The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-12-07
AN UNEXPECTED BETRoTHAL
Agale in Two Short Chapters.
CHAPTER /.

4
NAY, Alicej bpt hear me-,
John, l win not-too long alTGaiy
have | listened. Because thy deeds
made the breach, dost think that
words of thiueGan fill h2 Itcli thee,
that between us lies u gulf which
not even the memory Of my former
ityechn span. What thou hast urged
but widens II for the man that wOuld
triflo with one weiualI's feelings is
not Worthy fofrave the happiness OF
another in his keeping. Ahy N'hes-
tion that thou wouldst ask, ash Of
thine own conscience Il never de
ceiyed thee, neither viii. My for.
giyeness remains with you, John
but not my love-wc part ftrevrr!v
John Carr stood alunc OH the banks
Of the Tweed.
Brave words thosa f6T d maiden to
speak 10 Tho man she loved; but the
hcart ofAlice Burns was brave and
feSolutc, and when tho path OK drty
and that of inclination diverged, her
steps knew no wavering.
But did John Carr Indeed love her
as such woman should he loved, or
was he worthy of the love which she
so trustingly gave himi Why, then,
did he finger with Jenny lnglis on
tho gowan-brae one night, until The
villagers said that aspccdy- marriage
could alone save Jenny's fair tame Z
Ah! John, that @Asa priceless jewel
OF heart you lot tall while YOU were
toying with the trashy filings on jen-
ny's white fngersi0l 's't
TRUE, Alice did not srcak when she
came npon you both in the duskyt twi
light OF that summers day--lbough
you, John, started likc a guilty thing
nor did her blue eyes burn in anger I;
but the scorn OH her lip carried SEN
tence from which yoH might have
known there could be NO appeal. II
told that respect for sou had fled !;
and with a true woman, when respect
for q man has gone, 'oye for him TAR
ries not longl You expected the
packet which the next morning came
by her little brothers hand: the hall
of broken sixpence--Sou know OF
It's mate: q silver ilimble and knot
oi blushing ribbons-they had lain on
her Breast. Not e word nor line
accompanied them, and yet you
sought her out this afternoon and
talked of explanation. Could you
not read the siiehce that was as mute
speech In the retufh or these lave
tokens1 Fie, John Carr, iic! 10 have
known Alice burns so long, and yet
so littlei
Tho Engagement was broken. What
said the gossips ?--ihat Alice was
sackea--so they Expressed IL; thai
Jenny Inglis, by her boldnesa, had
carried away the prize for which all
the maidcns OF Galashicls were wrest-
ling; and they commended Jenny for
her gcneralship; while they dcprecs-
ted her as a &anion jade.
And what said Alicc2 Nothing.
The secret of the gowan-brae was her
own, and the gossips Inust guess
sharply II they would know il. So
Alice wore the willow. The wheel
that stood as OF old, in the cottage
porch--and, TOR that matter, the
wheels OF her viialiiy-ran busily as
ever. Yet chaige Was noticeable.
Tho bursts of bob link music that
used to accompany the humming
wheel were now rarely hsafd fOf
Alice had grown 5lder-not BY day
but BY years. A page in life's histo-
ry, a page shs had never, before
kenned, was unfoldcd to her, aud
much she pondered on the lesson.
The summer wore away; shadows
lengthcued oil the costage hoor, but,
one oy one, they crcpt away from
Alice's heart.