The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-07-13
THE OLD WILL.

The innocent. surprised, inquir-
ing Accommodation was indeed,
difficult for John Burrows. He
touched a dimple in her cheek, and
. then a curl of her hair, as lie might
have touched flowers on a grave,
perhaps.
She shook back the silky ripples
impatiently.
when, John ?"
He looked at her for mons. Il
without u smile, pretty as she was.
Nelly, sit down here for mo-
ment."
They sat down on the pretty
crimson couch before the fire. See
ing trouble in his face, she put her
hand in his, sand he smoothed out
the little rose-leaf member upon his
broad palm, more than ever conf
dent, as he looked at it, that he was
! right.
"Nelly, you know | love YOU"
Yes" with blush, for he had
And | am very sorry
| why" after pause Of bewilder-
ment.
! Because YOU are n delicate little
| flower, needing care and nursing to
keep your bloom bright; and l am
going to hard, rough life, among
priYations, fever. and malaria.
which will try even my powerful
constitution, and where you must
not CO."
.You are going to the Far West ?p
s'Yes. My mother must have q
home in her old age. She is strong
now, but time is telling on her. You
know all that she has been to me ?n
Yes; she has been Il good moth
er. But you shall take me, too
John.
She won her way into his arms
against his viii.
"You win take me, too?"
''No. Did | not tell you that you
made it So hard for me to say good
bye to you?"
John, what could l do without
you ?"
lie took the little, caressing hand
down from his face.
Don't make me weak, nelly. Do
you think that it is nothing to me
TO leave nv little violct-the only
woman / ever loyed-for hard,
cold life and unceasing toll. l can
not marry for ten years, Nelly"
And then ! shall be thirty years
cd"
"Yes, married, and with little
children seeing, at last that your
old lover, John Burrows. was right"
He rose TO his feet.
",JoHS p in terror.
"Yes / am going, Nelly. Little
one-you look SO much like q wo.
man now, with your steadfast eyes
hear me: l did not foresee that
you would love me-that | should
love you. You were q little school
girl when | saved you from drown
ing last summer, and your satchel
of books fioated away down the riy-
er and was lost. I came here to see
Gregory, not you. / could not help
loving you but did not think un-
til tonight that you cared so much
for me, Nelly. But, child you viii
forget me.
.Nevert'
He went on.
Nelly, l shall hunger for you day
and night, more and more, rs time
goes on and | get older, lonelier,
more weary But | shall never
hope to see YOU again. Now give me
your hand"
She gave him both. He raised
them to his lips, but before she
could speak again he was gone.
Shivering violently, she went to
the fire, and stood there trying to
warm herself. She understood it
all now-his strangely elaborate
arrangements for trip to New
York. He had known that he was
not coming back when she had beg
ged him to bring her his photograph
from the great metropolis, bat was
going on-on-into the dim dis
tance. This IS why he had not
promised.
1t was getting late-she was so
eold-she had better go to bed. She
would not go into the parlor to bid /
her father and aunt, and Gregory
good night; SO she crept silently up |
to her own room. There the very
weight Of grief upon her lulled her
to sleep.
But when she awoke, her grief
sprang upon her like some hidden
monster who had lain in wait for
her all night. Her misery terrified |
her. Why should she not die? Why /
should she ever rise from that
bed F?
But when they called her, she /
sprang up hastily, dressed and went |
down stairs, and they were too busy |
talking to notice that she did not I
know what she was doing. But, by |
and by, when her brother reached /
for some more coffee, and observed /
John Burrows and his mother went /
to New York on the first train this
morning she tried to rise uncon-
cernedly from the table, and fell in
a dead faint on the carpet among
them.
When Nelly came to, she was an
dressed and in bed, and Aunt Mary
was darning stockings at the foot.
"Oh, let me get up, Aunt Mary | I
don't want to lie here !"
''Now, Nell, be reasonable You're
sick"
"Oh, Aunt Mary, IN not
Nelly, if you will lie still to-day, +
I'll let you have that old box of GU
riosities in my room to look over.
VIII you?"
II don't know"
Aunt Mary went for them. Nelly
shut her eyes and let the wave in
all its bitterness surge over her once;
when Miss Golding came back, I
bringing q box of old mahogany.
black and glossy with time.
sThere!" setting it on the bed.
With a wintry little smile off