Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-09

off without herself being seen, ane
whence she could then run round home
SO as to receive him as if she had never
; been outside the newly-mended gate al
, the day. Nor would she tell him what
she had done till that day ten years
So thought, SO done. She went int6
her bush, and waited there. till sure
enough, she caught sight of figure
coming down the hill. She did moi
wait for better assurance, and she for.
got that chief part of her programme
was to run away. So she darted Out
. into the path, and waved her white
handkerchief as a signal that she was
there.
find, even while her kerchief was wav-
ing, that it was not Stephen coming
over the hill. Surely, according to all
belief. Love does not make such blund-
ers as these. Love has prescience in
fallible-can see without eyes, hear
without ears. and fly without wings
at least so the poets say. And she had
made the monstrous blunder of seeing
Stephen Harlow in old Farmer Mar
rish-no; she could never confess that
to him, not even that day tive-and-
twenty years. The truth is she was
getting anxious, in spite of herself, and
was capable of taking a cloud in the
sky for Stephen, had that suddenly
gathered along the hill. She furled her
flag forthwith. But then it struck
her that Farmer Marrish was himself
coming from the direction of lunches
ter, and if so, he might be the bearer of
a message from Stephen. So, making
believe she had not seen him, she made
a pretence of studying the promise of
the blackberry crop till his Flooding
pace brought him up to her.
"Good evening, Mr.. Marrish," said
she.
Good evening. Miss Patience 1t
looks settling weather. now-just when
the lands crying for rain
! His words were certainly common
place enough; but even then it struck
her there was something odd about his
manner. Farmer Marrish VIGOROUSLY
never drank. beyond his solitary night
cap, anything stronger than water
cruel, or his abrupt and yet hesitating
manner, and the way in which one foot
seemed anxious TO hurry on while the
other as plainly was bent upon staying,
and certain constraint about his words
as if they would iostle unless kept in or
der, would have given her additional
proof that he had been at Manchester,
! whence farmer was not supposed to
return quite as he went thither.
Finally the stopping leg prevailed.
Tom Blackthorn all right?" asked
| he. Il must come and give him look
up, before long. Only It's hard to find
the time, in this busy world and no.
body to help me but my own hands;
not but what they're better and stronger
everywhere; ay, and younger, too.
Youth don't belong to years, Miss Pa
| tience. I'm a younger man than 1 was
twenty years ago"
Nor was he, though gnarled and dry,
what middle-aged eyes would term old.
But Patience wondered what an extra
ordinary old-looking head on young
shoulders he must have had, if it really
| looked older twenty years ago than
now; the idea of developing backward
puzzled her; for if Stephen should age
in the same fashion, and she with him,
| they ought to become mere children in
twenty years.
you've been at Hunchester?" asked
she, feigning indifference. s'What a
year this will be for blackberry jamr'
''Hunchester? No. That is, yes"
said he; for somebody might have seen
him there, and he was not a man to
throw away lie. She saw nothing in
the contradictions except that Farmer
Marrish must assuredly have been
| tempted from water-gruel for once in a
while; and, not having the modern
| feeling about such lapses on the part of
| self-indulgent man as distinguished from
selfiess woman, she was rather amused.
1t would be a good joke for her father
when he got home. 'Yes. But there
was nothing going on there. Nothing
at all. At least nothing to speak Of
I'm not much good at the shop-win-
| dows,' he said, with what he meant for
lively smile.
He knew, as surely as if she had told
him SO. that she was waiting to meet
Stephen Harlow; and this knowledge,
and the sight of her, instead of provok-
ing instant repentance for cruel
wrong, only inflamed his jealousy, his
greed and his desire. He was misera-
bly, conscious that he did not know the
straight way to girls heart, like his
rival; and so, as he must needs get
there somehow, a crooked one had to
serve. Be it said for him that the vii
famous plot of getting his rival out of
the field by denying him had not come
luil-DlONH lulO Ills DTdiil. DtepIcu
letter of summons, fairly full and alto
gether to the purpose as it was, had not
put him into full knowledge of the stu
alton; this he did not attain until he
reached Manchester, and learned for
himself how things were, and how they
would 60 if let alone: or, rather, if
given push. to send them a little more
sharply in the way they were going of
themselves. But >the seed had been
sown; and no sudden impulse could be
brought in to extenuate Farmer Mar
rish's No" And, if he suffered any
qualms of conjunction the way back,
they were laid at rest at sight of Pa
thence Blackthorn and her pretense of
looking for blackberries.
"No," said Patience, thinking him
her friend, but still not caring to wear
her heart upon her sleeve for any
pair of eyes but one to see. She
wanted to know if he had seen
Stephen; but she wanted him to tell
her without her having to ask
him. mol shouldn't come to you
for the fashions. But never looked to |
see you coming from Manchester on any
but market-day."
"Oh, my dear, I've got more irons
than one in the fire; and some of them |
are pretty warm-only they want look |
ing after; it doesn't do to chance their |
getting cold. 1t doesn't do to put all |
ones eggs into the soil-my sour place |
isn't like Legs Croft, you know, where |
things come up of themselves. Legs |