The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-03-03

The young flrmer was distressed be-
yOnd measure, especially as Charity
buried her face in her little brown,
dhnpled ihssnds, and Continued to sob as
though her feelings were grieved beyond
measure. Reuben LEANED over the girl,
and laid his hand on tie smooth, shining
brown hair.
'ChoyIty, won't youaOigivemc for ask
ing thag question? sou know why !
did it,
NO, Il don't, Pm e,re"-sobbing and
Keeping her face in her hands.
."lo0k up then, and see" There was
s0mothing III the tones that would be
likely to secure compliance.
Charity Ames did lift up her flushed
tear-staincd face, and Reuben took her
hand in his, and said, looking straight
into her eyes, but with the muscles work
ing about his mouth, a asked you, Char
ity Ames, because | loved yOu better
! thpn my own life, and because my hap
pipfss for all timc'was bound up in your
answer"
Charity's eyes did not drop until he
concluded; there was something in that
face that magnetzed her gaze to it.
80, Reuben" voice and the gaze
fell together, but there was that in both
which Reuben Taylor understood.
He bent down by her, Tor she was cry
ing now very softly. Il never meant 10
tell you this, Charity though I've car
ried the knowledge in my heart for half
dozen ycars-untl had home to Of
fer which should be worthy of you. But
the truth has got out now, and there's
no taking it back. 1t seems wrong to
ask you to wait so long; but you know
how it is-there is mother and Amy that
have got to look out for, and it's slow
work pulling up the hill; but the thought
of you'll make my heart brave and my
hands strong, and please god, I'll have q
nest warmly lined for my singing-blrd
yet. Will you watt Charity, little
Cbarity%'
You should have seen her face then; it
looked to Reuben like the face of an
anGef, with rthe tears held in check in
the blue eyes and the light sitting
through them as it sits through vapors
at sunrise. SO they sat together in their
first dream of love and talked hopefully
of the future-Reuben Taylor and Char
ity Ames.
At last there was little click on the
back gate latch, and Charity gathered
away her hands quickly from Reuben's
and the color deepened in her cheeks.
40, Reuben that's Joe comm from
school,"
And this remark aroused the young
farmer to the consciousness that it wanted
but two hours Of sundown, and the mill
was three miles of, and il he got the
three bags of corn ground that day which
were now lying at the bottom OF the old
farm cart, it wouldn't do to let "the
grass grow under his horse's feet"
Charity stood at the window and
watched her lover as he went down to
the gate, and oh, now small, to the heart
of the true, loving woman, looked Squire
Hemingway's great house on the hill,
with its handsome carpets, and its rich,
old-fashioned furniture and the fiery
black ponies!
Reuben Taylor and she had been play
mates from their early childhood, for
their families were neighbors. The first
morning she went to school she had been
placed under Reuben's special charge,
: and from that time the boy seemed to
feel that "Little Charity Ames" had
large claims upon his good offices.
Then a terrible blow fell upon the
house of Reuben Taylor. A neighbor OF
his fathers, a hard, grasping man, rich in
fields. and pastures, discovered flaw in
the title deed which had given the old
Brook property"to the Taylors for three
quarters of a century. Farmer Taylor
was a plain, honest, industrious man
, though by no means an acute business
, man, and this late discovery Of flaw in
, the title-fleed of the old homestead which
, had been his fathers and his father''
flasher before him, fell with crushing
) force on his spirits.
The matter was sharply contested il
t law. Public sympathy was of course Ell
tirely with the Taylors, but that did no
e help the decision being rendered agains
C them. The excitement and suffering
| which he had undergone threw Farme
I Taylor into fever, from which he neve
recovered. Reuben was at the time bu
a sixteen years of age, a bright, intelligent
e industrious boy, His mother was
shrinking, fragile woman; and Amy, hi
c sister was not in her tenth year. Tn
family were obliged to leave the oil
- homestead, which almost broke Mr.
t Taylor's heart She held in her ow
IL right few acres Of wood and pastur
e land and this, with the help Of Reubel
was all the doubly stricken family had
- do,aud unon for thnir subsistence
II But it was hard, slow work, though tn
is sweet face of Charity Ames, now bio
,c somed into womanhood, extending afa
e on the mountains of his future, SCENE
g. to lend new strength to his energies
new courage to his heart
lie "Oh, I am 50 glad, Reubenl You mu
Iy 90 right off with me-"
go where, Pussy?' And he caugl
ID the child in his arms as she sprang +
le wards him. She was pretty creatur
m Amy Taylor, Just in her twelfth summe
if with brown hair, with flicker of go
in it, and eyes like Reuben's, and cheel
IL and lips like clover blossoms.
ooh, just over to the store! M
he Mathews said he should get back fro
town before sundown, and he'd bring Il
Ks new calico dress mothers got for me-"
sh "Wait until after tea. I've been pu
er in stumps all day"
| ooh, I can't Reuben" shaking h
head around, 50 that the touch Of go
res struck out wildly; besides, it will be t
lr- late to see the dress tonight, for N
u Mathews shuts up at dark"
he "Tm afraid, daughter, that supper "