The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-03-27
spoken out beforel But his own pride had


/ could not convince Lizzie that she had any
/ right to draw back. She had given her
/ word, and she held herself bound by it,
persistently declaring that he must not talk,
/ or she listen. So at last he gave up in de-
/ SPAR, and the two walked home in gloomy
/ silence.
! In Byfeld everybody's affairs are known
/ to everybody else; and so it was but q few
/ days before the whole neighborhOOd was
/ informed of Lizzie's engagement to Robert
/ Jocelyn, and by some mysterious agency,
known only to rural communities, the secret
/ of Mark Boynton's love aud disappointment
/ was also generally understood. The circum-
stances created kind of excitement. The
| general opinion was that the two young
people were being sacrificed 10 the wishes of
their elders; and sympathy was strongly
/ with them. as always where true love is
crossed. The young people blamed Lizzie
for her want of hrmness; but parents, in
terested perhaps in the cause of authority,
exonerated her and censured those who
were taking advantage of her filial duty.
! Robert, too came in for his share of SYM
pathy. The sad story of his love for Phoebe
was well remembered; and there was not
wanting some romantic souls who thought
it fitting that the daughter should compen-
safe him for the pain her mother cost.
OF course all the nelghborhood gossip was
known to Mrs. Ezra, but she took good care
that very little oft should come to Roberts
ears. She had made up her mind that she
knew what was best for Lizzie, and she did
not mean TO let her plans fall.
And Robert, Was he ignorant of the state
OF things? He might have seen, but he
would not. He heard. it said that Lizzie
loved Mark Boynton, and he would not be-
lieve'it Had he not loved her all his life as
. no young man could? Had he not a right?
He had missed happiness once, and row it
was again within his grasp who should say
IL I 4. a L. ALL
be happy She loved him already; she
would love him wholly when she was his
K wife. That other was passing fancy. He
shut his eyes to the evidence of her pale and
sorrowfuI face, silenced all inward remon-
STRANGE, and held his way.
The preparations for the marriage were
rather hurried forward. Mrs. Ezra thought
/ the sooner it was over the better. Lizzie
made no objection. Since il was to be, all
] times were alike to her. The day for the
wedding was fixed, and they only waited for
the regular three weeks punishment" one
I of the legal forms essential in those days
/ They were to be :'cried" for the first time on
that pleasant Sunday afternoon on which
this story opens. And Mr.. Beaman, whose
duty it was to perform that Office, stood up
before the congregation and published the
/ bans of marriage between Elizabeth Heath
and Mark Boynton! No wonder the people
were thunderstruck, and that they moved in
silent amazement out of the church.
But once the crowd was fairly outside the
sacred edihce, COMMENT and question were
/ free. Mr.. Beaman was beset by inquiries
/ Ezra Jocelyn was there sngrily accusing
] him of wantonly insulting his daughter and
/ his brother. The Door man was completely
bewildered. He did not understand that
anything was wrong He had been called
4 upon by Robert Jocelyn to publish the
/ intention of marriage between himself and
I iv1ia Heath and no had dOnQ If
"Why, man alive" exclaimed bystander,
/ cit was not Robert Jocelyns name that you
/ called, but Mark Boynton's."
The unlucky clerk could not believe it
possible that he had made such mistake,
until the reiterated assertions of all his
neighbors convinced him. He could only
| explain it by the fact that he had thought a
| good deal of the peculiar circumstances of
the case-he had heard, he said. the woman
/ folks talking it Overland had pitied the
adverse fate of the two young people crossed
( in love; and he must have had Mark Boyn-
ton so much in his mind that be had spoken
the latters name unconsciously. A fine
| communication his blunder had made.
Mrs. Joycelyn, with flushed and angry
/ face, took Lizzie's arm and hurried her
/ away. She believed the whole thing was
trick of Marks; and she suspected that
Lizzie might be privy to it. But she pru-
/ IDENTIFY repressed her anger. until they
reached home, and there Lizzie quickly
escaped to her own room and locked herself
! in; so the good woman's lecture had to be
postponed.
+ AS for Mark Boynton, the last syllable of
the benediction was hardly spoken before he
was out of the house. Curious eyes followed
him, but no one had time to speak to him,
for he quickly sprang over stile leading
from the churchyard to a foot path across
the fields, and disappeared in the wood
/ beyond.
! But doubtless the saddest, the most pity
/ ing sympathy of the crowd went after Robert
! Jocelyn, Is, with face white and immove-
able as that of the dead, he moved through
the throng, which divided to let him pass,
and went away to home. He sat down at
the open window, through which the pen
sive autumn sunshine streamed in warm
and sweet, and burying his face in his hands,
remained for long time lost in gloomy
thought. Bitter memories crowded thick
upon him. The struggle in his soul was a
cruel one, bat 1t was the better part of him
which conquered. After a long time he
lifted his head, and drawing out his watch,
took from the inner part of the old fashioned
silver case lock of hair, faded now, but
once q bright warm brown. Over it lay a
little watch paper on which wac painted in
water colors wreath of forgmenots encir-
cling two clssping hands. Underneath
the whole was the name "Phmbe." He gazed
dI LneSc TREASURES long anu Sledully,
while the hard look of suffering went
out of his face, and his eyes grew tender and
moist with tears He leaned his elbow on
the window sill and looked out across the
happy autumn field to the churchyard where
for so many years poor Phoebe had rested
from her sorrows. Then his eye went on TO
his brothers house, from the door of which
he presently saw little Lizzie pass out and
take the path to the orchard. AT sight of
her his lip quiyered slightly; he heaved one
great sigh, ana then said, as if summoning
strength for some final resolution, Eyes, l
will go and tell her"
Poor Lizzie had thought her cup was full
before, but this day she was sure she could
bear no more; and escaping as soon as posi-
BILE from her mother, she sought the only
place where she was likely to be nninter-
rupted that she might cry her heart out
alone. She hurried along till she reached
her favorite seat beneath an ancient apple
tree, whose long branches dropped so low as
to almost touch the ground. On one side
was the wall, and on another a huge
barberry bush, so that she was al
I mosI entirelv shut from view and any one