The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-11-26

said, Don't cry" quite in tender way
At the sound OF his voice, she seemed to
know how she was showing her heart to this
stranger, for weak and trembling as che was,
she rose and fled, leaving him alone, to go
about his usual way.
The tears were almost in his own eyes as he
'rampcd up the street, quite forgetting to leave
. long looked for invitation At Mrs Fitz SIM
mnDss he felt 80 warm and strong with sym
patty. He could feel even then where her
hesd had touched his shoulders she would
have 10 hear It all alone, poor little thing! lie
set his teeth when he thought of George, ana
that individual would have been astoHished at
the ideas III regard to him, held by one who
was a total stranger.
He scarcely glanced at the house for the
next two or three days for fear she would
think he WAS remembering Friday came at
last and the Baptist Weekly was thankfully
welcomed.
His heart heat tearfully as he went up the
steps Perhaps she was i'll, or gone away for.
ever-no; there she was much as usual TO all
out ward appearances, though he fancied there
WAS . paleness still on her face and the traces
Of quiet tears beneath her eyes.
To q stranger there would have seemed no
d. ference probably. for she was always quiet;
hut he grew to fancy there Was a wistful sad
ness nowadays in her dark eyes, that deepen
ed when she smiled He longed to comfort
her As n mother might have done; to take her
in his arms like child, and share with her
his own young strength.
The Cranes were two dull old foCies; girls
heart might break and they not know 1t, but
then she would not have them, that he knew
She was brave little lass aud only he knew
how she bore her hurt alone,
He went TO No 10 very seldom now except
on Friday, although he never passed without
= thought of her. One cool day, for it was
getting late in the fall, and the October frost
had come when she opened the door, the old
spaniel started fnrthe opening with such clum
~ and unexpected velocity, that he trlpped
The unsuspectlng p.S'man, and both started
10 roll down the steps together. Willard res
cued himself half way down and gave the old
dog parting kick that sent him terrified and
yeping into the garden.
Poor Fldo" said the girl, commisseIat-
ingy.
de laughed with half grimace of pain as
he picked himself ap, saying, II think you
might save II li,le sympathy for mel"
you are no, hurt ~ she replied, looking at
him with such word Of compassion IN her
eyes, that he would have liked to kiss her on
the spot, as he told her long ntterwart
He felt lame aud bruised tor several days,
but secretly blessed the old dog tor giving HIM
any claim upon her thought. He began to
think how he might follow up his interest.
She must he lonesome staying indoors with
thai tiresome old aunt; he did not know that
she WAS tlresome, but OF course she was. Prob
ably she would be glad of something to read,
not of the Sunday school order he would
send her something, she would never know.
He had never read many novels himself, and
when the woman of the periodical store re,
commended everything with generous indis
elimination, he took half a dozen and conclud-
ed he would look them over himself before he
sent them. He VAS glad be had done so when
he came to some Of them; most of them were
net SO much bad, as nauseatIng. lie wanted
something he could imagine her reading every
page of, and pleased in dong it. He did up
two of them at last, and wrote her name upon
the wrapper IN his best hand. He had written
1t considerably before.
| She took the package the next day without
question, but he trehbled little lnwardly,
and did not repeat the experiment.
| He hit upon another device for seeing her
frequently by subscribing for the Morning
Call" for Deacon Crane, which he delivered
tor three months with great regularity, much
70 that worlhys mild wondermeDt.
He had never been to church much, but now
he began to haunt the Second Baptist when he
| found she was a regular little churChgO
and when IN Christmas week they had their
annual bszar, he astonishcd even himself by
appearing on The festive scene for three nights
in succession. On the third patience was re-
warded she came, and after some rather aWk-
ward maneuvering he managed to get an intro.
ductIon, by means of loquacious elderly &c.
quautaace who knew everybody and talked
at them IN high shrill key.
| UNr willard al Uhu 81, n uas tod M fami q
isr idea to the girl, who, as it happened, had
never heard his name; but the face, as she
looked up, was one she knew. For al instant
she was puzzled. He looked down at her with
u mschevous twinkle in his gray eyes
You do not recognize mcE' he SAID; per
hsps if | should carry a Baptist Advocate in
my hand, the resemblance would be more per
] feet"
ITO think | should not know your she
cried with little blush. you must think
me very stupid. 1t was the uniform | think.
and besides one does not expect to find friend
| in each new name"
| There Is one person who will always main
| tain the usefulness of church fairs Nothing
very wonderful WAS said by either of them,
but when she had departed under her uncle's
elderly escort he turned to Sue Wetherbee and
some Of the "sOciables" with y wild exhilera-
ti'h VI spun, nPPoi'hti1 uuS I" 'ii'ii oV'i'tl
| but whose cause they did not in the least un.
der.tand.
He wondered sometimes If he were natural
Iy desperate hypocrite, as when, with much
dsliberatioh, he obtained couple OF tickets to
= concert under the auspices Of the Y NJ. G.
A. and then asked If she would not use them
he had some of his friends.
OF course she said yes" innocently, and
went with the small and owlsh uncle Crane.
She looked very pretty in her low -brImmcd
hat ana daisies but silks and sstIns would
become her just as well. She saw him and
nodded brightly, aud then apparently told her
uncle where he was, for the old man beamed
benevoently in that direction with his weak,
81, ;pl, ,1