Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-05-26

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by Miss Richardson's elbow. But pres
emily she leaned toward Miss Richard
son and touched her shoulder softly.
g am SO very much obliged to you, !"
she said, gratefully, ''and I'm sure
shan't incommode you any more than 1
can help"
Miss Richardson made her gracious
reply, and soon became interested in
her book. At length she yawned and
closed it, The afternoon was passing.
The scene was rich in lillowy green and
stretching plain, and across the green
level the day was mellowing away to its
close, the sunlight falling upon it like
winnowing grain. Miss Richardson felt
! the timid and confding little touch
again, and turned to meet with her
handsome eyes the wistful, appealing
ones looking toward her.
would you let me go into the
dining-room to dinner with you p
asked the flute voice, with tremolo of
apprehension in it.
"Oh, yes," said Miss Richardson,
smiling; "Td just as lief you would as
not"
"Ohl thank you SO much, f" was the
reply, after breath of relief. aI
should never have the courage to go in
and eat alone. The walters are in such
a hurry, and don't know where to sit
and / can't find my own car when I'm
ready to come back"
So it was that Miss Richardson came
to have charge, and, somehow, so
much clinging timidity opposed to her
own independence seemed sort of
bond. Before the second day was out
she had given her dainty and pretty
companion petting tap or two, short
and contented laughter bubbled up be-
tween them, confidential undertones of
talk frequently passed from one to the
other, and Miss Richardson leaned for
ward and said:
81 haven't any idea what your name
is. I think that it ought to be posy,
though"
And then the small woman laughed as
she answered.:
1T isn't though, it's Marthy-Marthy
FairchiId."
And then the magnificent, gorgeous,
radiant Kate replied, just as she would
have caressed bird:
"Ah ! and shall call you Marthy,
then, shall I not ?"
Not one dim thought of warming had
she, not a single swift feeling of recoil,
not an idea that she was hugging to her
heart rival-she who held sway among
men with waltz, and tete-a-tete, and
repartee.
But under the feet Of those who tread
volcanoes the ground will sometimes
break one cannot forever safely walk
the edge of the precipice thin ice will
part.
They were sitting side by side, as
usual, one evening the window framed
a calm, mild star. Sitting so silently !;
how strange if they had known each was
saying over and over the same name.
! The star was shining kindly-shining
andS twinkling like an eye mildly
shrewd, and then it gave place to another
and another, till the night sky seemed
shaken full with lustered dust. Pres
emily Miss Richardson began to hum q
little, in her soft contralto, and Mar
thy's thread-like soprano took it up
like carol, under q breath. The men
under the dull lamp in the further end
ofthe car held their fingers on their cards
for moment, and the fretful baby
ceased its crying Two women hushed
gossiping and stared, and, under pre-
tense Of fare. the passing porter
turned down the fame In a lamp while
he stopped to listen.
:" Marthy," said Miss Richardson.
gently, Where did you learn that ? It's
such an old-fashioned, sentimental
thing, I shouldn't wonder il it had been
love song in TO-
"Oh, yes; I shouldn't wonder if it
had. learned it way back in Yer
mont oh, how far away that seems
now / used to sing it with Richard
but that seems only yesterday, though
it has been years and years. I've never
told you about Richard have L? His
name is Powers, and it's he that I'm
coming to California to meet A long,
long time ago, when was such little,
little girl I can hardly remember it,
some kind Of sickness broke out, and
mother and father took it and died. /
can just see mother lying with white
flower in her hand as they closed the
coffin lid, and than in day or two some
| woman said she wondered what was to
be done with me. Somehow or other /
got to grandpa's, in among the little
hills, and the cows that gave me liy-
ing. Grandpa was just my mother to
me over again, and there stayed, and
was so happy with him. I have always
been a little girl, and think I shall
never be anything else When I am an
old woman 1T seems as though I
should still be a. little girl. How
it all came about I never could
imagine, but it was just as the flowers
come up in the spring, and as the fruit
gets ripe in the fall. Grandpa said one
morning he should have q young man
come to help with the milking, and be-
fore night I knew Richard land, some
how, think / must have been ripening
ready to know him, for my heart was
all open to him from the first. He
came up to me when it.was twilight, and
said he: Good-eyening, Marthy,' and
| then I seemed to fall into futtef, and
to feel that he must know it. Oh! I
never can tell you how Richard seemed
to me. Every night, after that, as I
went along the meadow path, he came
and said: I" "Good-evening, Marthy"-
just SO, and took to listening SO hard
for his coming that my heart hurt me,
and beat in my cheeks and lips. And
all the time grandpa never knew. One
day the sky was SO blue and the cir was
so sweet / was certain that something
was going to happen; and whether It
was the birds singing or my heart beat
ing out rhythm do not know, but IN
a moment I seemed to be standing
among the flowers, for Richard had
taken me in his arms.
Oh, life had just begun to me then,
and not one dav since. not even tha dav