The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-12-13

and had plenty of time to look about
ne: You see' I had never been a., out s- OF
own on our provincial circuit. He stayed
the very end of that rubbishy little
arce; and mex day at rehearsal there he
vas with old Delaney. That was the man.
,ger-my uncle. Lived with him n his
wife -good old soulsl How they n every
body joked me about my admireri"
She reseated herself on the trees-tump,
ler lap filed with the poor relics of her
past, her day of youth. A shaft OF light
athwart the soughing pine boughs struck
inc broke and danced on her shabby old
gown and the aged wrinkled fingers, round
one of which. she was twining idly the long
curl of hair. I felt dizzy with
the medley of incongruous ideas that she
1aised in my mind. Uncle John, a
.'gay, handsome country boy" whoss dead
me, grim and silent. Harder still to link
of love and admiration, songs
and dances to the actual sight of the gray
old face before me. Her dark eyes flashed
suddenly upon me as 1 unused.
"Don't be afraid of a long story. Mine
short enough. Meetings, compliments,
bouquets and a formal proposal at the end
of a week. Old Mr.. Nationwide and his
wife were away, you see; and that was
how Master John came to be all by himself
in C~rossholme. Do o see that card? It
was fastened to the bouquet he threw me
one Saturday night. We were to go out
for the Sunday as an engaged couple.
Fancy our holiday! A start in a chaise in
the early morning, anda long drive through
the fresh country lanes to at a
and then on to Filby Ness. Do
you know it?"
1.-THE pretty headland and bay about ten
miles off? Yes"
"Well, think of seeing the sea there for
first time in your life, with you
sweetheart beside you! We played
on the sands like two children, picked
shells, repeated all the poetry we knew till
were tired, and then found an elder
thicket where we unpacked u picnic
hamper. After dinner we set to work
seriously to discuss our prospects. We
I remember, that if my beauty,
of his stern parents, he was to forsake all
clerkship andpossible partnership
for me, and under my able tuition rise to
fame and fortune as an actor, special line
to be decided hereafter. The bells were
for afternoon service in the little
INLAND on a gravestone with our feet in
the sweet long grass, and kissed and settled
to be married in that church and nc other.
o, what a sweet, silly, sunshiny timei
Laugh if you care to at the notion"
"No, no., not for WORLDS" 1 exclaimed,
earnestly. I was strangely interested in
this odd woman with her sweet voluble ut
terance; now checked by a sob, now by a
half cynicallaugh. Little Mimi was asleep;
her head on my knee.
"My story ended next morning. De-
lancy received a visit from old Mr.. NAL
lowdale hat threw him into a violent pas
sion and made him weep over me and use
bad language about John till I was utterly
miserable and scared. After rehearsal he
dragged me off to the White Hart and there
in the coffee-room was a fierce old gentle
who said many things that / don't
o,-n 70 raDaof He ha1onrnI 70 a g,h4o1
didn't hesitate to clothe coarse ideas
in strong language when occasion re-
quired. l thought of John and held my
ground against him easily enough. John
sent me encouraging notes, and appeared
night after night pale and stern in his box;
but Delaney forbid any nearer meeting.
"Then one day 1 had a very different
visitor; you grandmother, my dear, and a
very clever woman she wasi Bless you, it
makes me laugh and cry o to think how
she turned and twisted poor little me round
her delicate finger in no time. She ap-
e @yy pity for her, his 'r0fsn-hsartsd moth,
"When I saw her, q real fine lady, I rec
ognized for the first time how great the So
cial distinction between us was. And
when I saw her grief, her dignity, her
with three tall ostrich feathers, all pros
trate before me, calling on my magnanim-
ity to save her boy if I loved him, what
could a romantic chit like me do but say:
Madame, I love your son far too well to
work him any i'll. We part from hence
forth, foreverp So she cried and I cried,
and she offered me a bracelet and a hun
dred pounds, and l would take neither
land was sorry for it afterwards). Then
she kissed me and blessed me and went
away, taking with her a shabby little note
of farewell to John and his only present to
me of any value, a bracelet. He gave it to
replace one of mine, like this, which he had
carried off and vowed to keep till death.
ALL where is it now l wonder?"
I knew; but was silent.
81 kept the purse that he had bought me
one day for a fairing, and a whistle he cut
me in the elder wood. Mimi plays with it
now. Delancy's company left Crossholme
next week, and three years after I married
Barker, our leading low comedian, other
wise de Vesci Trent. We got on pretty
happily. He died before I was twenty and
l nave worked hard for myself and baby
ever since. I never heard again from John
Though somehow when an unexpected bit
of luck fell in my way now and then /
fancied his hand was in it) till, nine years
ago, one cold wintry day, his name was
very like the one who frightened me so
many years ago at the White Hart, walked
in"
'sThe year of Aunt Anne's death" l
exclaimed.
"Yes. He was free, so was I, and he had
"You refusedw
"Ah! child! child! What had he or I in
common with the boy and girl who made
love among the daisies and buttercups at
Fi1by? Dur lives had grown too far apart
to meet now without a strain. Then we
were boy and girl with our future to make
together. Now we were old man and
woman bearing each the burden of a past.
A struggling actress with a troop of grand
children. Aprosperous, acknowledgements
BILE country solicitor. Absurd, on the face
of it! am glad to think that I was the
first to see it. So we said Goodbye and
wished each other God speed on our
separate ways"
HPoor Uncle John" I sighed.
"Why poor?" returned she, sharply.
she dined with me, and was introduced to
my daughter and her husband, and dep art.
ed; giving thanks for having honorabIy
satisfied his conscience without mourning
any disagreeable consequences"
"Mimi is waking. l must co." I said.
"Good-bye. You will never see me
again, but 1 am glad we Ave met. Iwonder
if you will think of me as the blessing OF
curse of John Mallowdale's life? l wish
knew which l have been! Goodbye, good.
bye!"
She rose, and taking little Mimi in her
arms with a sweet, sad smile and gracious
bow, turned from me and stepped briskly
away down the shady ~wood-path. would
have followed and borne her company on
her way, but 1 saw her lay her face against
the child's and guessed that she was crying
bitterly.
: Truly some women are riddles-and men,
too. To think of Uncle John-but I DOM
think of it, if 1 can help. 1t will be my one
secret from Hilda and mother. l had
placedthe purse in Minis little sash, where
Grannie might find it, and the poor little
berries. his sweetheart's keepsake-lie il
the dead mans coffin. Perhaps thai acas
what he asked for, after all.-Argosy.
Rough on the Young Mar
Arthur Padlrford, a young man Of