Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-08-11

that my love for Clarence had boon only
skin-deep after all. l had been taken
with his debonair graces; l had made
no acquaintance with his soul. I began
to compare him with Mr.. Dunn, to
Clarence's discredit. 1t was rather late
i'm the day, to be sure, to appreciate Mr..
Dunn. But | fell to thinking of him
every day. l watched for him every
| evening, and started whenever the door
bell rang.
"After ALL" said Lefty. one day,
throwing down the evening paper, ut
was lucky you didn'ty marry Mr..
Dunn
"Why?" I asked.
ooh, he has managed to lose Ill his
money-all but an annuity"
He had said to me nee that il sverI
changed my mind, if ever 1 Thought l
could love him, perhaps 1 would let him
know, and l had promised l would.
"He will never ask ME again to marry
him." I thought, and so l kept my
promise. Every day I thought as I left
my work, 81 shall find him waiting for
me at home" Every morning when
the postman came up the street my
heart beat double; but at the end of a
fortnight nothing had happened. One
summer night, after the days work was
over Lefty and l were resting in Il
little parlor that opened upon the old
fashioned garden at Roxbury, with its
hollyhocks and love-lies-bleeding and
London-pride--for | forgot to|tell you
that this was a little place which had
been left to us with the trif1e Of money
we squandered 80 f~oolishly, and from
which we went in and out to our work
in the city, being unable to let it. 1t
was a warm night, and we had lighted
no lamps, and the fre-fies were cropping
among the rose bushes outside, where
trees made a soft shade, and the scent of
flowers blew in at the open window. As
the twilight dropped down and the stars
trembled through the leaves l saw Mr..
Dunn open the gate and come slowly up
the garden. 1 could not be mistaken.
1 had watched for him too long to be
deceived. I flew to open the door, but
nobody rang. Then I threw 1t open,
and there was no one to fe seen. ran
down the garden path, brit met nobody.
ooh, Lefty" 1 cried, returning to the
garlo Gr Lefty, hi Is dead-he is
"Who, 5 dead; for PHYS sake'"
"Mr. Dunn? And what is that to
you?"
"What is that to me-; LEFTY! Why, it
is everything to me. I;aw him coming
up the garden path, and the garden is
empty. [ couldn't be mistaken-don't
l know every turn of hB head"
81 congratulate you on your discov-
cry" said Lefty. ''Ifs rather late,
though, isn't it, to fine out that Mr..
Dunn is everything to y.uy"
"Better late than never" said a voice
at my elbow. and Mr. Dtnn's arms were
about me. 1 had left TIN hall door open
behind me in my alarm.
81 vas going away to- seek my fortune
in Australia tomorrow" he explained,
still holding me fast; 'sfut l could not
go without one last glimpse Of you,
Linda. 1 didn't mean to come in. I
ought not to have comein."
"Oh, yes, yes" 1 cried.
81 only meant to see you, if possible,
moving about your pleasant home, l
standing alone in the dusky garden out
side, only to know that you were safe
and happy one more. [ w:S disap-
pointed to find the house so dirk. and
stepped back into the street. I could
hardly make up my mind to 60 away,
and while l hesitated Miss Lefty lighted
q lamp, and l came back in tine to hear
your confession"
"And you are going to Australia TO-
morrow" 1 said.
"We will defer the trip long enough
to buy tickets for two," he answered. I
said We were %shop-girls still, and so we
are; that is, | resign my situation to-
morrow in favor of Rose Cuthbert,
whose husband has required only a year
in which to lose her fortune. Yesterday
[ received the letter I wrote Mr.. Dunn
from the Dead-letter Office. had just
directed it to s'Mr. Dunn, Boston," as
if there was only one Mr.. Dunn IN the
world. When l look in his face I Won
der l could ever have thought him too
old; when l read his heart, I wonder I
could ever have believed that romance
and he had parted company.-Mary n.
Prescott, IN HazYer's Bazaar.