Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-12-24


"What silly, nonsensisal boy you are"
laughed Kitty In the gay0st manner psssi-
bic, ~ though II was the very funniest thing
In tho world.
Maybe I am he said with a sorrowful
sigh. but you are not treating me a.
ought 70 be treated, as you would want to be
treated.n
GLOW do you want to be troatodSp she
asked, coaXlngy.
you" he replied. "Now suppose" and he
fixed himself a. n he was about making n
great and valid point, al should run half
my time with Susie Phelps or Sally Brown,
how would you like thatW
GLOW would / like thatW she cried,
| laughing In the heartiest and most provoking
| manner. 'Oh, should enjoy that 80 much
And II would be such funl And-oh, dear !
Ephraim Bates and Susie Phelps. But,
Eph-" she was very sober andyery ironical
-'you couldn't do such thing were you to
try lifetime, am the only pretty girl"
and she tossed her head and looked very
vain, 'who ever had particle Of sympathy
for OvcrgrOwn Ephraim Bates"
EphrRim was stung deeply by these words,
for they were cruel words FOR her to speak.
Besides, he, like other men, had some con-
ceit, and he believed he could have wOOed
and won old Squire Phelps's daughter as
successfully as he had wOoed and won Kitty
Potts.
"Kitty," he said, harshly, CATER engag-
ing yourself to me / am sure you have no
right to allow any gentleman to be so de-
voted to you as this strange fellow is. Again
l must insist on its being stopped"
Kitty knew as well as anybody he was
right, and 1t CALLED her to be told Of Il,
especially by Ephraim. But for the world
she wouldn't let him know il CALLED her.
'Oh, what queer bOyyOu are, Eph !" she
answered, pleasantly, and then added, with
a Keen touch Of sarcasm, ''Don't you know,
Sonnie, that II were confined exclusively to
you for male society / should get SO sick and
so tired OF you l should never, never want
to see You again as long as liyeP
Had Ephrnim been a shrewd observer Of
character, especially Of female character, he
would not have allowed himself to be greatly
aggravated for he would have known that it
pleased Kitty best to have him so.
kitty" he said, sharply, "yOu don't
love me-you can't love me II you speak as
you Think
"Oh, dearW cried Kitty, bursting into an
other fit Of laughing, "what q silly, silly boy /!
Did | ever tell you, did / ever tell anybody,
l loved your Now be honest, Eph, did IP'
" Didn't you promise you would marry
mep' he asked, steruly.
"No, | didn't" she retOrted, sharply. i
may have told you something-I presume
did--that led you to believe might, some
time, do such q foolish thing, but never in
my life have ! told you / loved you. But
what has that to do with it, anyways"
"What has that to do with itP' he cried,
fiercely. "Does not that promise imply you
love meg"
"Oh, dear, nol' she retorted, with lam
guild unconcern. 1T dom imply anything,
only that promised silly fellow something
l hadn't oughtto. That's ALL"
"Are you In earnestD he cried.
"Never was more so," she answered.
"Then we will break our engagement, and
you, Kitty Potts, will rue the day it was
broken"
''Suit yourself" she said, carelessly, and
tossing their engagement ring to the floor,
Ephraim picked it up and left the house.
Poor Kitty burst into tears when he had
gone, for Sue never supposed their quarrel
would result in such manner She thought,
however, like all previous quarrels, it would
end happily; so she soon cheered up and
gave herself no further trouble, but flirted
more boldly with her wild and handsome
suitor.
In the past Ephraim had been in the habit
OF walking with her 10 church on the pleas
ant Sabbath evenings; and ever before they
had reCOnClled their little diff ul les on that
day. Sunday came, but EphTaim came not
with it., and the scalding tears started from
her eyes, and she reprOached herself bitterly
for her cruel words, and would have fallen
at his feet and pleaded for his forgiveness,
for she loved him with all her sorrowing
heart.
She walked to church alone that night,
where she saw Ephraim with Squire
| Phelps's pretty daughter Susie, and, poor
-
Bates, and the next night it was executed.
In the morning 1t was .nOised abroad that
Kitty Potts had gone away with the wild,
handsome fellow, and was married to him
in the city out by the sea.
1t was near q death-blOw to Ezra For
days and weeks he fingered between life aud
death with raging fever in his head. But
he mended slowly, and when he could go
about his work again he seemed almost as
81. u, rs he was in other days, but his heart
-ah, mol the great wound was not healed
yet. From that terrible day he never spoke
her name, and every vilager fOrbore to
mention it in his presence. She had written
him for forgiveness; but some things there
are men are not divine enough to forgive,
| and Ezra set his heart hard against forgiy-
| ing the cruel wrong Kitty had done her fam
lily and her betrOthed. She never wrote him
after that; but more than year afterward
he heard that her reckless husband, tiring OF
her charms and beauty, had abandoned her
and left her alone and friendess in the great
unmerciful city down N the sea.
But Father Potts Cheered himself up and
! wcnded his way up the hill, and opened the
| great door Of ST. Johns, and climbed the
beltry stairs, and chimed the fine musical
! bells that sounded merrier and more music
| al than ever for it seemed to Ezra and il
seemed to all the villagers, that the bells
rang sweeter in the Christmas times. But
| hearts are gayer then, and life is brighter
| then, and the star glimmers in the East
| nboih anu AiehOo 1lOaNOh bGSu hcuIGI anu
| dcarer.
Presently Father Potts put on his coat,
| shut the belfry door, came down the stairs
and opened the great door to 60 out into the
street; but just as he was about stepping
from the threshold the light from the LAM
tern fell upon bundle lying on the topmost
| step.
"Oh, myl" he cried, holding his lantern
above his head and bending down that he
might more distinctly see the object, "Oh,
my! what uOwy A present maybe for my
wife, no, no, or for me, no, hol Who'd
thought that Ezra Potts, sexton, ID find
present on old st. John stepsg Nobody |
swear Here Pve been attending this old
stone church for mOre'n thirty years, and to-
night I've present for me or for my wife,
no, hO!" And Ezra laughed and shook
himself, and bent close to and laid his hand
on the bundle.
"a Christmas turkey" he cried, slapping
his sides, 'Oh, good fat Christmas turkey,
hO, hol A fine fat turkey for Christmas, ha,
hal Won't my wife-Oh, iCORt my wife be
| glad when she sees this =" and he laid hold of
the bundle, and stepping back into the
| church he placed it on cushion and began
undOing it. He first unwrapped a coarse,
heavy shawl, wondering who would send a
turkey done up in such fashion, and then
he unrOlled blanket fine and white, and
then he jumped half out his senses and
| cried:
"Oh, Lord Oh, my Lord !" and then he
gasped for want OF breath, and put his hands
together and looked half frightened, half