Smyrna times., 1879-11-05
Hester'S Love Story.

Miss Payne was thirtyiiye il 4 day. but
she managed far hettrr than many Of those
who were girls with Ter, to keep some of
the old freshness IN the roses of her
checks, and the Old brightness and luXu-
rience in her brown hair. And il must bca |
very homely woman who doesn't look ycii |
with good, fresh color in her checks and !
plenty OF brown hair to add It's charm to
her face. And Miss Payne had never been !
homely.
She had been the prettiest girl i'll lLartiy |
once, and had always held her own as one
of the prettiest woman in the neighbor-
hood And when | tell you that, you will
begin to wonder how she happened to be
Miss Payne still. There was little ro-
nance about it. She had a lover whom
everybody expected she would marry. In
deed, she had expected as much herself,
but in some way things went wrong and
there was II quarrel, and lie went away and
had never been back again. And she had
remained Hester Payne ever since. Not
because she had had no chances to change
| her name. Oh, no. There had been plenty
of them. But she preferred to stay single.
She had a snug little home and could
afford to live as she chose to, and 50 she
told those who came to WOO that she could
not say yes to their proposals and every
body had made up their minds that Miss
| Payne had decided to live and die an old
maid.
She was thinking of old times this morn
ing as she rolled out her flaky curls.
| Fifteen years ago she had been getting
ready for picnic, just as she was doing
now. But there was another in the kitchen
| then-a young man with n handsome face
and laughing eyes, and she remembered
how saucily he interfered with her work
and how she threatened to shower him
with the contents Of the -four bowl if he
didn't behave himself; and he had dared
her to put her threat into execution and
she had kept her word.
She could see him now as he stood that
morning, looking like veritable miller
with his eyes full of mischief as he begged
so humbly for her to dust it off And she
remembered, as if it happened yesterday,
how, when she had undertaken the job, all
of sudden he took her in his arms and
kissed her; and when she shook herself
away from him she was a sight to see, with
powdered hair and snowy eyebrows, and
cheeks as white as any ghosts.
And Just then her father had come in
and stopped in surprise on the threshold
looking from her to John with a twinkle in
] nlS C1C' MI AO 1dO W say was
"Seems to me you forgot to powder
spot on your check, Hester" and then he
went away chuckling, and Hester had pro
ceeded. to brush herself up, with sundry
threats of dire retrbution directed at the
culprit who had retreated to a position
outside, where he felt himself safe from
female wrath.
And the next day the quarrel cam
which had set his feet in paths far ava,
from that in which she had trod for ffteel
years, and in which she had expected I
tread until the end. And she thought
0 all over this morning with little sigh her
and there.
Her romance was not forgotten if it wa
kept out Of sight of curious eyes Yestel
day she had heard that the new preachc
was coming to the picnic. He was t
preach his first sermon on Sunday, an
everybody said he was a powerful preachp
and his name was Ashley. That was wha
set Miss Payne to thinking so much abou
old times, for her old lovers name ha
been Ashley.
"But of course it can't be him." she sal
to herself as she clipped the edge of he
pies "for he was one of the widest, mo
rattle-brained fellows | ever knew, and l..
sure there isn't anything about him tn
could be made into a minister. But
had one Of the kindest hearts in the worl
and | was the one to blame"
"Some one is coming here" called o.
n Susan her niece, from the bedroom
stairs.
@ "Where? Which way?" asked she,
in hutter.
Everything was in baking day confusio
and the room wasn't swept out yet, al
she couldn't attend to visitors until
cake was out of the oven.
up the HILL" answered Susan. "H
turnin' up"
"Dear mel what shall do?" exclaim
Miss Payne. "I'll have to take him in
the sittingroom and tell him | must
excused till my baking is done. If h
got family he'll know something abo
what a fix I'm in"
~ Click went the gate. Miss Payne dust
off her hands, smoothed her shining ha
gave her collar a witch and was ready
answer the visitors knock.
The man who stood there was probal
forty years old. He had a minister's C,
on, but there was nothing very minister
i'm looking about him.
Something in the laughing eyes that n
hers as she opened the door made
start and turn pale.
dester Iaynei I'm pretty sure,
said, crossing the threshold.
"Yes, sir" she answered, with lii
an catch in her voice, "and you"
Don't you know me?" he cried, 9"
John Ashley, didn't suppose I'd cham
SO much that an old friend wouldn't
1rr cover some familiar look abopt me.
should know you anywhere"
MS. "rm glad to see you john" she s
giving him her hand with very SUSPECT
IRE, moisture in her eyes. "Ive been thi
CO, ing Of you, for they said the new minist
- name was Ashley. 1t can't be that 20
w. the one, can it'll"
s. Co. "Tm the man." he answered will
r,, =, twinkle Of humor in his eye. 81 d
suppose it seems possible to you, or
one else that used to know me, that
TN al become a minister, but il is so. 1t Sc
as strange to me as any one else,
honestly believe God had work for nj
-~--. do, and I'm trying to do it as best ] C
he added earnestly.
VII, I'm glad of it," she answered.
always said you'd steady down, but IL
thought you'd be q minister, john"
Ao- "That's right" he said heartily" ,
90 making me anybody but John; PM
same man you used to know, come bac
stf renew old friendship and do the work
. undertaken and don't want anybod
Viii. insist on my going about clothed in
awful dignity supposed to belong