The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1883-02-24

Olive my house is large, my means
are ample"
81 couldn't, Mr.. Phenix-it is like
your generosity to propose such thing ;
but l couldn't have him a burden upon
you."
"Why, bless your soul, Olive, do you
suppose l should consider a friend of
yours burden ~
"You don't know how trying poor
father would be to anybody but his own
daughter, and think he is likely to
live to great age, as my grandfather
did,"
"For that very reason, then"
"Besides, it would make me wretched
to take him from the old homestead. 4"
"But Olive"
$50 you see I'm engaged, Mr.. Phoe.
Nix" said Miss Olive, playfully, while
she whisked away tear, 81 am engaged.
You must marry some lady who isn't.
And / hope you'll be as happy as you
deserve to be-" she added, with little
tremor, springing up to adjust the cur
tain.. In vain he,tried to bend her to his
wishes she remained outwardly firm
as the hearthstone at her feet till at
length he arrived at the unwelcome
conviction that she had no liking for
him, or she would have listened to his
pleadings. She had interposed the old
gentleman merely as cushion, to soften
the blow of her rejection.
If he took smiling leave, it was be-
cause pride tugged at his facial muscles,
for, to tell the truth, he had never been
more disappointed and chagrined in his
life. OF what avail the stylish equipage
upon which he had once plumed himself?
Was it not bearing him on to tomb =?
And why should we wish to prolong his
earthly pilgrimage ?What further attrac-
ton had life for him, lonely old man
nearing seventy2
Hardly conscious of the reins, he had
driven some miles at an unsanctifed
pace, when he almost ran over Mr..
Torrey, brother ofthe deceased Lucinda,
who was walking behind his carriage
up long ascent.
"Going to Conference?" asked the
gentleman, after an exchange of greet
ings. "Dldn't you come roundabout
way?"
'I'm inclined to think 1 did," assent.
ed the deacon with prodigious show
of candor. GA roundabout way and a
hard way. Is your wife with you?"
eyes, and the widow Vance. l have
to foot it up the hill you see. Horse
stepped on rolling stone piece back
and lamed HIMSELF
"Your load is too heavy, let Sister
Torrey ride with me"
But Sister Torrey being nervous, like
Lucinda before her, and mortally afraid
of the deacon'S spirited steed, it was in
the end Mrs. Vance who nestled into
the vacant seat. She was a gushing
young widow, whose mitigated grief
manifested itself in certain coquettish
bows of pale lavender. She protested
that she felt already acquainted with
Mr.. Phoenix through her late husband,
to whom he had been so kind. She
was SO glad of this opportunity to thank
him. She should never cease to be
grateful for the many favors he had
conferred upon dear Charles, etc.
In the morning the worthy deacon
would have smiled inwardly at this efu
sive panegyric. This afternoon he hug
ged it like poultice to his aching heart.
1t soothed his wounded self-love, and
inclined him toward his fair eulogist,
towhom he recounted pleasant anecdotes
of her husbands boyhood. Indeed, he
made himself so agreeable that she was
rather sorry to reach Churchville, where
the whole party was cordially welcomed
at the house of Mr.. Zenas Torrey.
A proud man was Mr.. Phoenix. He
would not for the world have his recent
disappointment suspected by his wife's
relatives, and during those three days
of conference he carried himself with a
resolute cheerfulness that sometimes
out of meeting, of fcourse-verged upon
friskiness. Mrs. Vance told Mrs. Tor
rey that he was ''just Splendid" which
compliment Mrs. Torrey repeated to
him with significant smile, limiting
that if he thought about marrying again,
he need not search for wife. He
looked confused, and hotly disclaimed
any matrimonial intention. As to the
young widow, was he not double her
age? Would June join hands with
December?
Alas what an insignificant trihe can
turn the scale of human destiny But
for horses right fore foot Deacon
Phoenix might have returned to his home
on the morrow as he had left it-a free
man. 1t was the lame horse that kicked
the beam and decided his fate. On
Friday morning that meddling quadru-
ped having been found lamer than ever,
the deacon could do no less than offer
to escort Mrs. Vance home. She could
do no less than to accept the offer
gladly. By some mysterious law of
Sequence, and almost before he knew it,
Deacon Phoenix had pledged himself to
escort the widow for life. When, after
CALAMITY depositing his promised bride
at her own door, he was alone with his
thoughts, he telt little surprised at MS
own precipitancy but he told himself
over and over again what a fortunate
man he was, how happy he ought to be.
Contrary to his usual custom, he had
acted from impulse, and the result was
highly satisfactory. "Highly satisfac-
tory" he repeated to himself, as he
passed the entrance of the cross road
which led to Miss Olives. Somehow
his reflections were less cheerful after
that. Perhaps the chilly rain-storm
just set in depressed him, or perhaps it
was the empty hearse that he met
for the best of us have our Superstitions.
Certain it is, that as he alighted from
his buggy that evening, with weariness
of limb and limpness oflinen, his coun-
tenance led Mrs. Dubbs to fear the
meetings had not been profitable.
Next morning, thanks to the ungra-
cious weather, he was aroused by sciatic