The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-03-16


ing some romantic souls who thought
1t fitting that the daughter should COM
pensate him for the pain her mother
caused.
OF course all the neighborhood gossip
was known to Mrs. Ezra, but she took
good care that very little of 1t should
come to Roberts ears. She had made
up her mind that she knew what was
best for Lizzie, and she did not mean to
let her plans fail.
And Robert Was he ignorant of the
state of thingsp He might have seen
but he would not. He heard it said that
Lizzie loved loved Mark Boynton, and
he would not believe it. Had he not
loved her all her life as no young man
could ? Had he not right? He had
missed happiness once, and now it was
again within his grasp, who should say
that he ought to give it up9 Lizzie
would be happy. She loved him al
ready she would love him wholly when
she was his wife. The other was pass
ing fancy. He shut his eyes to the
evidence of her pale and sorrowful face,
silenced all inward remonstrance, and
held his way.
The preparations for the marriage
were rather hurried forward, for Mrs.
Ezra thought the sooner it was over the
better. Lizzie made no objection. Since
it was to be, all times were alike to her.
The day for the wedding was fixed, and
they only waited for the regular three
week g punishment" one of the legal
forms essential in those days. They
were to be " cried" for the first time on
that pleasant Sunday afternoon on
which this story opens. And Mr.. Bea-
man, whose duty it was to perform that
office, stood up before the congregation
and published the banns of marriage
between Elizabeth Heath and Mark
Boynton No wonder that the people
were thunder-struck, and that they
moved in silent amazement out of the
church.
But once the crowd was fairly outside
the sacred edifice, comment and question
were free. Mr.. Beaman was beset by
inquiries. Ezra Jocelyn was there,
angrily accusing him of wantonly in
sulting his daughter and his brother.
The poor man was completely bewilder-
ed. He did not understand that any
thing was wrong. He had been called
upon by Robert Jocelyn to publish the
intention of marriage between himself
and Lizzie Heath, and he had done it.
"Why, man alive!" exclaimed by
stander, sit was not Robert Jocelyn's
name that you called, but Mark Boyn-
TOMS"
The unlucly clerk could not believe
it possible that he had committed such
mistake, until the reiterated assertions of
all his neighbors convinced him. He
could only explain it by the fact that he
had thought good deal of the peculiar
circumstances of the case-he had heard,
he said, the woman talk it overland
had pitied the adverse fate of the two
young people crossed in love; and he
must have had Mark Boynton so much
in his mind that he had spoken the
latter's name unconsciously. A fine
commotion his blunder had made.
Mrs. Jocelyn, with a flushed and
angry face, took Lizzie's arm and hur-
ried her away. She believed the whole
thing was trick of Marks; and she
suspected that Lizzie might be privy to
it. But she prudently repressed her
anger until they reached home, where
Lizzie quickly escaped to her own room
and locked herselfin in; SO the good wom-
ans lecture had to be postponed.
AS for Mark Boynton, the last syla-
BILE of the benediction was hardly spoken
before he was out of the house. Curious
eyes followed him, but no one had time
to speak to him, for he sprang over a
stile leading from the churchyard to a
foot path across the fields, and disap-
peared in the woods beyond.
But doubtless the saddest, the most
plying sympathy of the crowd went
after Robert Jocelyn, as, with face
white and immovable as that Of the
dead, he moved through the throng,
which divided to let him pass, and went
away to his home. He sat down by the
open window, through which the PEN
sive autumn sunshine streamed in warm
and sweet, and burying his face in his
hands, remained for a long time lost in
gloomy thought. Bitter memories