Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-07-10
The GirlILeft Behind Ne.

Wnlle ana piuk COlu piSAtiOu
plump and compact. She was al
ways in good humor, and we soon
became the.very best of friends
nav more-for who could help be-
ing affectionate toward her ? Eve
rybody loved her. When the boat
men called her "a sweet little
craft" they expressed, though vul-
carly, the sentiment of my own
heart. / was ia love with ,Jemi-
maxwell Jemima was not ind If
ferent to me. / had not nerve to
ask her, in so many words, would
she accept of my baud and name |?
Ispoiled quire of paper in tn e
effort 20 utter my thoughts in
letter; SO at last on her birthday,
the 10th of June, / ventured to
present her with an elegantly
bound book, and on little slip of
paper inside / wrote:
"DEAR JEMIMA:-By the &C
ceptance of this trifiing gift, let me
know that you accept the giver!
la ALFRED B. DOUGHTY"
/ fiatter myself that it was rath-
er a plucky thing to do, and it an
swered admirably.
Next time I saw her she was all
of a glow, and when we were
alone together, and / was near
her, and said:
"You received my humble of
fering?' She burst into a flood
of tears. put her arms round my
neck and spoilt my shirt front.
Then when she recovered q lit
tie lido you believe in Niobe? /
DON'T she said: .H
"Have you asked pap
OF course / responded that had
not. -
.ga s.Then do at once" she said,
: "for goodness, gracious me, If he
was TO find US out in anything
sly, and trying to keep it from
him, it would be awful ~
It is a good deal worse asking
the governor than asking the girl,
especially such a peppery old party
as Captain Marlborough, how
ever, I screwed myself up, and
when Jemima was down at our
place, playing on our piano, and
knew he would be making his
evening toilet by putting on a
pilot coat, / ventured to look in
upon him. After a few words on
ordinary topics, such as how were
we both, and how was the wealth
er, 1 hemmed and began: Gap
tain, / am ambitious.
"Right. boy-climb as high as
you can" -
"Don't encourage me too much.
Captain, I am ambitious in your
direction" .7 -.
"Boy, you are not going to sea?"
"NO captain, I-I-I-I aspire
to the honor of being your son-in-
law"
The captain looked me full in
the face and said; M l.iF
"Have you money ~
OF course hadn't, and he told
me to go and get it before ventur-
ing to aspire to the hand of Jemi-
ma.
"But, my dear captain" /
yentured to expostulate. eG Cd
"Get off my doorstep" Iu
"Let me speak for a moment to
Jemima. gb.
"Get off my door-step!" d
He accompanied his last in
struction by thrust that sent me
staggering In the street.
NV affair with Jemima was at
an end. The captain would not
listen to reason-that is, he would
not listen to me. All the letters
IWrote to Jemima were sent back
to me. / grew weary, packed up,
and packed off, with letter OF in
PRODUCTION to a firm in China.
Well, the fortune was not so easy
10 make, but at the expiration of
twenty years / began to think it
sufficiently large to warrant my
return to 1.-THE girl LEFT behind
me-" Ihad heard very little from
home. Father and mother were
still alive, but the captain was
dead. They carried him through
the cornfields one Summers day
to the little churchyard, and then
they buried him. f4 Bis.
Jemima, understood, lived in
the old house, and was still single.
So-fuIl of emotion, all the tender
ness for the girl i left behind me,
rapidly reviving-ofi j went, car
petbag and everything, just as /
was, to have the old vows renew
and sealed in the usual manner.
o7a A maiden with freckled face,
much sun-burnt, opened the door.
"COuld I see Miss Marlborough?
The maiden did not reply, but,
leaving me where / was, retired
to the remote back settlements.
Thence 1 heard the following
dialogue: ssaa1n u