Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1880-01-28
Hester's Love Story.

she managed far better than many of those
who were girls with her, to keep some OF
the old freshness in the roses of her checks
and the old brightness and luxurience in
her brown hair. And it must be very
homely woman who doesn't look we'll with
a good, fresh color in her cheeks and
! plenty 81 brown hair to add its charr, to her
face. And Miss pavnc had never been q
| homeiy woaau.
She had been the pretIie>t girl in Hartley
once, and had always held her own as one
! OF the prcttieSt women in the nerhhorbood
Anu when tell You that. you will berin TO
wonder how she happened to be Miss PAYNE
Stlll. There was a ittio romance about if
| She had lover whom everybody eypectcd
she Wouid marry. Indeed, she had expec-
ted az much herself, but in some way thincs
went wrong and there was u Quarrel, and liz
went away and had never been hack again
And sue had remained Hester PAYNE ever
since. Not because she had no chances to
change name. Oh, no. There had been
plenty OF them. But She preferred to stay
single. she had a snug little home and
couid aiorl to live is she chose to. and SO
she t"td those who came to WOO that she
co"Ia not say yes to their proposals and
everybody had made UP their minds that
iiC IlftNI tlPEltietl 10 i've ana die
! old maid
She was thinking OF Old times this morn
ing rs sho rolled out her hakv curls. FiC
teen years ago she had been getting ready
Tor 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
sauclly he interfcrcd with her work and
how She threatened to shower him with the
contents Of the flour bowl if he did not
behave himself, and he dared her to put her
threat into execution ana she had kept her
word.
She coull see him now as he stood that
morning, looking like vcritahlc miller
with his eyes tu!! Of mischief az he berred
so humtIy FOR her to dust it oil. And She
remembered, as if it happened yesterday.
now when she had undertaken the job, ali
| OF q sud len he took her in his arms and
Kissed ter; and when she shook herself
away irem ann she was sight to see, with
| powdered HAIR and snowy eyebrows. and
| cheeks as white 10 any ghosts.
And llst then her father had come in and
stopped IN s'uriis" on tao threshold. look
| ing from her TO John with Il twinkle in his
eye. All he had to say VAS
">serls to me you forgot to powder
spot on your cheek, Hester and then he
went away chur ,lin%. and Hester had pro.
| cceded 70 brush herself up. with sundry
| threats Of dire retrhution directed at the
cnlprt who had r"trrated to y position out.
| side, where he felt that he was safe from all
| female wrath
Aud the next q Y the quarrel came which
had set his feet in paths far away from that
IN which she had trod for fifteen wears. and
which She ha'i expected to tread until the
end. Md she thought it ali over this
| morning with little sigh here ami there.
Her romano" was NOT forgotten if il was
kept GU q sight Of curious ewes. Yester.
day she had heard that the new preacher
was coming to Tho picnic lie was 10 preach
his tlrst sermon on Sunday. and everybody
sald he was powerful preacher. and his
name WAS Ashley. That was what set Miss
Fayne 10 thlnkln; 50 much about old times.
tor her old lover ) name had been Ashley.
" But OF course it can't be ho," She SAID
to herself, as she clipped the edges of her
PIES; :" for he was one Of the widest. most
rattio-brained fellows ever know. and I'm
sure there isn't anything about him that
could be made into minister. But he had
one OF the kIndegt hearts in the world, and
was the one to blque"
Some one ~ comin@ here" called out
susan, her niece, from tho bedroom up
stairs.
Where? Which u,y?~ asked She, all
in ilutser.
Everything was in baking day confusion.
and the room wasn't swept out yet, and she
couIdnt attend to visitors until her cake
was out Of the oven
Up the bill, answered Susan. He's
turnin' Up.
" Doar me what Shail c;o?9 exclaimed
Miss PayAe. "I'H lu,.. to take him INTO
the sitting room al TIL him | must be
excused till my ha,.ng is done. If he's
got family he'll know something about
what fix I'm in"
Click went the gate Miss Pavna busted
OFT her hands, smoothed her shining hair.
gave her collar 4 twitch aud was roady to
answer the visitors knock
The man who stood there was probably
forty years old. He had minister's coat
on, but there was nothing very ministerial
looking about him.
something in the laughing eyes that met
hers as she opened the door made her start
and turn male.
" Lester Payne, I'm pretty sure, he said,
crossing the threshold.
" Y s, sir she answered, with n little
catch in her voice, "and YOU"
" Don, t you know me?" he cried, I'm
John Ashley. didn'tsuppOse I'd changed
so much that an old friend wouldn't discover
soma familiar look about me-. should
know you anywhere"
m glad to see you, john she said
giving him her hand with very susniciops
moisture in her eyes. " I've been thinking
of you, for they said the new ministers
name was Ashley. 1t can't be that Won are
the one, can p
I'm the man." he answered, with n
twinkle of huiHor in his eve. "I don'tsun.
pose 1t seems possible to you. or anvone
else that used to know me, that I have
become minister, but it is so. 1t seems
as strange to me as anyone else, but I hon.
estly believe God had a work for me to do
and I'm trying to do it as best | can. he
added, earnestly.
I'm glad Of it," she answered. al
always said you'd steady down, but never
thought you'd he minister, John"
"Thats right" he said heartily. "Don,t
20 making me anybody but John. I'm
the same man you used to know, come back
to renew old friendship and do the work
I've undertaken, and don't want anybodv
to insist on my going about clothed in the
awful dignity supposed to belong TO n
minister; !" then the old remembered LAUGH
made the room ring and Miss Payne had
to join in it, to the utter amazement of
Susan, who was terribly shocked at the idea
of a minister just like other people.
I'm getting ready for picnic" ex
plaiRed Miss Payne, "and I'm busy lust
now, so you'll have to entertain Yourself
for an hour or so till get things out of the
oven. Then I'll DO at liberty, and then
we'll have good, oldfashioned visit"
Ill come into tho kitchen and we can
talk and you can work at the same time"
said John and he put himself in a chair
close to the table, where he could watch
her to the best advantage; for there seemed
to be something wonderfully attrantiun 20