reached his house, which was
next door tony own, saw him sitting
out on the balcony smoking cigar,
with his feet perched upon the railing.
But his face grew very pale in the
and his feet clattered quick
ly down upon the porch when he saw
me run in at the gate. The cigar fell
from his lips, the ashes tumbling over
his broad white waistcoat.
WHY, thank God,n he said, "this |