The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-12-13
W0LET'S CHOICE.
(WHICH shall It be ~

dow as she asked herself this question,
while her dark eyes roamed over the
scene which lay before her.
A dreary scene, surely. Broad fields,
from which the harvest had long since
been gathered, even the aftermath
nothing now remained save the brist-
ling stubble, upon which the autumn
rain was faling-drip, drip, drip. Over
head, dull, gray. sky, with the sun
slowly dying in the west; under foot,
sodden gray earth. The whole world
seemed robed in that one sombre color.
And so that young girl who stood
there, her eyes sweeping impatlently
over it all, it seemed the dreariest picture
in the world.
She was young and had beauty the
heart within her breast throbbed with
ambitious desires and longings; she
wanted to rise up above all these sordid,
common surroundings, and get within
her proper sphere. She longed for
wealth and luxury her beauty craved
costly setting: yet she was but poor
farmers daughter, and Twain an
ancient red farmhouse, in the fiest of
gray, old cornfelds, from whence the
green had fled.
1t seemed to her, standing there wear-
ly, as though the green would never
come back again to the fields, the azure
to the skies, or the song to the bird.
Yet she was deciding a momentous
question that day, and one which was
destined to affect all her future life 1t
was this:
Arnold Lee, q millionaire, had asked
her to become his wife. But he was old,
and gray, and wrinkled, and her heart
belonged to another = Richard Lyle.
But Richard was poor as she was, and
and-the glittering bait which the old
man held out was very tempting.
Violet was tired of poverty and the
constant battle against the ills of this
life. She wanted to get away from it
all; she longed to live in palace, and
wear silks and jewels, and have all the
money she desired. And all this could
be gained merely by saying yes to Ar
mold Lee
But how could she? How could she
wrench from her heart the love which
occupied it, and glorified her life with
all the glories of pure and innocent
affection, and bind herself to this grim
old man for the sake of his goldp Yet
Richard was so dreadfully poor! Vio-
let's heart sank as she remembered it
all. And she must decide quickly, for
in two hours time Arnold Lee would
come for an answer.
"Violet -
The girl turned to see her mother
standing beside her-a fretful, complain
ing woman, who spent her daily life in
bewailing their poverty.
"Well, Violet" she went on, shave
you made up your mindY To think
that you should ask for time to decide
such matter! Why, girl, 1 should
think you would be so gratified at Mr..
Lees proposal that you would tell him
yes without moments delay"
"Mother, do you really advise me to
marry that old man just for his money
when you know that Richard and 1
| are"
"You are not really engaged" inter-
rupted her mother, hastily. "No, thank
heaven! and the understanding between
you, such as it is, can be easily settled.
Violet, want you to marry Mr.. Lee (;
you can't afford to refuse him! Why,
it will save you and us all from the
depths of misery. Tell him yes, Violet"
She left the room and Violet to her
own meditations. A defiant look flash
ed into the girls clear eyes.
''I will not J" she cried, setting her
white teeth hard together, and clench-
ing her little hand fiercely, II will not
marry that old man! have decided at
last Poverty with Richard Lyle is pref
erable to life of gilded misery ~
A tall figure coming across the sodden
fields met her gaze-the color famed up
into her cheeks, her eyes shown with a
dewy light.
''Dear Richard !" she whispered to
herself, "he is coming will meet him
and tell him all ~
AS she spoke the slow rain ceased
falling and single blue streak appeared
in the sky. Throwing waterproof
cloak about her, she opened the low win
dow and stepped over the sill. Gather
ing her skirts about her, she darted for
ward, across the wet door-yard, and me-
her lover at the gate. "Oh, Richard, ;
she cried, stopping short, II want to tel
| vou ~,