The daily gazette., 1880-01-03
Hester's Romance. zee

those who were girls with her, 10 keep
some of the old freseness In the roses of
her cheeks, and the old brightness and
| luxurance in her brown hair. And 1t
must be a very homely woman who
| doesn't look well with a good, fresh
color in her cheeks and plenty Of brown
| hair to add its charm to her face. And
Miss Payne had never been homely
| woman.
| She had been the prettiest girl In
Hartley once, and had always held her
own as one of the prettiest women in
the neighborhood. And when tell you
that, you will begin to wonder how she
happened TO be Miss Payne still. There
was little romance about 1t. She had
a lover whom everybody expected she
| would marry. Indeed, she had expected
as much herself, but in some way things
went wrong and there was a quarrel,
and he went away and had never been
back again. And she had remained
Hester Payne ever since. Mot because
she had no chances to change her name.
Oh, no. There had been plenty Of them.
But she pre- tferred to stay single. She
to live as she chose to, and 50 she told
not say yes TO their proposals and every
body had made up their minds that Miss
Payne had decided to live and die an old
maid.
She was thinking of old times this
morning as she rolled out her flaky
curls. Fifteen years ago she had been
getting ready for picnic, just as she was
doing now. But there was another in
the kitchen then-a young man with a
handsome face and laughing eyes, and
she remembered how saucily he inter-
fered with her work and how she threat
ened to shower him with the contents OF
the -four bowl if he did not behave him
self, and he dared her to put her threat
into execution and she had kept her
word.
She could see him now as he stood
tina: morning, looking like veritable
miller with his eyes full of mischief as
he begged so humbly for her to dust it
2 of. And she remembered, as If 1t hap
pened yesterday, how, when she had un-
dertaken the job, all Of sudden he took
her in her arms and kissed her; and
when she shook herself away from him
she was sight to see, with powdered
hair and snowy eyebrows, and cheeks as
white as any ghosts.
And just then her father had come In
and stopped in surprise on the thresh
hold, looking from her to John with &
twinkle in his eye. All he had to say
was
"Seems to me you forgot to powder {
spot on your cheek, Hester" and theI
he went away chuckling, and Heste
had proceeded to brush herself up, will
sundry threats of dire retribution di
rected at the culprit who had retreateC
to position GU side, where he fel
that he was safe from all female wrath
And the next day the quarrel cam'
which had set his feet In paths far away
from that in which she had trod for fif.
teen years, and which she had expected
to tread until the end. And she thought
il all over this morning with littl
sigh here and there.
Her romance was not forgotten If ]
was kept out of sight of curious eyes
Yesterday she had heard that the new
: preacher was coming to the picnic. III
was to preach his first sermon on Sun
day, and everybody said he was power
ful preacher, and his name was Ashley
! That " as what set Miss Payne to think
ing so much about old times, for her oil
lovers name had been Ashley.
"But, of course, il can't be he," sh
said to herself, as she clipped the edg
q of her pies; "for he was one of the wild
est, most rattle-brained fellows l eve
knew, aud Pm sure there isn't anythIn
: about him that could be made into
minister. Blu. he had one of the kind
est hearts in the world, and was tn
one to blamc."
"Some one is coming here," called ou
$ Susan, her neice, from the bedroom u
stairs.
"Where? ? Which way ?" asked she
all in flutter. ses-
Everything was in baking day confu
= sion, and the room wasn't swept out ye
l and she couldn't attened TO visitors unit
her cake was out OF the oven.
Cup the bill," answered Susan. "He
turnin' up"
"Dear me what shall do?" e,
y claimed Miss Payne. I'll have to TAX
him into the sitting room and tell him
Dr must be excused till my baking Is don
If he's got a family he'll know some
-, thing about what fix Pm in"
" Click went the gate. Miss Payn
busted off her hands, smoothed HI
}. shining hair, gave her collar a twitc
and was ready to answer the visitor
knock.
= The man who stood. there was prob
bly, forty years old. lie had minister
coat on, but there was nothing vel
G. ministerial looking about him.
- Something in the laughing eyes tn
: met hers as she opened the door mao
H her start and turn pale.
chester Payne, Pm pretty sure"
N, said, crossing the threshold.
eyes, sir" she answered, with lit
sl- catch in her voice, "and you"
"Don't you know meP" he erie
'I'm John Ashley. didn't suppo!
at I'd changed so much that an old frier
wouldn't discover some familiar loC
: about me. l should know you an
where"
.I'm glad to see you, john" she sal
IL giving him her hand with a very SUI
piclous moisture iR her eyes. "l',
lg- been thinking of you, for they said IL
.rf new minister's name was Ashley.
Ia can't be that you are the one, can it?"
"I'm the man." he answered, with
by twinkle of humor In his eye. 81 dor
Is suppose 1t seems possible to you, or al
one else to know me, that l have b
come minister, but IL is so. 1t seen
as strange to me az any one else, but
IN honestly believe God has work for n
10 do, and I'm trying so do 1t rs best
| can" he added, earnestly.
"rm glad of IT," she answered.