Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-04-01

some peoples room was better than
their company, and adding that Mrs.
Delplaine was talking too much and that
she had better 60 to sleep, Hagar left
the room.
No sooner had she gone than Mr..
Hume entered. It had been customary
for him to relieve Hagars duties in the
sick room. Unconsciously, perhaps, he
had been listening for Hagar's retreating
footsteps. As he entered the room his
face frightened; the cavernous sorrowe
in his brow seemed to have Strengthened
into joyous benignity; the very angles OF
his nature, :sharpened by the loneliness
of his life, took comfortable rounden
shapes to themselves, and he greeted the
pale pretty woman in the straight back
chair with peculiar and charming ten
derness of tone and manner, born Of this
new experience, that would have fright
ened and astonished himself had he been
-!oohe1-on. Dut Mrs. Delp1alne was
neither frightened nor astonished. She
was still so weak that Hagar's harsh and
abrupt replies had brought foolish tears
to her eyes which still hung upon her
lashes as she smiled upon Mr.. Hume.
She gave herself up to the sweet relief
and comfort of his presence. She began
to believe that destiny had determined
this remarkable event in her Life, and
felt an irresistible desire to further the
designs Of fate. She had never in her
life seen any one so noble and majestic,
yet so gentle and tender, as this preacher.
IT ain so glad you have come," she
said. 81 have something to say to you."
A strange, wistful, disconnected look in
his face disquieted her, and she added,
gently, ''You will not despise little ad-
vice and remonstrance of mine?'' -
81 could despise nothing with which
you were associated he said.
"Then listen to me-" she continued:
"sit here by my side and listen to me.
I am getting quite strong and we'll.
You have saved my ife-you and your
good Hagar, and the worst of it is that
now must go away" Here she paused
and enjoyed the sudden wincing in his
face and resolved more and more to spare
him the pang Of parting. "I am going
to coax you away from here" she said.
" Indeed, Mr.. Hume-may I call you
Paul?"
Eyes" he replied, but began to turn
pale. -
"Indeed, you are quite thrown away
in this place. It would be SO sweet to
me to see you admired and deifed and
bowed down to, as the world out yonder
does to men like you. They love silver
tongue, do the people. Will you let me
manage it for you? I promise you, if
you will, our parting shall be brief. I
have considerable influence, which will
WELD in your behalf. You have but to
be known to be appreciated. See the
good you might do, Paul" she added.
coaxingly. Her face took fire as she ut
tered his name, but that of the preacher
grew paler and paler.
II am grateful to you" he replied;
"more grateful than I can say; but /
must remain here: Believe me, it is bet
ter that I should -
Mrs. Delplaine had somewhat foreseen
this refusal. In her exalted estimate of
his character she could scarcely hope
that her hero would step aside from the
path he had marked out for himself to
cater to the preference of woman.
She yielded at once.
because you are stubborn and
proud, she said; J" because you cannot
will not yield to my wishes, there is moth
ing left to me but to submit myself to
yours. Well, then, 7 will also remain
here. It matters little where live, and
this is a winsome country in its way. T
think we shall soon have promise of
spring. On that big, stern rock; out
side the window I saw the poor moss
growing just little green. I can get
some old house, and old houses can be
ref,lrnished. Cold, gray 1homespun can
give place to Persian woods, and odorous
fires can still glow in the old chimney
places. Since it is your will, sir, to re-
main In this place, you will not object If
I make this wilderness to blossom as The
rose"
"Mrs. Delplaine," he said, cr11nching
the slim white hand that rested on the
arm of the chair close in the quivering
muscles of his own.
:. Ny name is Laura, sir she inter
g Yes, Laura" he repeated, "you
will not remain here, neither will I 20.
You will take with you the only true
happiness I have ever known. The
memory Of it will perhaps serve to make
the rest Of my life endurable. And DOW
let me tell you, sloveliest and most gener-
GUS Of women, why I cannot go and you
cannot stay. When I was but lad of
twenty and still pursuing my studies I
fell IN love with. Q young woman who
lived IN the neighboohood of the college.
soon learned that her passion was
felgned from the first. and, that she only
married me from motives Of convenience.
But mine, founded upon a delusion of
the brain, led me into FOOLS paradise:
and even when thesbitterness of her. mis-
take md my own began to- eat
into our lives, it sickens me to re-
member how I strove against it-how
mean and servilely Isshut my eyes and
CROPPED blind folded for the old moekery.
But it had long been ghost, and the
time came when even the memory. of it
was q CURSE Then the cross was per-
haps heavier for her To- bear than for |
me-. Tied to man whose pursuits,
thoughts, ambitions, affections she could
never understand nor apprehend, con
lemned tothe propriety and soberness
Allotted to the life Of preachers wife,
md even denied the comfort of wearing |
gay trinketkand apparel, often she told I
ne she envied the freedom 81 al indian
'quaw, and how glad she'd be to know
nothing buteC hoctaw to get rid of the
preaching, preachin9. = u
/ Poor soul! . said Mrs.. Deelplaine.
nth an involuntary shudder at the life