Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-11-22

L.
lingering agony OF remOrse, ana sUluu 81
iv a heroic idea occurred to him. ne
would 90 back and sacrifice hlnseII' !
brave his mothers anger, the snOcK 70
his friends, lose the heiress and seItie
down on his own tOlerably comIoTIIaD!e
income, in some cottage ornee Win MS
simple Caroline. He was quite con-
sciOus of the great sacrifice he maze %
himself of the tremendous nODilLy %
his conduct, but he made up his mind 10
Going to the ticket Office he bought a
ticket for Chestnut Chump, and leaving
/ his trunk to go its way toward New
| York. he turned back on his steps TO
offer himself to Caroline, who would, ne
! felt quite sure. be lifted to the seventh
heaven of happiness by his condescen-
sion.
1t does not take long to reach the sta
ton. and after a dusty walk he found
himself at the farm. There were the ba-
bies, crying. There were the chickens
going sOlemnly up the nOtched sticks
that led to the hen-roOst. There were
| the COWS waiting at the gate to be milk
ed. There was the farmer, and there
was the farmers man, but where was
| Caroline? Not dead of grief already!
! That would be too sudden. Perhaps only
a little i'll.
You back agin!' cried Mr.. Rock.
! "Why, what has happened? know you
caught the train. Was there a collision?
L remember a collision on the road four
years ago last July; fourteen wounded
and the engineer killed. was coming
over the hill in my Vaughn and met
Smith. Says Smith, says he: 1 hear
there's a smas hup-'"
Here he looked over his shOulder-he
was talking TO empty air. Mr.. Augustus
I huI q
help" where Miss Caroline was, and had
been told that she was ain the Wudds
Deyant." Thither he proceeded, and
after several whistles and cries, which
had been agreed upon as Out-Of-dOOr sig
maid during the Irritation, he obtained a
response. Caroline Rock appeared with
very red eyes, and an expression of great
establishment upon her cOuntenance.
"YOu haven't come back, MIR. Rush?"
she calculated.
And he answered:
Eyes, Caroline, my heart would not
let me 60. / am back again-back to
tell you how 1 love you. How" Here
words failed him, and he added: "YOu
know all that sort of thing. No, 1
couldn't leave you. VIII you marry me,
Caroline? I shan't care what ma says,
or if my cousins don't like it. Love is
everything my Caroline, isn't it?'
He was not a poet, but he was very
much in earnest at the moment, and
touched, too, by the thought that he
should dry those tears which still wet
her cheeks at the thought Of his deser-
ton
Did you think could leave you, Car
olina?"
At this Carolina Amanda Rock be-
gan to sob afresh She sat down on
rock and put her handkerchief to her
eyes.
you knew loved you, did you not,
Cardinal" he asked.
He fancied she would reply: ooh, no;
L never dreampt it."
Her answer was a different one. It
was:
yes; I knew it."
"But you thought" began Angus
tus.
"WeD, I thought you'd get over it,
said Caroline. Il never can help having
a little fun. Usually yOu can have it
with city bOarders and no harm. But
I've been catching it, 1 tell you. Sister
in-law said L ought to be ashamed of my
self. And Abijah has heard of it and
written. He said he expected better of
me. And now, if I've hurt your feelings
too" She began to cry again. Il
ought to have told YOU" she s0bbed. |
that was engaged to Abijah Beckett /
He's preaching over at BridgetoWn. He's
going to be called there, and as soon as /
he is settled We'll be married. thought !
some one would tell you. It's pretty /
generally known"
mo; no one told me-" said Augustus.
And so you are bound to this formal /
preacher whom you cannot endure?"
why, what a speech~ cried Caroline |
Amanda, in great and sudden wrath. /
Not endure Abijah! Why, set all the /
world by him. He's just as good-and |
he's worth two of yOu-and handsome /
Pm not the only girl he could have had. /
1 assure you. Not endure Abijahl What |
do you meant"
Il thought that was what you meant" /
said Augustus, sulkily: but under the /
circumstances, L had better 90, I sup
pose"
Yes, perhaps you had, +" said Caroline.
I'm sure I'm sorry you ever came to
make me make such q fool of myself
and almost lose the chance of being a
minister's wife, aside from the matter
OF feeling. It's a position every body
can't have. However, Pm sorry if I've
hurt your feelings"
ooh, no." replied Augustus, mot at
He longed to let Caroline Amanda
know the fact that he had turned back.
after much selfcOmmunion, out of the
lOblest sentiments and in pity for her
grief, but he saw no way to do it.
All he could do was to trudge along
the dusty roads again, aud follow his
trunk to the city, aware at last of the
fact that he had had a good deal of care
Of himself in that turning back, and that
Caroline Amanda was prettier than he
thought her.
A few months afterward, when she
was the Rev. Abijah Becket's wife,
Caroline Amanda read the notice of Mr..
Augustus Rush's fashionable wedding.
The bride, Miss Celestina Aubrey, was
described as lovely" and her satin,
pearls and laces as magnificent.