Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-06-09
iHETTY'S LOVE.

He had been only summer board
or at Grandfather Hopes farmhouse,
and he had fallen in love with his
niece, and had won her heart. She
wore his ring, and in q year they
were to be married. But, alas, that
year was to be spent apart. Harry
was going to China, in the interest OF
the firm Of which he at present was
only an employee. On his return he
would be made a junior partner, and
would be able to marry comfortably:
In her secret heart Hetty wished
that, poor as he was, Harry would
ask her to marry him then and there,
and go on the voyage with him. But
a girl must keep her thoughts to her
self. And now she had driven with
him to the depot, to see him off; and
the train had come and he stood be-
side the light wagon holding her hand,
and whispering these words:
"It's so hard that 1 cannot kiss you
at the last. Good-by, darling! good
byp
Hetty was trying not to cry, there
at the depot, before all those strang-
ers. She almost wished she had not
driven down to see Harry off, though
if she had not come she would never
have forgiven herself.
"Good-by," she answered family.
Then Harry jumped upon the train,
not an instant too soon, and in mo
ment more Hetty only saw hand
kerchief futtering from the window
as the engine pulled its way out of
the depot, ass4 at few 'round the curve
aDrive Fquir, T ~ she said to
the boy VITO held the reins; and hap
PLY she had power to keep the tears
from her lashes until the people who
had stared at her at the depot could
stare no more.
On the platform shade hats and
sun-bonnets were gathered in group
discussing the fact that Hetty Hope
hsdbeen down to see her beau off,
and that there was no longer any
doubt that they were engaged; but
Hetty did not know or care for that.
She was crying softly in the back of
the little light wagon, while Peter
drove on, whistling the Star Spangled
Banner all out of tune, and now and
then stopping to break off branch
full of wild cherries. It seemed so
hard that Harry should go away for
q year--a whole, long year. 1t was
almost as dreadful as though he was
dead, for what might happen in a
year? No one could ever tell; and
the tears fell again.
The only comfort Hetty could think
of was her first letter, and it would be
three days before that could come.
However, it came. Grandpa brought
it in his pocket. and gave it to her
with a slow nod and a lower laugh,
and Aunt Maria inquired with her
usual downrightness whether that
was from her beaui" and Cousin
lilly by and by, in privacy in their
own room, asked if she would let her
see It, and was offended that she did
not. These relatives of hers were
not always delightful to poor Hetty,
but her father was a busy man, who
travelled 0rl tS Sss; making X gsa
scarcely tw. and her mother
died in ner uapyho.l, and Hetty had
no other home than Grandfather's. .
They were very good to her, that old
man and his widowed daughter.
Aunt Maria. And Cousin lilly was
soft and pretty, and silly as little
white kitten. It might have been
very much worse, yet who can blame
Hetty for looking forward to the
time when she should have home Of
her own-a home that suited heri
Papa sent her plenty of money now.
She could do what she pleased with
it, and she bought smart caps for
Aunt Maria, and gay ribbons for
lilly, and slippers for Grandpa-but
the home was not under her control.
The prim parlor was not to be touch
ed by her hand. The blue shades,
and red and green carpet, the wax
fruit under class, and the por-
trait OF Washington over the MANTLE
piece, remained as she had first seen
Them, when as child she regarded
that parlor as a sort of sacred place
not to be played in. She filed her
own tiny sleeping room with what
Aunt Maria denominated jimcracks;
but the family disappreved of vines
about the house, and there was not a
tree within the small, prim garden
palings, and good a. they all were.
the people who lived in the house
were exactly like it. They had no
sense Of the beautiful and no yearn-
ing for it.
So Hetty dwelt inwardly alone and
built her air castles, and lived on one
letter until she had another, and the
time Of her lovers absence wore on
YEARLY until six months were gone,
and then came q letter which made
Uetty hold her breath while she read
Il. and burst into tears as soon as
abe had finished it.
sDear Hetty," it said, an unfore-
seen thing has happened 80 - r y%sf,
ployers desire me to pssso were Ia
Tor come y'sr versng tho
ne Al ,thcrs ! .
ablsto6 suilt
toHoT an
you coSasSl<. % me Under safe pro-
lection and spend years OF your life
in this strange landi Think it over,
dariine. The case stands just thus:
If You refuse, I will return, but l
shall have no prospects; no means