The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-07-02
ne9 . tAe necessity OF knowing her own

passed much OF her time In tears. MIS-,
lBaggett would not leave her alone. To
give Mrs Baggett her due. it must be
acknowledged that she acted as best
she knew how for her masters interest,
without thinking Of herself. II shall
60 down to Portsmouth. I'm notWorth
thinking Of, / Amt. There's them ht
Portsmouth ash take care Of me. You
don't see why l should 60. ! dare say
( not; but I'm older than you, and ! see
what you don't see. I've borne with
2 you rs Q miss, because you've not been
upsetting; but still. when I've lived
with him for all those years without
anything Of the. kind. 1t has set me hard
sometimes. As married 10 him,e1
wouldn't put up with you; so tell you
fairly. But that don't signify. 1t amt
you as signifies or me as signifies. It's
only him. You have got to bring your
self to think Of that, What's the mean
ing Of your duty to your neighbor, and
doing unto others, and all the rest OF it?
You amt got to think just of your own
self; no more haven't l.! lW9 i4e
Mary said to herself that 1t was John
Gordon Of whom she had to think. She
recognized the truth Of the lesson about
sel6shness; but love to her was more
imperious than gratitude. .' ,t"@' !
"There's them at Portsmouth as'll
take care Of me, no doubt Don't you
mind about me. / amt, going to have
a good time at Portsmouth, but people
amt born to have good times of it.
You're going to have a good time. But
it amt for that, but for what your duty
tells you. You that haven't q bit or q
sup but what comes from him, and you
to stand shilly-shallying! can't abide
the idea!'' .ata
Thus Mrs. Baggett taught her 3
great lesson-the greatest lesson we
may say which man or woman can
learn. She was minded to go to Ports
mouth, although Portsmouth to her
was little better than hell upon earth.
But Mary could not see Mr.. Whittle-
staff's claim in the same light. The
one point on which it did seem to her
| that she had made up her mind was Mr..
Gordon's claim, which was paramount
to everything. Yes; he was gone, and
might never return. 1t might be that
he was dead, 1t might be even that he
had taken some other wife, and she was
conscious that not word had passed
her lips that could be taken as prom
Use. There had not been even hint Of
a promise. But it seemed to her that
this duty of which Mrs Baggett spoke
was due rather to John Gordon than to
Mr. Whittlestaff. atsH
She counted the days-nay, she
counted the hours, till the week had
run by. And when the moment had
come at which an answer must be given,
John Gordon was still the hero Of her
thoughts 'tWell, dear" he said, put.
ting his hand upon her arm, just as he
had done on that former occasion. He
said no more, but there was world OF
entreaty in the tone of his voice as he
uttered the words.
"Mr. Whittlestaff -
"Well, DEAR
"I do not think can. / do not think
l ought. You never heard of--Mr.
John Gordon"
"Never"
"He used to come to our house al
Norwich, and-and-I loved him."
"What became of himp" he asked,
in a strangely altered voice. Was there
to be Mr.. Compass here, too, TO inter-
fero with his happinessP
"He was poor, and he went away
when my stepmother did not like him. y
"You had engaged yourself to himP"
"Oh, no! There had been nothing
of that kind. You will understand that
l should not speak to youon such sub.
ject, were it not that l am bound to tell
you my whole heart. But you will nev.
er repeat what you now hear"
"There was no engagement"
"There was no question of any sucf
thing"
"And he is gomez"
"Yes," said Mary; "he has gone. =
"And will not come back again?
Then she looked into his face oh, SC
wistfully. " "When did it happen?n
"When my father was on his death
bed. He had come sooner than that
but then it was that he went. think
Mr.. Whittlestaff, that l never ought tt
marry any one after that, and therefore
it is that have told YOU"
"You are good girl, Mary"
II don't know about that. think
that ought to deceive you at least in
nothing"
"You should deceive no one."
mo, Mr.. Whittlestaff." She an.
swered him meekly; but there was run.
ming in her mind a feeling that she had
not deceived any one, and that she was
somewhat hardly used by the advice
: given to her.
HE has gone altogetherP" he asked
again.
IL do not know where he is-whethel
he is dead or alive"
"But If he should come backP"
She only shook her head. He had made
her no offer. He had said that if hi
returned he would come first to Nor
wich. There had been something of 1
promise in this; but oh, so little! Ant
she did not dare to tell him that hitherto
she had lived upon that little.
81 donot thirk that you should re
main single forever on that account
How long is it now since Mr.. Gordol
. weutp''
There was something in the tone IL
which hementioned Mr.. Gordon name
which went against the grain witt
Mary. She felt that he was spoken o
] almost as an enemy. II think it Il