Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-07-29
AN ONLY OFFER.


am forty-tnree now, Remember.
''Did you ever have an offer-an offer
of marriage, mean, aunt"
mo. Well, that's not true; did have |
one Offer"
"And you refused iii"
''No."
''Then he died, or went away ?"
'sNo."
''or deserted your ."..
''No."
"Tnen you deceived him, suppose ?"
II did not"
''What ever happened, them Was
he poor, or crippled, or something
dreadful"
''He was rich and handsome"
Suppose you tell ms about him"
II never talk abont him to any one"
"Did it happen in the old placer"
ayes, Julia. / never left Ryelands until
was thirty. This happened when l was
sixteen"
"was he farmers son in the neighbor
hood Z"
''He WAS fine city gentleman
"Oh, aunt, how interesting! Put down
your embroidery and tell me about it you
can not see to work longer"
Perhaps after so many years of silence
sudden longing for sympathy and CONT
dence seized the elder lady, for she let her
work fall from her hands, and smiling
sadly, said.
"Twenty-seven years ago was stand
ing one afternoon by the gate at highlands.
All the work had been finished early, and
my mother aud two elder sisters had gone
to the village to see friend. l had
watched them little way down the hill
side. and was turning to gointo the house,
when saw stranger on horseback COM
ing up the road. de stopped and spoke
to mother, and this reused my curiosity
80 L fingered at the gate. He stopped
when he reached it, fastened his horse, and
asked, is Mr.. Wakefield IMP
81 said father was in the barn, and L
could fetch him. which | Immediately did.
she was dark, npleasant-looklng
man, and had masterful way with him,
even to father, that disliked but after a
short, business-like talk, apparently salts
factory to both, he went away without
entering the house. Father put his hands
in his pockets and watched him out of
sight; then, looking at me, he said, Put
the spare rooms in order, Phoebe
"'rhey are in order, father but is that
man to occupy themf'
"'Yes, he and his patient, younf
gentleman of fine family, who is in bad
health"
"'Do you know the young gentleman
father?'
"'I know it is young Alfred Compton
that is enough for me-
"'And the dark man who has just left
1 don't like his looks, father
Nobody wants thee to ike his looks
He is Mr.Alfred's physicisn-a DR.. orman
of Boston. Neither of them are any of til.
business, so ask no more questions ant
with that he went back TO the barn.
Mother was not at all astonished. Sh
said there had been letters on the subjec
already, and that she had been rather ex
pecting the company. But she added
they will pay well, and as Melissa is to b
married at Christmas, ready money will b
very needful.'
''About dark carriage arrived. 1t con
tanned two gentlemen and several larg
trunks. had been watching for it benin,
the lilac trees, and / saw that our after
noon visitor was now accompanied by
slight, very fair man, dressed with extrem
care in the very highest fashion. l say
also that he was handsome, and wa
quite sure he must be rich, or no docto
would wait upon him SO subsequently.
"This doctor / had disliked at first sigh
and soon began to imagine that l ha
good cause to hate him. His conduct
his patient believed to be tyrannical an
unkind. Some days he insisted that MI
Compton was too i'll to go out, though tn
poor gentleman begged for a walk an
again, mother said, he would take frol
him all his books, though he pleade
urgently for them.
Zone afternoon the postman brougl
DIR. Orman letter, which seemed to
important, for he asked father to dry
him to the next town, and requisite
mother to see that Mr.. Compton did nj
leave the house. suppose it was not
right thing to do, but this handsome sic
stranger, so hardly used, and SO su
rounded with mystery, had reused in Il
sincere sympathy for his loneliness al
suffering, and 1 walked through that pa
of the garden into which his windo,
looked. We had been politely request
to avoid it, because the sight Of strange
increased Mr.. Compton's nervous cont
ton did not believe this, and dett
mined to try the experiment.
'He was leaning out Of the windo
and sadder face l never sew. | smil
and courtesied, and he Immediately leap
the low sill, and came toward me.
stopped and began to tie up some fall
carnations; he stopped and helped n
saying all the while know not what OF
that it seemed to me the most beauti
language / ever heard. Then we walk
up ard down the long peach walk unit
heard the rattle of fathers wagon.
''After this We became quietly, aim
secretly as far as DIR. Orman was CT
cerned, very great friends. Mother
thoroughly pitied Alfred that she not o.
pretended oblivion of our friendship,
even promoted it in many ways; and
the course of time DIR. Ormnn began
recognize its value. was requested
walk past Mr. Compton's windows {
say Good morning, or offer him fo,
or some ripe peaches, and finally
accompany the gentlemen in their sh
rambies in the neighborhood.
81 need not tell you how all this
stricted intercourse ended. We we're 81
deeply in love with each other, and i
ever finds out the way to make him
understood. We had many five minu
meeting no one knew of, and when til
we're impossible a rose sush near his Y
dow hid for me the tenderest little
letters. In fact, Julia, | found him i
sistible he was so handsome and gen
and though he must have been 30 =,
old, yet, TO my thinking, he looked ha
somer than any younger man could
done.
LAS the weeks passed on, the do
seemed to have more confidence In Us
else his patient was more completely III
control, They had much fewer quar-
and Alfred and | walked in the gart
and even a little way up the hill, with
opposition or remark. | do not know
1 received the idea, but l certainly did
iieve that DIR. Orman was keeping Al
sick for some purpose of his own, a
determined to take the first opportu
of Rrousing Alfreds suspicious. So
evening, when we were walking alor
asked him if he did not wish to see
relatives. ..
''He trembled violently and SCENE
the greatest distress, aud only by
tenderest words could l soothe him
half sobbing, he declared that they
his bitterest enemies, and that DIR. Or
was the only friend he had in the WI
Any further efforts 1 made to get a
secret of his life were equally fruItless
only threw him into paroxysms of
tress. Duringthe month of August h,
very i'll, or at least DIR. Orman said s
scarcely saw him, there were no lette
the rose-bush, and frequently the disJ
between the two men rose to pitch v
father seriously disliked.
Zone hot day in September every
was in the fields or orchard only
. doctor and Alfred and were in the h