The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-10-28

had one other daughter-the baby who
died. The other children were sons, all
of whom, except William, had gone to
the West and married there. She had
often wished they would ask her to visit
them, that she might see their children.
But they never did it.
| While they were hanging out the
clothes that afternoon, Mrs. Taney
heard tap, three times repeated, on the
orchard fence. Letty's face colored.
She dropped the clothes and ran behind
the apple tree. AS she came back her
mother saw her thrust n note into her
pocket. Mrs. Taney grew suddenly
sick at heart. Lefty with a secret.
Lefty carrying on clandestine love at
fair.
| While Mrs. Taney stood, doubling
whether to ask the child for her conf
dence, Lefty had disappeared. A few
minutes later the girl went down the
road in clean dress and sun-bonnet.
1t was but trifle, yet it stunned the
jaded woman, as a sharp blow would
have done.
| Mr.. Burke, coming over the fields
that afternoon with hatchet and bag
of specimens, was amazed to see Lefty
standing in the road in earnest CONVEX
sation with a man. "A coarse, red
iawed, beery fellow" was his angry YER
dict. The fellow talked long and
earnestly; then took l.ettie's hand and
pressed it reverently. Burke turned his
back on them and struck across the
hills. The girls mother should hear of
this at once, he said to himself. decid-
edly. Then he slackened his speed.
| What was it to himP Why should he
vex himself about the girlp Or meddle
with her affairsP He went slowly back
| to the hills. But the hot blood rushed
with strange beat through his veins.
In an hour Lefty was back and at
work with redoubled vigor, to make up
| for lost time. Her mother scanned her
innocent, meek face with a breathless
terror.
Surely there was no guilt there. She
| would not doubt her; she would not ask
a question.
Il have dressed the table with flow
ers," the mother said, and made a cake
"a real brides cake. hope William
won't be angry. But this is so different
from weddings in Virgini'. Oh, Lefty,
if you and l could only go to the old
house and sleep for. one night in the
room which was mine when L was n
child, l think just that little thing would
give me years of life"
"There they come!" cried Lefty, as
the big Crawford carriage was seen
dashi1g up the road. She grew very
pale and shrank back. The girl had
always been afraid of her brother Will
liam; and his wife, she suspected, would
be as hard a ruler and a more vulgar
one.
But Mrs. Taney led her to the porch.
You must welcome them. Lefty"
she said.
The bride watched them from the
carriage window with keep, jealous eyes.
Her father had given her hint "a to
her future course.
you've made good match, Sophy,"
he said. ''Bill Taney's got as Long a
purse any man in the country, and his
old farms comfortable. But the old
woman an her da later will be a draw
back. They'll try to run over you
roughshod, likely. Just take your stand
at once. Let 'em see you will be mis-
ress in your own house."
Trust me for that, pappy," said Miss
Sophy.
The whole Crawford family had ac-
companied her to see how she would
hold her ground.
When poor Mrs. Taney stepped for
ward, therefore, her thin face reddening.
and her bands held out, the bride re-
ceived her welcome with a careless nod.
II hope you will be happy in your
new home, my dear" said the gentle
lady.
"Oh, no doubt, ma'am! l generally
hold my own pretty well. Come in,
papy. Come, Sue. want you to see
my house before it is dark. Here is the
living room. Bill must fit that up into
n parlor-double quick, too, Dye hear,
Mr. Taneyp' laughing loudly. "You
leedn't trouble yourself, MAJ am, to show
the way. Come along all OF you"
William stopped and looked with
sudden pity at his mother, than followed
his wife, who went talking loudly UP
the stairs.
Mrs. Taney and Lefty pll ced the sup
per on the table. The bride came in,
the noisiest of the noisy party. She
went hastily to the head of the table,
saying: "This is my place, ! believe"
William gravely motioned his mother
to seat among the strangers! His wife
bore herself as though she had been
mistress for years, and found fault freely
when the humor seized her. The bread
was dry as chaff, the butter was bitter
with salt. she said.
That's your idea of cooking, mother
Tanney, ehP I'll give you a hint or two
tomorrow. We young people have
progressed, you know"
mot that l mean to take the work
out of their hands" she said to her sis
ter aside. "No, No! If we feed 'em,
they've got to earn their bread"
Lefty overheard the whisper, and her
scared face grew a shade paler.
Every nice old silver, William" said
the bride, directly, weighing the spoons
on her finger, and then reading the
mark.
Cleveland, ehp You must have that
altered, please, to our initials. / can't
use spoons with strange names on 'em."
William glanced uneasily at his
mother. But the latter did not speak.
Every well, my dear, il shall be as you
please" he said.
AS the days heightened into weeks,
the bride found her sway becoming
more absolute. IL occurred to William,
sometimes, that she might share in the
work. But like most farmers of his
class, he used to see his mother drudge,
from morning until night, and vaguely
supposed it was her natural condition of
life. Sophy carried the Keys, and dealt
out the provisions. Her ruddy, animal
beauty pleased him; it was pity, he
thought, TO mar it with hard work.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Burke had taken
lodgings with a neighboring farmer.
He kept u close scrutiny on Lefty,
sOlely for her mothers sake he told