The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-02-23

was miles away, and Mezahab would
not return for four or five days-for
week, perhaps
Money had been left him. He would
be rich enough to marry Discordia at
once; as soon, at least; as popular opin-
ion permitted after death in the |
family" But Mezshab was too much |
of man to feel covetous of dead mems |
shoes, even when they had been shuffied |
off; and Discordia would have felt it
wicked to feel any pleasure as yet. The |
two parted very seriously.
Poor old grand-dad," said Mezahab, |
FUSED to be very good to me, Cordy. |
Rode me in the hay-cart, and gave me |
a jack knife when / went to see him."
You must try to make up your mind |
that he's better of, Mezzy," said Cordy, |
trying to say what was proper. And
not word did they say about being
better off themselves. And when Meza-
hab was gone, Discordia resolved not to
smile while he was in the midst of family
trouble. However, at eighteen, smiles
are natural to healthy, happy girl, and
when some girl-friends came that very
afternoon to ask her to go bathing,
though Cordy said "she didn't think it
was right" Mrs. Peck called out:
Why, Cordy, what goose you are
Why shouldn' you battle? Because Mez
Dunn's grant Their is dead?
And Cordy, not to be laughed at, went
with the girls. But the bath did not do
her much good. She returned as pale as
ghost, and with her finger deliberately
wrapped up in piece of her new hand
kerchief. And that night she cried her
self to sleep, and the next day-yes, and
for many days after-she was sad ia
stead of CHEEKY, and answered what was
said to her in the briefest manner.
To any question put to her, however.
she only seplied:
~ don't think it would be right for
me to be happy when Mezzy has gone to
his grandfather's funeral"
Meanwhile, Mezahab was on his home
ward way.
He felt very sorry when he looked at
the dead face of his grandfather, and
had read his age on his coffin plate
ninety.
He had choked little, and had a
lump in his throat, when he saw his
father cry, and he had felt that it was
rather mean thing. to sit down and
hear the old mans will read.
But now that it was over, and he knew
thathe had two Thousand of his own,
and more holidays together than he had
ever had before, and remembered he
would so soon marry Cordy, he could
not feel very miserable; and when they
stopped for dinner at a roadside tavern,
he walked out with cigar in his mouth,
and began, Involuntary, to build air
castles, in which a little home of his
own, painted white, with green shutters,
occupied prominent place, and he had
even gone to the length of putting up a
porch-Cordy liked house with good
porch-when voice at his ear said
"Shan't l tell your fortune, mister p
And turning, he saw at his side a
dark and dirty little woman with a baby
on her back-a gypsy woman, though
Mezahab did not know it, for no gypsies
had ever camped near his home-a poor,
squalid thing, not in the least like the
gypsies of the ballad.
But though Mezahab had not heard of
gypsies, he knew about fortune tellers.
There was one at home, and the girls
went to her slyly of winter evenings,
and she was reported to tell true" SO
not one whit astonished, he looked down
at the woman from his height of six
! feet, and said:
"Thank-ee; my fortunes told. Pve
, jest had it left me in a will don't
need to know about it."
eyes, but there's other things than
money" said the woman. "That pretty
girl you are in love with, mister"
ooh, that's told, too" said Mezahab,
with a laugh; "She's got my engage
ment ring on her finger"
! And he turned away.
! There was no money to be got from
Mezahab, that was plain, and the gypsy
, was furious. In her wrath she launched
a random arrow.
!, "Your ringw cried she. "Why she's
! given it away to another man. You look
. out for that girl; she's regular firt."
, Il say" cried Mezahab =" say"
: But the gypsy had hurried away
"PshawP said Mezahab, ~ amt such
fool as to mind her."
, But he knew he did mind her.
} He knew that from that moment he
could think of nothing but of getting
home to Cordy and making very sure
that she still had the ring upon her
finger.
, When he did appear in the low door
way of the Pecks' kitchen the next day,
Discordia was on her knees before the
fire making toast.
J Daylight was fading, and tea was on
the table.
She arose and ran to meet him, and
he kissed her.
, The forefnger of her left hand was in
its work-day guise, wrapped in a piece
, of muslin.
OF course the ring was under the
, wrap, but Mezahab felt that he should
like to see it, and it was hard to wait
until tea was over. He had no appetite.
nor did it improve his condition to see
that Cordy had none either.
How pale she wasl How often she
looked down.
Mezahab felt, as he inwardly ex-
pressed it, " like he had the chills."
But tea was over at last, and the long
talk with the elder Pecks, and now came
the time when Cordy and he sat together
in the parlor.
Then, with an inward shivering worse
than ever, Mezahab turned to Discordia.
Seems to me you keep your finger
well wrapped up this evening, Cordy,"
he said
Cordy's lips quivered.
ooh, Mezzy!" she said. "There,
now; the first thing, just as l said to
myself, Mezzy. Eve lost the ringl /
went to battle with Ray and Mamie last
Thursday; somehow / didn't want IN