Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-15


about him, till finally Phil come home for
q vacation.
"Twa'n't long fore he found out bout
Jack, and then he used to foller him
round and argy with him and try to keep
him straight, but the boyd got started on
the road to ruin and there was no stoppin'
him. They do say it's powerful easy
road to travel. 1t only made him angry
t'have Phil watchin' and spyin' OF him all
the time. Things went on so some time,
but Bess stopped comm up to the house,
and grew paler and Trailer all the time,
TILT seemed 3 if smart breeze d blow
her away, and by'n' by we knew twas all
| broke off between her and Jack, cause
| Jack didn't 60 there no more, and some
times he'd talk bitter against Phil, and say
ne never thought he was mean enough to
90 back on his old friends, and he'd be
even with him yet.
:" Then Lucy she'd look frightened at
first, but her eyes would grow bright as
stars afterward, and her sweet red lips
| would shet tight together as it she'd made
up her mind to somethin', and then she'd
go and pat her hand on Jacks shoulder
and kiss his forehead, and draw her pretty
fingers through his black curls, and tell
him he and she'd stan by each other and
the hull world might go back on EN- II 1t
wanted to. Perhaps no one knew better'n
I did what it cost Lucy t'say that.
Why"
"Ol, well, we see Phil had come up to
tae house all along just the same's as ever,
and sometimes moonlight nights he and
Lucy'd 90 out ridin'.
mo. there hadn't been no promises
took between 'em, not as we knowed on.
Noshin' WAS settled, but we all thought
twas sure to come, sooner or later. They
was both young, and there was no use
hurryin' matters. -.
"Well, one night, leetle before this,
they went ridin', and l happened to be IN
the barn when they drove in and couldn't
help hearin' some o the things they said.
Eye see when Phil helped her out of the
carriage she put one hand on each OF his
arms and Jumped, and before she could
take EN- away Phil had 'em both in his'n
and was kissin' 'em, and then he said-and
it sounded queer-like, as II the words
came out afore he could stop EN-, and there
was lot more he as tryin' to keep back
= Lucy, there never was another girl IKE
YOU in ali the wide world, never, and never
will be. If l was only through college and
dared but Lucyd pulled her hands away
from him by that time and could see by
the moonlight that she was blushin like a
mornin glory. But she only laughed in her
CAV way, and said, What merciful provi-
dence it is, Phil, that we're not all made
alike. Just sHpposin' | was like Nancy
lanes now, YOU couldn't tell which you
liked best Nancy James had heen tryin
her best to catch Phil for two or three
years.. Don't think Pm thankin' the Lord
I'm not as other women are, m only
thankin' Him that they amt all like me.
And then she ran on ahead into the house,
but she didn't seem quite the same after
that when Phil was around, sort OF con-
fused and put out like. Howsomever, after
Jack got set agin' him, he didn't come up
to the farm SO much. There had been
some words between 'em and Jack hadn't
been more'n civil to him | reckon.
lone night when we was all settln
round the kitchen table, and Lucy was
playin' checkers with Jack, in he walked
and said good evenin' to us all as pleasant
as could be. Lucy got up to shake hands
with him, and Jack shet the checker board
with slam, and says he You We got
some one else to play checkers with now,
Lucy. so You'll excuse me. They tried to
stop him. but he took his hat off the peg
and was startin' 20 60 out when Phil says
awful quiet like If it has come to this,
Jack, that you and l can't spend an evenin'
together under the came roof, OF course L
must be the one to 90. 1t is your house,
not mine. l have no right here He jest
glanced at Lucy sort o wistful, and waited
a second as if he thought she might tell
him to stay, but she jest stood there with
her ewes fiashin' and her teeth shet tight
and never said word. Phil bowed very
formal-like and said i won't trouble
YOU any more, and was gone before we
hardly knew what had happened. Lucy
lest took up the checker board quiet as you
please, and says, Now let's hev another
game, Jack; l must beat You once this
evenin'.' So Jack set down again kind o
sheepish, and l never heared word said
about it afterward.
Lucy was jest as gay as ever, and she
and Jack would carry on together Jest as
they always had, but sometimes thought
she must be putin it on but perhaps she
wasn't, after all. Jack stayed to hum more
for while, and used to go to church with
Lucy, and sometimes I'd watch 'em to see
what would happen when they met Phil.
One Sunday they met on the meetin' house
steps, Phil had been standin' there watch
in 'em comm with dreadful hungry look
in his eyes, and when they come up to the
steps Jack gave cool little nod, and Luz
CIV, with the same look as she had that
night and the least little bit o color IN her
cheeks, bowed quite sober and dignitied-
like, without smilin', and went on fast, as
if she was in hurry to get by. But she
didn't sing any O the tunes that day, and
| always thought she bowed that way fer
fear of offendin Jack, for he was dead set
agin Phil, and Lucy'd make up her mind
to lose the whole world if she could gain
Jack.
CAS- luck would have it (some folks says
there amt no such thing as luck, but l
swan. if there amt some things can't lay
to PROVIDENCE, old Squire Marvin's niece
came to visit 'em Jest then. She want his
own niece either, for she was his sisters
husbands child by his second wife. She
came from New York. You might known
it without askin', she was so citytied. She
WANT so pretty lookin', but there was
somethin' about her that I've heard folks
call style. Never could quite tell what it
was, only her clothes were made leetle
different, ard she always looked to hum In
'em, no matter how fine they was. When
she laughed, which she did consid'able,
she came pretty nigh bein handsome. OF
course she and Bess and Phil went round
together, when Bass could go. Her health
was failin, poor thing, and she had to stay
to hum good deal, and, when she couldn't
60, Mss Margaret Chat was her name,
Margaret Bird and Phil went without
her. Material enough, folks soon began to
say what good match 'twould make, and
or course, Lucy heard it all She wouldn't
90 nowheres unless Jack would go with
her, and sometimes he want invited, so
she hardly ever met Phil.
"Miss Margaret she stayed a good
while, and when she went hum and Phil
went back to college everybody said they
was engaged. l most knew they want,
though, for the night before Phil went
back l happened to be lookin' out O. my