The daily gazette., 1880-02-09
THE LOSTIiERTER.
BIZ BELLE ENGLAND.

| youn0 voice, t'T i .sat ,f
"Good night, Nellie" ~ q
The cottage door closed, and Harry
Waldo was alone. go!
II will muster up courage enough
to ask her tomorrow night" he NUT
tered, as he walked slowly down the
road toward his home. in ttao.a y
Harry Waldo and, Nellie Hoyt lived
in pleasant inland village, and were,
without Argument, allowed to be the
handsomest couple lin the village of
Long Hill. III at =
They had been slteeping company"
as the phrase goes, for long time
yet Harry had never spoken Of his love,
for his weakness " was bashfulness,
and had caused him more anguish
than all the rest of his troubles put to-
gether. 5 4.l .a..a
This is the reason why Harry looked
SO thoughtful as he walked home that
pleasant summer night.
When putting the '1ast touches' to
his careful toilet that evening, for the
purpose of calling upon Nellie, he had
| firmly resolved to know his fate from
her lips before he bade her good
night. .a- .el
But somehow---he couldn't himself
tell just how or why-when he found
himself In thepresence Of the laughing,
misehieyous, little Nellie, his courage
80 firm before--all forsook him the
minutes and hours glided swiftly away,
and itswas time to 60 home; still, not
I Q word had he spoken of the matter 90
near his heart.
This is why he made the remark
quoted at the beginning of the story. 4
AS pretty Nellie Hoyt closes the door
upon the receding form Of her lover,
she breathed a soft little sigh, and
thought: ~
ooh dear wonder If he will not
speak soon. am sure he loves me-
and IL love him, my Harry, my
love |" .,-. - -.
When Harry reached home, he sat
down to think over the events of the
evening. --aaf Ai
Suddenly a thought came to him.
and taking his pen, he dashed of the.
following note: -a rle.l
"DBAR NELLIE.-I write because I
dare not speak. l love you, Nellie,
truly, fondly, and would make you my,
wife, Can you love me little, idar-
lingP will try and make you happy.
| viii you make this world heaven to
me by telling me that you will be mine?
will wait tomorrow night at our old
rock by the oak near the spring. If
you meet there, shall know that you
are mine. If you do not, then shall
consider myself refused, and shall
leave Long Hill forever. Nellie, Mel
lie Please try and love me little !
Yours ever, . TTl.
t "HARRY WALDO" 1
"There !" said Harry, az he folded up
his note, "that will spare me the pain Of
refusal from her dear lips. But oh
how dark will life seem TO me II she
will not be minev p .u g0atAai.
1t was only half mile from Harryis
home 10 the house OF Farmer Hoyt; SO
when the note was sealed and directed
to Nellie, Harry walked up to leave II at
the house Of his sweetheart.
The family had all retired when he
arrived there, so he pushed the note un-
der the door, to be found, as he suppos-
ed, in the morning.
But there's "many Slip" and 90 IL
The Hoyt homestead was an old one,
and the floor, near the door where the
note was left was worn away and full Of.
large cracks. .f. .,#,,,
In one of these the note fell, and. hid
den from view, rested upon the stone
work under the floor. ~ .a. ,4i.',aa
The next evening found Harry wait
ing anxiously at the old oak for Mel,
lie. 81, II. M K, a,i'
But the hours wore slowly away and
eleven O'Clock came, and Harry, disap-
pointed and sich at heart, turned toward
home, certain that Nellie did not love
him. ral 4
Long HIN seemed distasteful to him
and be resolved to go away. -. = 30
The next day Nellie heard that her
lover had left Long Hill with the avow-
ed intention Of never returning, ua
This inexplicable proceeding on his
part was q heavy blow to her, for she
loved HIM truly and tenderly, and it
had been her lIfe's dream to become his
blessed, happy wife. p H. ,. +
Harry left no word or message for her,
and so she was forced to live on, 10 that
dread, uncertain state Of mind close
bordering on the gloomy confines Of de-
spair. ....-...-. III f.eai II
A year rolled by--another point up
on the mighty chart of tlme-and
brought but few changes to the village
Of Long Hill. a@lfrIs
Nellie was the same Nellie as of old,
save, perhaps, quiet air of sadness that
sometimes shaded, for moment, her |
sweet face, like the fitting shadow of
floating cloud mirrowed upon the ,bosom
OF sleeping lake /; a touch that added |
new beauty to her sweet face, SO beauti-
full before. 4' ''''ia ~ ss'r
"Well, wife, said farmer Hoyt, one
bright summer morning, .'that piece of |
floor by the door there Is worn out.
It ain't safe, and I'm through there next,
so here goes for repairs" And the |
hearty, genial, happy old man stated of |
to get some lumber and tools to do the
job. '
Returning soon, he set vigorously to
work, tearing up the old, decayed floor
Ing preparatory TO putting down the new.
"Wife," cried out the CHEEKY old far
mer, as he paused in his labor, and |
turned tow ard bis good wife, who sat |
sewing with Nellie close BY /; "wife, here |
is lesson and warning for us. :. This /
house was new when we were IL was /
made Of solid oak, seasoned and tough |
in the growth of years---years, of storm |
aud sunshine. Yes, wife, this solid oak |
ms. l,v,&k