Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-03-06
New Series-Vol. "a. No 10

with all that money-you know his [ Uncle
Samuel left him most of his property last
year-says Maria, If he comes back rich
| mean to Set my cap for him. On which
Aggie replies, oh. you needn't, for he's
to be married before long to real nice.
pretty girl Of course, Maria wanted to
know all about it; but -iggie only laugh
ed in her mysterious way. until Maria
says, 4 believe you are jokingr when Ag-
! gle replies, If Walter isn't married before
winter III make you present of my new
earrings which he has sent me- So You
| see it's certain, sure; and no doubt he'll
bring his bride to visit his family, and
| then tell Marion we may look out for a
grand party. When the Hintons under
take to do things, they always do it
| handsomely"
| Marion stayed to hear no more. Gid
/ ing out of side door she crossed the
garden, passing Myra, who was fondling
snow-white calf, her great pet and
treasure, and who called out to her to see
how fast SNOWFALL was growing.
Poor little sister! 1t would be as hard
upon her as upon her mother and herself
/ to leave the deor old home, with all the
scenes and objects endeared to them by
the associations of their lives For in
that ample, pleasant, Old-fashioned farm
house Mrs. Hilyard had been born and
married, and here her children alsu had
iirst seen the light.
Two years ago her huSband-whO had
I been too little practical to make sue
cesSful farmer-had died suddenly. leav
| ing his affairs in very embarrassed state
and the farm burdened with heavy
mortgage. Then Jack, good son and
| brother that he was had thought it best
to go to the city, taking advantage of a
situation offered him by Il distant relative,
until the mortgage should be paid.
Only two weeks ago he had written
cheerfully that the matter would be spe-
cially settled to their satisfaction, and
now, just us they were expecting to hear
that their home was their own again,
came this cruel letter.
AS Marion had said to her mother, not
even the loss of her home went to her
heart with so sharp pang as did this ey-
| idence of the change in her only LrOther.
That Jack should have grown so worldly
and heartless aS to consider his pecuniary
advantage before the qualification of his
mothers comfort; that heashould allow
lIlelll W D6 actually GuluCu Oub VI IilC
dear old house, and go and reside in the
strange city, where they could never feel
at home; oh, this was the bitterest pang
of all
So Marion had thought upon first read
! ing that letter; md it was not until
hearing Miss 'Melia's words to her moth
er that she awoke to the consciousness
that fate would have even a greater sor-
row than this in store for her.
One year ago she had parted from her
accepted lover, Walter Hinton, in anger
on both sides. Walter had become jeal-
Gus and had spoken sharply to her, and in
manner which she had considered her
self justified in resenting. Walter was
too proud to apologize. and Marion too
proud as well aS too delicate to make ad
Yances TO a reconciliation; and SO they
had dTifted apart, both miserable, until
Walter had broken the last link by going
out West.
She heard of him from time to time
through his family, but no word of mes
sage to herself ever came. In all this
while she had looked forward, with
faint, yearning hops, to the possibility of
his some time returning, and of all being
made up between them.
But now this last hope was rudely
stricken to the ground. Walter was 60
ing to be married. He had forgotten
her and was lost to her forever.
oh, it is hard-so hard to bear"
thought Marion, us with hands tightly
clasped, she passed slowly under the ap
pie boughs OF the old orchard Life is
bitter. 1t has taken all from me; L have
no more to give. Only my dear, dear
mother and Myra. Fer their sakes /
must be strong and try to bear it all"
On the verge of the orchard, where the |
hign bank oped abruptly to the mead |
Ow, she came to a mass of tangled hon
eysuckle fashioned into rustic arbor
Walter had made it for her, and here, in |
fact, it was that they had last parted.
Down in the meadow ran little path
leading by a short cut to Walters home a |
couple of miles away. How often SIZE
had sat here of an evening and watched |
for him. She could scarcely look back
upon any time of her life, or upon any /
object now before her eyes, which was
not connected with some association with |
Walter.
There was the walnut tree which he
and Jack used to climb, and there the
clear, laughing brook in which he had
taught her TO steer the little boat which
he had made tor her, laden with grain,
down to Jacks famous water MILL 1T the
roots of that old willow. Further up was
the real ''grist and saw mill which Jack
had always been deSirouS of owning, and
vi hich everybody said would be such a
good investment for one who could man
age it properly.
And then Marion, seated on the bench
in the rustic arbOr. turned and looked
long and yearningly at the old farm house
pei ping from the beeches across the or
chard. No oother place on earth could be
home to her, whose whole life of fifty
years had been spent under that roof.
A sudden sound aroused Marion-a
sharp whistle as of some one calling a dog
and she saw through tear-dimmed eyes
the figure of a man hurrying along the
pathway in the meadow She drew back
behind the screen of honeySuckle.
The path led past the arbor, but at the
foot of the steep bank, and she would
not be discovered in her retreat. So she
thought. but a moment or two after
there WIS sound of footsteps ascending
the bank, a rustic of the honeysuckle
branches, and Marion saw standing in
the entrance of the arbOr the figure of a
tall young man, who looked almost as
much startled as herself.
For anstant they gaZed at each other
Marion pale, and the stranger with a
fush rising to his handsome face. Then
he said, as he held out his hand:
marion, don't you know me?"
She gave him her hand in silence. 1t
was Walter. And suddenly. with the ,
sight of him came the full bitterness of
her sorrow, in the consciousness that he
was lost to her forever. She was moth :
ing to him now, and he must be nothing {
to her. ID
Il am glad to have so Unexpectedly I
found you here in this dear old spot, he i
said. 81 arrived at home only an hour
ago. aud could not rest until | had seen !