Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1881-06-30
The Lovers Cave.

! plant, sald Mrs. Beckett, rolling
up her eyes. eyes, indeed. A
perfect Kolian harp of nature, anG
| sometime tremble to think of the
stern rebuffs she is destined to meet
when circumstances force her out
into the frozen atmosphere Of this
cruel world. "Ruth,'' with a Gu
rious change of int tonation, Ego di
rectly and see if Mrs. Hodge has
sent home that basket of bleached
linen r
Ruth Bennett was slender,
olive-complexioned girl of eigh-
teen, with dark eyes, fnll of indes-
cribable plaintiveness.
1T is not sent home yet. Aunt
Mary" said she. Mrs. Hodges
daughter is very sick and"
Mrs. Hodges daughters sick
ness is nothing to me- said Mrs.
Beckett, sharply. Cuisines, bust
ness-and if Mrs. Hodge can't
undertake to make my table linen,
l must find somebody else who
can.'
I was going to say, Aunt My
ra-'
Say it, then, quickly and don't
stand there all day with the door
open,' said Mrs. Beckett, in a very
audible stage whisper.
IF might go over and help her
for little wlnle,' pleaded Ruth.
There is nothing very special to do
at home to-day, and
Ruth. I am surprised at you =
said Mrs. Beckett. Nothing very
especial indeed There Is always
something to do in a home like
tlds [ suppose you would like
dear Maud to turn herself into a
drudge wh1le you're running about,
waiting upon all the sick poor peo-
pie in creation. If you're really
suffering fer something to do, you
may 60 down and help Mary Jane
with the preserving. She never in
the world will get through by her
self. And, Ruth-here-see that
Maud's pink muslin is starched and
done up; she wants to 60 sketch
ing in the woods this afternoon
And having delivered these be-
hests in that sort of shrill soto
voice, which is easier to distinguish
than an absolute shout, Mrs.
Beckett smoothed the wrinkles ont
of her face, called up the regula-
lation smile, and returned to the
city boarder whom report an
nounced to be rich, WELL descended
and desirous Of taking himself a
wife =
oh you are going out said she
Yes, l am going OUT said Mr.
!ldray, carelessly tossing up his
hat.
do take that lovely walk down
toward the glen,' said Mrs. Beckett
Dear Maud often goes there te
study the beauties of nature
There's cavern there somewhere
they call 1t the Lovers Cave,
.believe-but | really never coulc
find it, and if I could, one has :
natural dread OF rat,lesna kes, yo1
know, and black spiders, and ear
wigs, and all those horrid things
| And
But, without waiting to hear tn
conclusion of the widows harangu
Mr.. ldray slipped through th'
open door of the room and fairly
took flight down the cool and shad.
arches of the garden paths.
What a mother-in-law to have
said he to himself. "And yet
suppose the poor woman mean
well-and after all Maud is a gel
!. tie and beautiful girl, with
world Of undeveloped possibilitie
in her nature. And what is moI
to the purpose, she loves me. c
at least she told me as much la
night, when we sat together in tt
I moonlight. And if I could ono
: get her out Of this hard, grindin
atmosphere of dollars and cents,
believe she would blossom into IL
sweetest perfection. Dear lit
Maud, she has no idea of fortu1
hunting, however much that hate
faced old woman of hers ms
scheme and manouvre. If the
was ever pearl of purity, Mat
Beckett is one
| So Kenneth ndray saunter
down into the cool depths of t
glen, where the merry little ca
cades danced over the messy rocl
and the tremulous ferns lift
their green banners toward the 81
shine. Deeper and deeper he pc
tn tn etrated, until at last STOPPING
ing gather pale pink blossom tt
quivered. like a jewel on t
II. edge Of the rocks, half vailed
trailing blackberry briars a
bushes of aromatic sweet fern.
less Gard said he mad:,atively
Dth oah himself, this must be the cave !
ens With mans natural curios
! on he entered the aperture, maxi
able his way cautiously along over
'ose slippery rocks, and boHing his