River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-10-26


he cried delightedly.
COB, unspeakably!" said Mary Dun
lap; and there was no coquetry in the
confession.
"And shall you miss me if 1 go away
forever? For / must. 1t is impossible
for me to stay where you are"
"Go away foreverl' 1t came over
her all at once, and then the world
would be a desert. She turned ashen.
But if he could go she would not let
him know. Every WE'LL" she said
coolly. 81 want to ask you som ething
before you go. Did you really as Tom
says, lend James Macarthur ten thous-
and dollars when he came near failing
last spring."
as that alI?' he said. "That was q
trife, and it makes no difference now
that | have lost nearly all the rest"
"You have lost your money?"-with
rush of pity.
ga great deal of it, but that was moth
ing; he would have done as much for
me-"
"Humphr" said Mary.
'Mary, thought you"
"Cared for James Macarthur? Pers
haps did, once, Just as you cared for
Aunt Sophy. IF did, the fire burned
to ashes" @
"And you will not mary him"
"Why, he never asked me-"
"The FOOL"
"There is only one person in the
world L wouldmary, aud he. declined
one day to mary me, = saieiaiary, arch
.ly, and with: q sudden courage. And
then she trembled like poplar leaf,
and the tears well up.
"Mary," said Mr. Popison, gFaFely,
changing the current with his words,
81 shall tell your father you have pro-
posed to me, and that l have accepted
you"
So gay, so bright, so beautiful was
Mary Dunlap that evening, singing,
dancing, tripping here and there, that
everyone felt she had returned from an
absence, and James Macarthur left Bes-
sic Travers' side to follow her. But
there was something about her that put
her just beyond him, fine separating
atmosphere, diamond blaze. "Why
did you never tell me-" said he, that
Bessie Travers was engaged?'
'W A. It any affair of yours?"
81 suppose" he said, bitterly, sit
would be no affair of mine if you mar
ried old Popison tomorrow"
"Have you made it sol" she cried.
And, locking at him, wondered why she
had ever quivered before those bold
black eyes, that high color, that mighty
manner of his, great gladness filling
her heart to think of the noble breast
she had to lean on, the rest and COM
fort of her protector. And as she went
to sing for some one the new air, DARK
was the day and dre&ry the night, "
James Macarthur felt as if the earth had
opened little under his feet, and the
song was written for him.
Perhaps it was because she had de-
fed him so that he pursued her now to
see what it meant; that he stopped an
hour next morning on his way down
town; that he came IN at nightfall with
a headache for her to brew him the cup
of tea she used to make; that for weeks
he hung about her, with his old ardor
kindled by that still remote manner OF
hers, and his old silence enforced by
doubt and the remoteness enhancing
her value so that it began to seem to
him there was not another woman IN
the world; and he forgot money and
ambition, feeling at last that she had
outweighed everything he had ever
valued, and he was made only the
more earnest by her preoccupations.
s'Mary," he said one noon, coming in
on some pretext, bending over her
tenderly, his eyes glowing, his voice
softening, 81 am going away tonight.
When ] come back, will you hear
something have 70 say to your
"No, indeed, she SAID laughing. "You
have nothing to say to me then or at
any other time, and l shall not be here
myself, perhaps" 81 should think, y
he said, "you are going to promise
yourself to some one else, if did not
| believe-if did not know-that you
loved me. Is that so? Marry some
one elser' he cried. 81 should rise
from my grave to forbid the bannsl"
But she answered by catching Tom
as he went by and waltziHg down the
room In her brothers arms.
1t was few minutes later when her
sister WAS making her five O'Clock tea,
that Mary, passing the telephone as it
rang, paused to take its message, and
errand, in answer to which Mr.. Popison
and Mr.. Dean left phaeton at the
gate within halfhour and came up
the veranda, where the family were
sitting.
81 was going to treat you sll to lit
tie SURPRISE" said Mary then demurely,
''by being married to Mr.. Popison by
and-bye, and going off in the phaeton
for our brida al tour across the river.
But as the telephone just announced
the arrival of some one who will for
bid the banns, thought l would not
wait"
And with the red sunset pouring over
the amazed and bewildered family,
DR.. Dean pronounced Mr.. Popison and
Mary Dunlap man and wife, and they
had gone in their phaeton for their
tour across the river to the noble old
mansion under its elms before the ar
rival of the man who had telephoned
Gam speaking to Mary Dunlapi
Yes? have lost the train and shall
be with you in an hour, when | expect
a circumstancial answer, which cir