Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-07-18

what higher aspirations than was exact
ly prepared to answer; for he was by far
superior to any other young man whom I
met at my uncle's, and the result was just
as you have foreseen, perhaps; if did not
fall in love with him, he made up for all
DEFICIENCIES on my part by falling despair
ately in love with me.
1t was the night before my departure
for home, and when Will called, as usual,
my uncle's family, as if by common con-
sent. found other occupations for their
time, and thus lleft us in solitary posses
sion of the best room.'
Il am sorry you are going away he be-
gan; I don't see how shall ever get along
without you, Sadie
My uncle's folks called me Sarah, but I
had taught Will to use the less plain di-
minutive.
ooh, I guess that will be easily managed,
1 replied, in as light tone as I could sum-
mon, for I scented proposal, and 1 really
liked Will too we'll to mortify him by a
refusal. And what figure he would cut
among my city friends, to be sure, with
his uncouth manners and decidedly pro-
vincial vernacular.
| But, although Will was what the Hon.
| Augustus Fitz Fanfoodle would have de-
nominated decidedly, aw, out of style, you
know yet he had spirit brave and strong
enough to face my fate and conquer it, too,
generally. So all my maneuvres, which
would have thrown city gallant entirely
hors du combat, only precipitated matters
| in this case, for he looked me gravely in
| the face and said as he took my hand-he
| had never presumed upon any greater IA
miliarity since the lesson 1 gave him at
the party-'I will not allow you to put me
off with trifing, Sadie; | love you. and
although know you have known it ali
along, do not choose to let You leave
the neighborhood without hearing it in
words, in plain kings English if you
please, that cannot be misunderstood,
even if it is pretty well haggled in pro-
nunciation'
Oh, how angry I was! To think he had
not only completely fooled me in my at
tempt at throwing him out, but he had eff
fectually closed the door of my escape from
! the charge of Irritation.
ssThen, Cousin Will,'' I cried my cheek
burning with resentment and chagrin,
! ''yon must be great goose to suppose 1
would have encouraged such presumption;
! for you must know yourself that it is moth
ing else for an untutored country boy like
you to aspire to the society into which l
would have to introduce you. Why, you
must be out of your head to think that I
would waste one serious thought on man
who could stick down on farm and con-
tent himself to be "boOby' when the
world is so wide and SO full of knowledge.
This by way of balm for the wound my
refusal gave him. But when thought to
humiliate him reckoned without my host,
for Will heard me through quietly and
then said, as he rose and took his hat from
the old fashioned bureau: 'Well, Sadie, l
make no accusation if your own con-
scienc doesn't.-So goodbye! l will call
to see you when 1 come to the city," and
he was gone before had time to denXhim
the privilege he had arrogated to himself.
Sure enough, the next fall when Uncle
John brought his grain to market Cousin
Will came to our city with him. Uncle
came straight to our house, but Will, true
to the natural reinment that education
alone cannot give, nor the lack Of educa-
ton take away, put up at an hotel and at
seasonable hour called at our door. l
was expecting him, and had the servant
instructed. Poor fellow, he was too hon
est to understand fashionable tricks, so
! when he was told that 81 was not at
home'' he took it as literally true, and
turned sorrowfully away. But on the way
home. when he learned from Uncle Johns
talk that had been at home. he was for a
time puzzled to understand what was as
much of a novelty to him as the ''after-
piece'' of the dancing party had been to
me. Will saw through it in time, howev-
er, and that, too, without kicking chunk,
and determined that should be at home
when he called again.
It is not necessary to make a long story
out of a short one; so will tell you forth
with that Cousin Will went to college,
chose the ministry as his profession, and
proved himself so satisfactory in his work
that he had call, at large salary,
as preacher, to church in an eastern
city where I was visiting at the time.
You smile; well, Cousin Will and the 1T.
Rev. W. II. Trafton are one and the same
person.
I did see him for long time, as his
church was not the one my uncle's family
attended, but finally he exchanged pulpi $