Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-05-03

have seen the CLEAN; and the tenth
would have passed it by. But between
the metals and Enoch Marrish was .
state of perfect sympathy. Even old
brass has its uses--it does to add to q
score of scraps, and may serve to make
up n pound. 1t was really getting
needful to pick up everything; his
pockets were beginning to bulge with
ends of string, and his coat to bristle
with pins So he stopped for the piece
of glitter; and lo-a plain gold ring!
"Now, thst is mighty queer" ex-
claimed he, glsncing round. as pickers
do who mean to be keepers. And 20 Il
was; for people in that parish were not
|, likely to go about rng-dropping. "And
gold it is-eighteen carat, should say.
It's mighty queer should be going TO
spend a guinea on the very thing, and
come across it lying for nothing. under
nv very nose. That looks like luck,
somehow; and II it don't fit Patience il
can be made to; though I think 1t will.
1t strikes me IL don't save the price Of
that last journey shall be a fool. And
save boot. wear, too, and time. 1t
wants rubbing up bit that's all; and
that's easy done, Lucky nobody came
this way before met might have got
stolen"
1t is hardly too much to say that tho
winning of Patience Blackthorn had
given him no greater happiness than the
finding Of a ring to marry her with for
nothing. 1t appealed to his very in
most soul, to which little else could ex-
tend; and it was the best of omens be-
sides. Only to Fortunes choicest IA
vorites do such chances as these ever
occur. He looked at the ring all over
| once more, then put II into his waist
| coat pocket, and went back whistling,
| in the lightness OF his heart, some
| thing meant to be tune.
1t is all very well to plan quiet we'd
ding; but though it is quite as possible
to be as stingy in country as in town, il
| Is not 50 easy to insure quietness there
by. Everybody knew Enoch Marrish;
every body knew Patience Blackthorn;
and, above all, everybody knew old
| Tom. It was not romantic match,
considering the bridegroom's looks and
age; but against its reasonableness no.
body could say word. ''Old Enoch' 8
money-bags is just the manure for Leys
| Croft" was the universal comment;
and they thought that Patience Black
thorn had done decidedly clever
thing.
And SO, il marrying for money is as
clever as the world pretends not to
think it, she had done clever thing. 1t
is true she would rather have starved
had she been all alone, and considered
herself widow for the rest of her days.
As things were, she would not make
any pretenses to herself or dignity what
she was doing with the name of duty.
| However, it was hard to 90 through
the ordeal of the village stares. When,
dressed as plainly as she dared, and
taking her fathers arm Che had taken
hers along the meadow-path) she
reached the corpse-gate Of the church
yard, she found quite crowd to sorape
and courtesy in ner honor 1t was quite
as if none of them had ever refused to
do days work for them at pinch
not that she remembered anything OF
thst kind then, uIless il were as anoth-
er incentive tor carrying her task
through. What she could not forget
was that this was the very church where
she was to have become the wife of Ste.
phen Harlow, who had fled from his
wedding like coward, to die in Spain
like decently brave man. However,
she had been schooling herself against
memory ever since she had risen that
morning. There was nothing but the
village stares for which she was unpre.
pared; and they were not the hardest
| fhi oro eho had fo haor
Never did bride come to the altar
with fuller resolve to keep all the vows
she was about to make, save only the
chief of them. She did honor Enoch
Marrish, with all his faults. The very
fact that he, being what he was, had
never scrupled to give his time, his
labor, his money, for friendships sake,
showed what friend he knew how to
be. The very fact that, being what he
was, he was about to marry penniless
girl, showed that gold was not his
ruling passion, after all. And she would
obey him, not only with good will,
but with an eager desire; his life should
be hers, and to sweeten it little
for him ought not to be hard. As
TO the love-well she had warned him
honestly, and he should not miss the
want of more than needs must be.
Then, as the broken old man leaned
more and more heavily upon her
through the fields, now chatting gayly
and now falling into reverie, she grad
ually rose into that exalted mood
wherein sacrifice becomes always q Joy
and seh sinks lower and lower beneath
the rising wings till it becomes unseen.
He had nothing left but her - she,
nothing left but him. Could she fail
him at his needp Why. if this were q
marriage of hate instead of a marriage
of duty, still it must be made. And
then, after to-day, she would think Of
Stephen-save as one who had been
dear to her and was desd--never again.
| In very different spirit did the
bridegroom prepare for his wedding
morning He was really in love; though
1t is but fair to suspect that love alone
would not have been enough to make
Enoch Marrish marry girl without a
penny. Where his further interest
might lie. he alone could tell; but then
he was his own sole confdant. and was
not likely to take another at his time oi
day. But, whatever it was, . first
passion had given it q zest, and victory
over rival more intense flavor still
He dressed himself in the suit of clothes
he had had made at Manchester five
and-twenty years ago to attend thu
funeral Of an uncle who had made {
will; and, as he had never put them OF
since, they were as good as new, ant
their being somewhat out Of fashior
was no matter at all. 1t was true tn,
moth had attacked them, but the mis-
chief had not gone fatally far. Then
feeling himself SO fine. he could no