The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-07-09
THE OLD WILL.

Littlo Blossom, you mako it 80 hard
for me to say goodbye to YOU"
"When?"
The innocent, surprised, inquiring
facc-rcnunciatio WIS indeed, difficult
for John Burrows. He touched dim
pie in her cheek, and then curl of her
hair, rs he might have touched flowers
on grave, perhaps.
She shook back the silky ripplcs i'm
patiently.
"When, John?"
He looked Mt her for q moment with
out smile, pretty rs she was.
"Nelly, sit down here for a moment. "
They sat down on tho pretty crimson
couch before the fire. Seeing trouble i'll
1 his face, she put her hand III his, and he
smoothed out the little rose-leaf member
upon his broad palm, moro than ever
confident, rs he looked Mt it, that he was
right.
"Nclly, you know T love YOU"
eyes" with blush, for he had never
said it before.
"And am worry sorry"
"Why," after pause OF bewilder-
mcnt.
because you arc dolicate little flow
er, needing care and nursing to keep
your bloom bright and an going to a
hard, rough life, among privations, fever,
and malaria, which will try even my
powerful constitution, and where you
must not Co."
"You arc going to tho Far West?"
\ eyes. My mother must have home
i in her old age. She is strong now, but
B time is telling OH her. You know all that
ls5she has been to MOP"
S. eyes she has been n good mother.
,sesBut you shall take mo too, John"
u She won her way into his arms against
Shis will.
81 "You will take mo, too?"
81 "No. Did 1 not toll you that you
Smnde it 80 hard for mo to say goodbye
Ito your"
4 "John, what could T do without you?"
y "He took tho little, caressing hand
Sdown from his face.
8 "Don't make mo weak, Nelly. Do
S%you think that it is nothing to me to
8leave my little violet-the only woman 1
Sever loved-for q hard, cold life and un-
Sceasing toll. Icannot marry for ten years,
n Nelly"
q "And then T shall be thirty years old"
eyes, married, md with little chill
( dren; seeing, at last that your old lover,
! John Burrows, was right.
He rose to his feet.
A "JoHN |" in terror.
IS eyes an going, Molly. Little one
s-you look 80 much woman now, with
your steadfast eyes-henr me: L did not
forcseo that you would love me-that L
Should loto you. You were little school
Agirl when I saved you from drowning
last summer, and your sntchcl of books
y Hoatcd away down the river and was lost.
$I came here to see Gregory, not you. I
i5could not help loving you but did not
think until tonight that you cared SO
9much for me, Nelly. But, child you
Swill forget me-"
b "Novcrl
IS He went on.
81 "Nelly, I shall hunger for you day
and night, moro md more, rs time goes
,,on and get older, lonelicr, more weary.
GBut shall never hope to see you again.
Now, give me your hand"
$E She gave him both. Ho raised them
to his lips, but before she could speak
Segain no was gone.
M, Shivcring violently, sho went to the
( fire, and stood there trying to warm hor-
4 self. She underetood it I'll now--his
strangely claboralc arrangements for q
4 trip to New York. Ho had known that
lie was not coming back when she had
begged him to bring her his photograph
l5from the great metropolis, but was going
%on--on--into the dim distance. This is
why he had not promised.
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 tho very weight of grief upon hor
lnllcd hcr to seep.
sSSS But when sho woke, her grief sprang
npon her like some hidden monster who
Ind lain in wait for her all night. Her
misery terrified her. Why should she
not dio9 Why should sho ever rise from
that bed?
5 But when they called her, she sprang
mp hastily, dressed and went down, and
they were too busy talking to notice that
she did not know what she was doing
lN