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

ter love can a man give than that which
sees your faults and strengthens you
against them? True, he has set his ideal OF
womanhood SO high that you do not come
up to it; but he sees in you capabilities for
good, beyond those ofother women, though
to the height of your capabilities you have
never attained"
''Ohl l sLall be worse woman and an
unhappy woman, if do not love Frank
Handy, and if Frank Handy does not love
me, - said her heart, now turning to its
better instincts, as she threw herself upon
her little, white, dimity y-coyered bed, in
her own chamber, and, shutting out the
light from her eyes, thought what life
would be if Frank never said Snipl-
Frank, who was even then walking in the
fields, trying to think all the harm he could
Of her.
Here she lay, and cried, and disquieted
herselfin vain. And she thought over all
the good she had ever heard of Frank
Handy, and-strange!-that though it
seemed to her he had the good word and
good opinion of every man who knew him,
no one had ever quite seemed to appre-
ciate him to his full value Perhaps he
had never shown his inmost heart to other
people as he had to her Her wounded
feeling seized upon the balm she found in
such thought. Frank was not man to
put forth his pretensions. She had
wronged him very much in calling him
conceited and presuming. He had spoken
only what he had right to think about
his own sincerity; and oh; how she wished
he could think great deal better of her.
During the burst of tears that followed
this reflection, the great farm tea-bell
rang. Cynthia sprang from her bed and
wiped her eyes. If she looked as if she
had been crying, might not some one say
she was fretted to lose Seth Taggart?
Seth Taggart, indeed She wasn't going
to cry for losing any man. And the evil
spirits resumed their sway
So Cynthia went down stairs towering
in pride and wrath. She had half mind
not to go to the wedding. No, she could
not do that. People would certainly say
things she would not like about her and
Seth Targgart, if she staid away. 1t was
delicate ground with her, this matter OF
Seth Taggart's, because he had never
made her any offer. Il think men treat
women shamefully," said Cynthia in her
thoughts summing up all her wrongs at
Oi4CC, dD clC pdt hI bDC
herself with pride against the weakness
before which she felt her courage giving
away.
Cynthia, I reckon you'd best go and
dress you," said her mother, as she was
clearing away the table after tea; you
leave the things, and I'll wash up and
put away. 1t will take you some time
to fix yourself, and you ought TO be there
early, if you are going to stand up with
Sue.''
"Who's the groomsman, Miss Brides
maid?'' said her father.
Frank Handy, sir, " said Cynthia, with
a toss of her head.
'Hal Handyf" said her father, "a right
clever fellow is Frank. It'll be a lucky
woman he stands up with to be married
to-"
Cynthia escaped to her own room, and
she began to cry again. Therel her father
spoke well OF Frank; but nobody could
know him as well as she knew him. OH
if he only would come back. Why hadn I
she known the state Of her own heart thai
morning? But he took her SO by surprise,
and all her evil feelings had got upper
most at the moment. 1t would be very
Thus she thought, until she was suffi-
GENTLY advanced in her toilet to put her
wreath on. Should she wear it7 Would ii
not be confessing too much, if he were to
see it in her hair2 She looked for some
ribbons in her drawer, but at this moment
her father called her, and said, if she came
quick he would drive her over to Susie S
before he Embarrassed his old mare So
she put on the hop-wreath in hurry, Civ
ing it the benefit of her doubt, and its
trembling green bells mixed with the
light curls Of her pretty sunny hair.
where did you get that thing from2"
said her father. s'It's mighty tasty, de-
clare. Give me kiss, Cynthia. l hope
your beaux will think you look half as
pretty as do. And it's better, my child
to be admired by your old father, who
loves you, than by crowd Of foolish fel-
lows, half of whom get round pretty girl
just like my flock Of sheep out yonder,
one following because another is making
up to her,
Foolish fellows" they aoers foolish
fellows" But Frank Handy was not one
of them. Frank had never followed in
her train sufficiently to be accounted one
Oh uer SultOrs. IL was lHlS very -IOOllSn
flock, whose ranks he scorned to enter
All that her father said, seemed to justify
her nascent feeling. She kissed the old
mans ruddy cheek, and felt as if the cal
low love, that 1uttered at her heart, had
almost been made welcome by his appro-
batien
what time shall come for you, Gym
THAR said he, as she alig hted at Susy's
door,
"Ohl not till late, father, = she said, hur-
riedly. "Stay-not at all. Some of the
young men will walk home with me; OF,
if they don't, I'll come with Tommy
Chase. He's only eleven, but he's tall Of
his age"
And now Cynthia found herself in the
brides chamber. The pretty little rose
bud, blushing in her wedding muslin,
and going to be very happy. because. :.
well, it takes a good deal more sense than
Susie had to be unhappy in life when one
is blessed with sweet temper and good
digestion. A suptradded power of suffer
ing is proof of an advance in organiza-
ton. and we submit the argument to the
skeptic; whether this truth does not imply
the necessity of some power or influence