The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-07-26


could give yon better proof of his re-
spect than to ask you to become his wife
And rs for y0ur calling making you sa-
cred, we don't believe in the celibocy of
the clergy, You know In spite of his
evident modification and distress, there
was sly twinkle i'll Mr.. Erlcson's eve
rs he said that
"But IL am Il woman," said Miss
Barton, sitting down again, and covering
her face with her hands.
''Ihe more reason why YOU should I've
married, said Mr.. Ericsson, calmly.
You need protector.
81 am perfectly sufficient for myscIi
And l shall never care for anybody
anything-but my work."
MIR. Ericsson arose. 81 am sorry t0
have troubled ou," he said gently. IL
love you, and l have never known whn
1t was to love woman before thnt iR
all my excuse"
Miss Barton watched him as he went
down the road, with the yellow leaves
falling upon him. She observed, rs she
never had donc before, how finely his
head was set upon bis broad shoulders
what manly grace there was about hig
strong, well knit figure.
but he has no business to love me.
she said, drawing her hrows into n tighi
frown.
lncn suddenly she remembered IN
sanders stocking, and went down in the
grass TO look Tor it. IT had blown over
the tcnce into the field. She stretched
ner arm hctw"en the clatR md draw il
she saw his figure in silhouette apainst
the SKY. he started to como toward thc
house, and she waited for him 900 wnitrI
until II sudden Thought sent llnmc of
color over her fncc
"it cant be" she said half alcnd.
lnqu'ringly. " I will keep that ont Of
my life. | won't he a ruilurn + WON'T
he y And she rushed ur to her room
and locked herself in.
she came down IA calm md grave ms
ever when the tca-hcll rang, and after
tea she and Lysamlcr rcnd their daily
quantity OF Greek, for Lysander wus
pursuing his studies with renewed
nVldlty slncc he had a companion 10 hclp
MN, and had not yet given up his long
cherished hope of studying for the
ministry though there seemed no.
prospect Of his being nhlc To- leave the
puck AS she did SO she caught sight Of
hysahder. ll' wns gathering Ruunshcg
ana pumpkins on tho little south hill :
When she was not writing her sormons,
she was visiting the sick and tho poor,
and making, or suggcsting and inducing
others to make, improvements, sanitary
and moral as well as religious.
"She was rs practical and efficient rs
if she was not II woman," MANY rcopI,
said; and old Jeremy Grimes, who hnd
WlShp1 fO toll hnr ,, l,n,, rl, 1 4
farm.
After that day Miss Bart on devoted
herself more zealously than ever to her
work. She darncd 10 moro stockings,
Ghey didn't want woman preacher, said
They couldn't have had such women
in ST. Paul's time. or he never wou'd
have written what he did
But Mrs. Hewitt had n grievance
Miss Barton didn't sccm to make her
self one of the family rs she used to.
She was shut up in her own room
almost all the time low, and she and
Iysandcr didn't seem to get along to-
gcthcr as they used tu. She never came
into the kitchen and wanted to help
make cake now, or sat with them around
the fire in the evening while Lysnn,lrr
read alOnd. She "diln't seem Ia have
anything against them, bu' she wasn't
free and sociablc any more"
Lysnndcr was teaching school tins
winter. and attending 20 the farm work
IN his leisure time. HIS habit of study
ing with Miss Barton had gradually died
out TO his mothers persistent uucs-
tioninRs Lysander replied that neither
Of them had any tim" for it now.
Mrs. Hewitt could not make it out.
"Pa," who pridrd himself upon being
long headed, limited that he could, but
he would not say outright what he
Thought, and his wife regarded hints
with lofty scorn.
One afternoon, after school l-hOura, Lv-
sander went down to the woods back Of
the house to sup"rintrnd the operations
Of some men who wrrc cutting timber.
just Mt du46 Miss Barton. coming homo
from visit to II sick lnriehioncr, cnroun-
tered four men carrying on an impro.
visCd strctChcr bySHndcr'a apparently
Gfclcsa body. He wns lying white and
rigid, and there were scarlet spots upon
the snow all the way that he had come.
Down on her knees in the snow fell Miss
Barton, an1 threw her arms around
him.
ooh, my love! my love hnvr YOU
gone so far away that you cannot hear
me say 1 do love you?' she cried "I
was cold and hard because I thought it
was my duty, but if you could only como
back"
And then they had to- raise Miss Bar.
ton, and carry her into the house, for
she had tainted
"That's just what could hov" told
You q good while ngo If ! had had n
mind to-" said "Pa. Ns he rchcorBcd the
scene to his wife. OH hour aftcrward.
"She's terrible sight like . woman if
she is minister. AID Ly&nmdcr we'll,
/ calculate he won't complain of having
his foot cut, if it does lay him up for a
while. cant say whether she'll let him
do the preaching, or whether they'll
both do it, hut you'll 800 thom married
before summer
81 don't want anybody to think It's
because I'm woman" snid Miss Bort~n.
rather incOnscquentIy. when IyHondcr
led her. blushing and fearful. to his
mothers arms. "But ] didn't sCom
able to help it, And Lysundcr says I
needn't give up my work.