The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-03-16
A STRANGE MISTAKE.
CONCLUDED.

CHE made no answer; indeed, he gave
~ her no time, but went on:
&C. have been all the week at Milford,
attending court, and have gained my
case. My farm is my own at last, and
am an independent man."
She murmured some half inaudible
expression of pleasure at the result.
6 Lizzie" he said, stopping suddenly
and taking her hand in his, "there is
only one thing want to make me the
happiest man in Bayfield,. / want you to
come and share my home with me-"
Here Lizzie drew her hand hastily
from him, and said in frightened tone,
"Don't Mark You must not talk to
me So"
What do you mean, Lizzie? Why
may not tell you that love you better
than all the worldY think you must
have known it without my telling"
Poor Lizzie burst into passion of
tears, but could not speak. Mark drew
her gently out of the path and seated her
upon stone, placing himself beside her.
He waited some minutes for an answer,
but she remained silent.
Dear Lizzie" he said at last, "you
must know that love you. Can / be
mistaken in thinking you care for
me ?''
He drew away the hands with which
she had covered her face, and begged
her to speak to him.
"Oh Markl" she gasped out in kind
of desperation. 81 have promised to
marry Robert Jocelyn."
Mark Boynton flung away the hands
he held with an angry gesture, and
sprang to his feet.
Lizzie ~ he cried Indignantly, you
are not, you cannot be in earnest"
No answer from Lizzie. Her voice
was choked with sobs. Poor Mark broke
out in bitter reproaches. He accused
her of cruel trifiing with him and de-
clared his belief that she had accepted
Jocelyn because he was the richer man,
and his own case doubtful one. Lizzie
had but one answer to his reproaches
she cried as if her heart were broken;
and the strong, tender hearted fellow,
soon grew pitiful of her grief, and
soothed her, and begged forgiveness for
his harshness. After while he drew
from her the whole story. He under
stood the pressure which had been
brought to bear upon her, and how
powerless she had been to resist it. He
saw that if she had felt sure of his affec-
ton she would have stood out against
them all. If he had but spoken before!
But his own pride had been to blame.
Though he argued long and earnestly,
he could not convince Lizzie that she
had any right to draw back. She had
given her word, and she held herself
bound by it, persistently declaring that
he must not talk, or she listen. So at
last he gave up in despair and the two
walked home in gloomy silence.
In Bayfield, everybody's affairs are
known to everybody else; and so it was
but few days before the whole neigh
borhood was informed of Lizzie's en-
gagement to Robert Jocelyn, and by
some mysterious agency, know only to
rural communities, the secret OF Mark
Boynton's love and disappointment was
also generally understood. The circum-
stances created a kind of excitement.
The general opinion was that the two
young people were being sacrificed to
the wishes of their elders; and sympa-
thy was with them, as always, where
true love is crossed. The young people
blamed Lizzie for her want of firmness; !;
but parents, interested perhaps in the
cause of authority, exonerated her and
censured those who were taking advan-