The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-03-08

Tho bard liacs on his fsce sofsHned ant
brighiened under her gaze till oas would
nS, have kno~n him for the ssme man
II though, should not soc you tonight
be said.
You know better. you knov ! sonid
have crept through the key-hols ior oas
las. little minute With you.
"iiov long will you wait for me. Dorat'
"Jill yon come back.
III i. were seven years, think how Ions
it would be.
IN you love me as you make believe,
said Dora, ''you would not so away nj
all, bnt work here till you could build
little house aud then we would rough il
together.
"No, little Dora, that is not my kind ol
love; my mother tried that and she led
slaves life. I"
Dora, Dora" called Prudence from uT
stairs What on earth are yon doing
down tbere?"
II must 20 now, / must truly said
Dora, as she felt herself locked IN arms
that would no. give way. III live with
out you for seven years ! shall BE- . home
ly old maid and you will not thank me ioi
waiting for you"
tie put her away then and looked at her
curiously, as II he had never thought oi
her prettiness before. ''Do you know
what your name meansa" be asked earnest
ly. II saw it in the paper that Theodore
means Gift Of God, and you've been just
that 10 me. III had never seen you ]
should never have had notion beyond q
days work aud nights sleep. ! will
write whenever have any luck, and come
home on New Years eve, when ! do come,
and il you wear this red drOss, shall know
you have waited for me.
Il think shall live TO wear It when You
come home, II it's sevon times seven years,
Joe; for women are very hard 70 kill. I"
said Dora, slowly disappearing from the
kitchen.
"What have you been doing all this
timer" said Prudence severely.
Il was only giving Joe some good adj
vice. F t&VWt Ealba iA
"well, hope he'll profit by it,"
80 do l." said Dora heartily.
Till her lover went away Dora had never
cared to ask whether she were child or q
woman. Sunshine had been plenty with
her, and she had easily sugared and gid
ed the plain things that farm life afforded
her.
Before the first year came to on cpd she
ielt that she should soon arrive at Q patri-
Archal age if she did not do something to
kill the time that died SO hard on her
hands. RV
.,Teach school! / guess not, said her
iather when she broached her plan to
him. "Ycu aio't starvin' yet, and II you
want some new furbelows just say 30, and
not come at it slantin ways like thatF'
i don't want any thing, father; but
there is so little for me to do at 4iome.
.Nonsense! n nv time gals was Always
full of business Cant you make sheets
and pillow cases, and get ready to be mar
ried? Who knows but somebody1l SIX ye
one of these days?'
"Waal, Wall Folks cant always have
what they want in this world. amt vii.
lin, and there's an end ont.
But this was not the end of it. Dora
susily obtained a school. She developed
governing talent that charmed commit
tee. men, and the congenial labor in the
company OF little children took her out Of
herself aud infused new life into her hope
deferred.
Every week abe walked TO the post Of
fee, three miles away, to ask for letter,
going in with bright flush on each cheek
and coming out pale aud dull-eyed after
the stab Of disappointment. | wonder
that so many people in the country are
anxious to be postmasters; il they only
knew it, they are actors in more tragedies
than any member OF theatrical stock
company. Much sealed happiness passes
through their hands, but they have to re
fuse many "Mariana in the moated
erange"-weary women who reach hand
out OF their dull lives for letter and draw
it back empty.
II was far into the second year before
Joe's rst letter came. Surely it was fan
ciful and foolish thing for schoolmistress
TO do, but Dora carried it to her own lit
tie room, and put on the red dress before
she read Jce's letter.
Joe was working IN the mines in Colora
do. His luck had not yet come, In mug
gets at least. Bnt hard work and sobei
living we're gradually giving him the ad-
vantage over the other miners. He wal
never so we'll, and be loved her better thar
oil the world.
Dora lived on this letter for many weeks
and she set Colorado" so often for copy
to her scholars that they will write tina
word better than any other to their dyint
day.
Letters came oftener as years drew on
Sometimes Joe was up in the world, some
times down; once his carefully boarded
gold was stolen from him. and he had 4
begin all over again; but this was nothing
to long illness, Of which friend wrot
10 Dora a. soon as Joe was ont OF danger