The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-10-06

Don't speak of Susy, Katie Don't;
it kills mel'
"But, Ned"
"Pll try to tell you, Katie. We never
have had any secrets"
She had seated herself on low stool,
and drawn his head to rest upon her
breast, and her gentle touch, her face of
tender love seemed to soothe him, for
his harsh, choked voice soft ened as he
spoke to her.
"Jim Willis has come home, Katie.
He's made heap of money speculating,
aud bought house in Cincinnati, and
is going to take Susy and her mother
there to live; and he says can't have
Susy-she's going to be rich, and city
girl--and I'm only poor country clod-
hopper"
"Ned!"
"He said so. She's to go to Ci n
cinnati and make great match, and I
can never see her again"
"But Susy-what does Susy herself
say?"
"He wouldn't let me see her, except
! when he lifted her into the coach to go
awsy-all white and dead like-where
! she tainted"
AGO away?"
"They're gone. He came home this
morning, in coach he hired in town,
and he made them pack up and get
ready to go right off-wouldn't let
either of them come here-tried to get
away before I came, and drove mo away
as if had been loafer. Oh, Katie,
\ how can live ?"
The loyal heart was nearly breaking.
\ Every word came in gasp, and the
pallid face and quivering lips were
aithful witnesses of the terrible agony
of this unexpected blow. From boy
to man he had cherished one dream
of future happiness, and it was pain
that no language can adequately de-
scribe to see it thus ruthlessly dashed
from him.
Katie was powerless to console him.
The shock was to her only second to
his own, for Susy had been to her in
| the place of sister from their child
hood, and she loved her brother with a
passionate devotion that made every
tone of his voice, every quiver of his
pale lips blow on her tender heart.
Far as Cincinnati really was from the
quiet New England village, its actual
distance was nothing compared to the
vast SPACE their simple imaginings
threw between. Susy was to be carried
away, far from her home, far from them,
and if the destination had been Egypt
or Constantinople the shock would
have gained no force. Ned's hearI
dwelt on the pale, senseless face, as he
had seen it carried by him, till his poor
brain fairly numbed under the burden
of its grief, and he lay silent, only
sometimes moaning as the sorrow be
came more poignant in new light
Night fell, the long hours drew out
| their slow length, and still the two re-
! manned mute and motionless, trying tc
realize and bear this strange misfortune
Daybreak stealing in, and the sound o
the farmers heavy wagon in the yard
reused them at last, and poor Ned, un
able to meet the CHEEKY voice and face
of his father, stole away to his room
leaving Katie to tell the news.
1t is impossible to describe thu
farmers wrath. Hot words of burning
indignatic poured from his lips, and, fo
the first time, Katie heard an oath from
her fathers lips, as he cursed Jim Viii
lis for his miserly, cruel heart. Thei
came gelItIer thoughts. Susy, his littl,
pet, md only to Ned and Katie il
his heart, lost, carried away from then
torn from her home and lover-and her,
the thought of Ned's grief conquered
every other, and the old man strobe NJ
the narrow staircase to his sons door
1t needed just such fatherly tenderness
as he brought to win Ned from hiscare
less agony to the relief of tears AM
speech, and far into the morning tn
two sat talking of this hard turn in for
tune.
The morning duties called ther
down, and if Katie's heart ached owe
her brothers untouched breakfast,
was comforted by seeing how deep wa
his fathers sympathy.
Days passed and weeks and Ned trie
to bear his sorrow like man. Their
was no want of sympathy at home
J where the loving eyes watched his pal
: cheeks with a tender interest that wa
! almost painful, and the brave heart thi
would have given Susy its full wealt
of love was generous to the home circle
, and for its sake tried to live down th
pain of disappointment. know that
be a proper hero Ned should hay
, moped and dropped, snubbed Kati
, been savage to all human nature, an
finally have left home to work out h
: spleen in some new lifo. But Nod
heroism had a strong element in h
, pure Christian faith, which taught hi
to do as he would be done by, to hone
l his father, to bear his cross patiently
q and SO, if his merry whistle had cease,
g his voice gradually resumed its clei
r cheerfulness, and lis manner gre
doubly tender toward Katie, as
t marked her sympathizing love. Not
!, word dropped from any of them tn
9 could give one shadow of reproach
d Susy, and some vague ideas of a rescl
= occasionally suggested themselves
r Ned, where his love might win her fro
g her fathers tyranny or melt his o
It stinate resolve. The idea that Su
:, could ever be his wife without that co
@ sent never occurred to him.
e The winter had set in before OF
d word of the fugitives reached Allentow
T. then Katie had treasure to show,
Ir letter from Susy.
e "Dear, dear Katie" (so it ready, 6
may be doing very wrong to write
d you, after all that father has said ; b
Ie mother has given me permission
g, write once, so am now trying to tt
g you that my love for you-for Ned" "
g there great blot told of tear) "al
e your dear father, is just the same, thout
a We shall naver see each other again