Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-12-17

l
hah,'' said Seth, with comical grin, but
in minor key for al! that; "but We kind
er thought that mebbe what you wouldn't
10 for regiment you might sometime see
your way to do for a man you know you
love, Huldah. whatever you may say and
~
"Rake them Goals again, Seth" broke in
Huldah. with well-felgned interest in
the oven. cat this rate don't believe
shall get any baking done to-day!''
1--we tried lately" Seth began again,
quite ignoring the interruption. 'sto try
and put down this feeling that there
couldn't nothing come on, but 1 might as
we'll try to make myself over into hand
some man, Huldah, as to stop thinking OF
you'll"
"Well, there wor a time, Seth,'' said
Huldah, as she stirred the sugar and spice
into the golden pumpkin and took on a
more confidential tone, "that wor willing
to own up was tempted
when was that, Huldah?" inquired
Seth, with sigh, though his eyes were
dancing with fun.
when you got home from the war and
had to 60 on crutches theE for SPELL"
cried Huldah. ssThen it seemed to me it
wor my duty to take care Of you, and
remember well the day I'd made up my
mind to say so. I wor looking up tie
road expecting to sea you come hippity-
hoppity down as you had been doing, when
lol and behold? there you wor as fine as
fiddle without any crutches at all, and
walking almost as spry as you do this MN
ute"
| II give 'em up before really ought to,
Huldah," said Seth, 'because 1 thought
you hated the sight of 'em; and now I
find, when it is too late, that they were my
best friends. They're up in the garnet
now. and I'll get 'em out if you say so!''.
Don't be fool" said Huldah. with a
! snap. Il just wanted you to get it into
that thick head of yourn that If you need
ed me you'd had me in spite of anybody in
the created world. Stir up them Goals
agin!''
Once more Seth did IS he was told, and
as he raked the glowing embers the door
opened and Miss Caroline, the mistress of
this great house and sole heiress of one of
the richest estates in Massachusetts, walk
ed into the kitchen. She might have been
thirty and even more, but she looked
about twentythree or four, with her fresh,
and almost childish complexion, light
brown hair and beautiful gray eyes, with
long, dark, sweeping lashes. She was
little above medium height, and in face
and figure was the very personi6cation of
grace and delicacy. Caroline Wyndham
could never be called pretty, but she was
as handsome and as proud a woman as
ever walked the earth.
$50 Seth is tormenting you again, is he,
Huldah?" the lady inquired laughingly.-
''You were so quiet down here that did
not know but that you had forgotten all
about Thanksgiving preparations"
''Now, Miss Caroline!' said Huldah, an
noyed as much as she could be with the
mistress she was so fond of.
"I've been talking kinder of serious to
Huldah,'' Seth broke in, s'but 1 can't see
that it has amounted to anything
s'Keep it up" Miss Caroline replied
"There is nothing IN this world like deter
mination! 1t is very strange that Huldah
holds out so against becoming Mrs. Smitn;''
and now the lady brought spoon and
tasted of the cooks pumpkin mixture,
which was almost ready to be poured into
the pie-plates. "a little more sugar, HUI
dah," she continued, and then with an
other smiling glance at the awkward lover,
! who stood with his back against the kltch-
en-door, added: Why, Seth, I should
have been compelled to give in with half
as much coaxing as Huldah has had p
There are some folks you know, Miss
| Caroline, who are too proud to beg" said
Seth with quick look at the lady, "but
I Pm glad amt ashamed to hang on to
what I want Huldah has been telling me
that if I'd been obliged to go on crutches
a little while longer she'd had to give in"
Miss Caroline turned away and looked out
of the window, but not before Seth had
seen the color fade out of her face and o
little shlver creep over her supple figure.
81 was down to Boston yesterday, Miss
Caroline Seth continued carelessly.
"Well, suppose Boston is as we'll as
usual,'' the lady replied with poor at
tempt at Righteousness.
"Lively as ever.'' Seth responded. 81
run up to the West End TO see how Colo
mel Lowell was getting along. I always
like to call on him whenever I get a
chance.,'
If Miss Caroline imagined that Seth was
J going to volunteer any more information
she was certainly disappointed. After a
pause of few seconds she remarked with
apparently very little interest in what she
was talking about:
81 suppose the Colonel is still improving?
! at least I've been told he was doing very
| well.''
"Oh, they are all fools,' Seth replied,
angrily. 1.-The Colonel can walk around
his room little with crutches and that's
something he never expected to do. Just
think, Miss Caroline, living without walk
ing step. I tell you that last Bull Run
gave him Dose"
/ "Isn't that better ?" the lady inquired
GROSSLY, the blood coming back to her face
in great surge. Some emotion must
manifest itself, and, as sometimes happens
| in cases where there has had to be great
repression, anger is the first to come for
| ward.
"That's better as far as it goes,' said
Seth, land the Colonel's general health is
very bad, and the doctor says if he don't
have something. to rouse him from the
awful fix he has got into he's goner. He
looks fearful, Miss Caroline. His eyes are
| as hin az sancers and he's pale as q |