Daily Republican., 1884-10-14

by ALICE DALE.

by ALICE DALg.
Charlie DeaLe looked sad and down.
hearted as he walked homo throu Oh
the clover. fields from Mrs. Bells
pretty white cottage half mile dis
tant.
No wonder he felt sad, for he had
Just offered his heart 10 Nora Bell, and
had been respectfully declined. :"
Yet he could have sworn, not twenty
four hours ago, that the girl loved him
Shy and sweet. she had always treat
ed him with cordial frankness, yet
with that indefinable something which
betrays affection. She had . way Of
glancing up into Charles face with
those big, innocent blue eyes, which
g. emed to confess that TO her he was
the one loved being under the sun"
and the young mans heart thrilled a.
| mad ~ Mt her glaDcs rs though the
tru-ting eyes we're electrical batteries.
Wo.ks and months had passed since
Charlie had begun TO fiDd bimself iu
this unoom Portable predicament, and
this evening, In the red spd gold OF the
sunset, NJ had put his fate TO the test,
and had lost all. Nora Bell had refused
him-refused him kindly and courte-
ously, but firmly. Alas no courtesy
or Kindness can sof,en that blow!
Charlie Dean was well-tO do farmer.
young and strong, and his farm WAS
his own property, unoncumberod On
tirely.
Mrs. Bell WAS . widow, and Nora
her only child. They were far from
rich, and In the eyes Of the world .
m arriaRe between the two young people
would he very much TO Nora'B advan-
tage But she had said no, and there
was no appeal against her decision. She
must marry . wealthy man, 20 her
mother had decided /: aud that WAS the
reason for the rejection.
| Charlie was thinking Of all this now
as he walked slowly and detected y
along.
CHANGING to lift bis eyes he saw a
carriage coming slowly down the rOs'
which bordered the clover field. and b.
started with surprise, for, seated within
the carriage, fair and sweet In her dainty
white lawn dress and plumed hat. va,
Nora Bell herself, though u. I an hOul
farewell and left her standing upon thu
cottage porch.
For Q moment Charlie stood like one
In dream, as his eyes rested upon hel
com pan ion. A red-faced, pOrtly old
fellow-Judge Montgome, 3-whO lived
in the great house upon the hill not fal
laway, and counted his fortune by mi:
lions.
Slowly the thought crAwled like .
J serpent into Charlie 'sheart-Nora had
refused him for the sake of this man.
money 1t was hard thing 10 believe
but Charlie could not shut out from hi
! eyes the lover. like devotion of the ole
, Judge As he bent his iron-gray head
down close to Nora's cheek and uttered
some soft. voiced speech.
Her answer WAS given with eviden
! reluctance, and then she CHANGED to lit
her eyes, and saw-Charlie!
A vivid crimson flooded check An,
brow for a moment as Charles eye
met hers she bowed and turned aside
81 He strobe anRrily through the re-
7 clover. field, on, to his own homo. !
spacious farm. house in . grove OF hv
oaks with an old. fashioned garde
3 spread out around 1t, ard . big honey
suckle climbing over the front porch
He was ont of cOnceit with tho Who'll
, world, az he entered the breezy parloI
: and the first words that were spoken
. him did not serve to calm his tur buleu
spirit. For his sister Bessie, sitting q
, the piano, turned to greet him with tn
. announcement
"Oh, Charlie,-what do you think
} Nora Bell 10 engaged TO old Judg
4 Montgomery! 1 reckon you arc left on
, in the cold, brother"
Bnt Charlie strobe from the room 4
silent wrath. He must listen TO thes
annoying details, which wero lik
/ I'D yun In hta hoa ~ n
: matter what the truth might BE-, Il
r regard TO Nora's engagement.-ainc
she Was not engaged TO him +! An
thinking thus, he walked on down :
|, the village.
I'll He met several Of his old colleg
friends. and the conversation drifte'
D toward the much discussed engagement
: in spite of all Charles attempts I
! avoid it. And the universal verdiC
Z was that Nora Bell WA heartless an
4 mercenary.
These wise young men, to WHOM
|, Charlie listened In etOlid silence, on
\ and all agreed that the lady WAS nbOu
!. to sacrifice herself matrimonially-fO
\ Roldi And Charlie, smarting under tn
weight of his own refusal, made n
= comment, and expressed no opinion
upon the subject. But In his heart, h
I Registered q vow never again 70 trust II
. living woman: they were oil alike b
declared, mentally, in bis bitter iisap
pointment,-all false, and tickle, an
mercenary.
The next day Charlie walked down +
the pine woods, not far from his owl
home. His days superintendence Il
the field WAS done, and arrazod In 81
irreproach able summer suit, l00kinI
srperbly handsome, he wandered dow
the long path strewn with brown pin
needles, while the music OF the wint
isighing through the branches overhead
made sweet, weird music iu his ears
He drew near pretty little lake, AM
stopped short in surprise and alarm q
the scene which greeted his eyes. Nor,
Bell was standing under huge pin
tree, wringing her hands and shriekine
wildly In horror and grief, while In tn
water, struggling frantically for life
was the bulky form of Judge Montgom
cry. Nora's eyes fell upon our hero
and in an instant she was at his side
/, Iboth his hands in hers, her eyes stream
inc with tAars upliftod to his face.