Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-02-04

ing so assiduously. He stirred up the
ashes on the hearth, and almost made up
his mind that 'he warn't going to give
her another chance at him." but Cynthia
| dropped her cotton-ball, and Seth, not ris-
| ing from his chair, stretched out his long,
lank arm, and picked it up. He touched
| her hand, as she took it back, and an
electric shock thrilled through his veins,
and made him feel ''all over-ever so, " as
| he some time afterwards expressed the
sensation to me.
Miss Cynthia, may be you are fond Of
maple candy7'
very, said she.
| "Well, now," said Seth, rising, ''the
next time come, III try and bring you a
great gob.
| But as he rode home, behind his old
| farm mare, he said to himself, 81 reckon l
| amt going back to court a gal who sees a
feller in fix, and never helps him." And
| sure enough, he never did return. Miss
| Cynthia lost her richest lover, and many
| folks, even to this day, believed she wished
him back again. 1t is the way of women
to want the thing that can't be had At
least, so men say Gf not in practice, in
| theory, and Cynthia mouth watered
| dare say, for many week after, for that
| COB of maple candy.
| The MoRAL.-Let every man, oh pretty
| girl, pay court to you in his own way, and
| not in your way, and help him out at that,
| being sure, however, that you are in
| harmony with his mode of procedure.
Never disturb icecrea when it is going
| to freeze; nor lift the pot as it begins to
boil; nor make false step and get out of
time, when your partner is meditating a
| reUers in the deaT temps, or the polka.
Many declaration of affection has been
frightened off by some wrong note sung in
| the treble of the duet, which put it out of
harmony.
Cynthia, though so pretty girl, and so
experienced in the art of saying no." to
an offer of marriage, had yet good deal
to learn in her own craft; aud, indeed, no
experience ever primes a woman for the
decisive moment Each case must be met
on principle, and not on precedent 1t is
our business to discover, in this story of
Snip Snap how far pretty Cynthia
prohted by the experience she prided her
self upon in the rejection of her lovers.
1t was mellow autumn morning, and
a russell glow had tinged the woods at the
back of Squire Simpson, s homestead. 1t
was Seth Taggart's wedding day. He was
% marry, that evening, Susie Chase-a
smiling little rosebud OF wife, to whom
ne found plenty of thingsto say, as sweet
TO Susie's ears as to her lips his maple
candy. Cynthia, as one of her best
friends, was to be bridesmaid; and as she
wished to shine that night, in all her
bravery, and wanted some new ribbons
for her head dress, this want tempted her
abroad, a little after noon, when the
harvest-felds were quiet and the yoked
oxen stood relieved from labor leisurely
chewing the sweet morsel reserved for
that soft, sunny hour of rest, as men of
business use to do the thought of the last
letter written by the hand they love, till
the burden of the day is laid aside, put
ing it apart with all its woman's non
sense, and half unreasonable fancies),
pure from the contact of the pile of yellow
letters lying on their desk-oferings upon
the shrine of Jupiter Mammon.
Our pretty Cynthia tripped along her
path, scattering cloud of grasshoppers
and crickets, as she stepped; and in her
silly little pride of bellehood her heart
held, though she would not have con-
tessed the thought, that her relative value
to her crowd of beaux was in the same
proportion as that Of one woman to many
| grasshoppers.
At turn in the path, she came suddenly
on one of these admirers-Frank Handy.
| Frank face flushed. He had been think
| ing of her when she surprised him
! thinking of her all that day and through a
sleepless night; and in those hours the
| Cynthia of his fancy had smiled on him,
and laid her gentle hand in his, and had
been gathered to his heart-it was shock
to come thus suddenly upon SO different
reality. At the moment he encountered
her, he was indulging himself in an
| imaginary love scene, in which he was
calling her, in heart, My Cynthia, my
love, and at the sudden sight of her, all
such presume ptuous fancies fled in haste,
and hid themselves. shrinking like vari.
| tinted coral polypes when danger ap-
| proaches-each into the recesses of its
| cell.
81 beg your pardon, Miss Cynthia, -
| he said, stammering before he gathered
| possession, and accustomed himself
to her presence. II was on my way to
make you call. If you will allow
me, | will turn round and walk with
you"
81 am not going far, Mr.. Frank, only
into the village, for some ribbon for my
hair, and gentlemen dislike shopping, u
(knowing perfectly well that he would go
| with herr.
| Il know where wild hop-vine grows, y
said he, sit would make much prettier
ornament for your hair than any ribbons
you could buy in the village" !"
| ''And will you get me some?'
Turn this way into the woods, and
spare me half an hour while twist it into
a wreath. ] am going away from here to-
morrow, perhaps. / have been offered
a professorship in a school of agricul-
| ture."
| Indeed, Mr.. Handy
There was pause, and Cynthia re-
sumed, little hurriedly: 4 should think
you would like going away from here.
| There is nothing to tempt young gentle
man to remain among u.s.
II shall like it, in some respects, better
than my present life, said Handy. This
farmers life. where there are no higher in
terests to accompany it, does not draw out