The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-06-27

him.
There she stands" Ned unused.
Good girl, the right kind of girl to
make a good wife, but-heigho."
"Ned, thought you never would
come, she said advancing to meet
him.
T thought that / was making good
time, Ruth
oh, you might have thought SO for
it is much more wearisome to wait
than it is to travel
Yes, l suppose So Is your father
well?' he asked as he opened the gate
Tor her
NO, not very, His cough does not
seem to get ahy better
Sorry to here it. Shall we go to the
house or walk awhileY
You have walked enough, Ned.
Why didn't you rider
Well, ] was out in the woods, think
ing, when the time for me to set out
arrived, SO / thought that it would be
saving time to talk rather than to 60
back to the house and catch a horse.
Mr.. Hatford, with feeble tread, was
walking up and down the porch. He
cordially greeted the young man, for
whom he had q pronounced regard.
Believing that he could not live much
longer, and with a natural anxiety for
the welfare OF his daughter, he looked
upon Ned as he would have looked
upon son.
How are you feeling, Mr.. Hatford p
the young man asked as he seated
himself in a large arm chair which
Ruth had drawn out from an adjoin-
ing rooJ&.
4 am not al an web, Ned. To tell
YOU the TRUTH / heheve that my time
here j. short
Oh d0Mt say that, father the girl
i1aplored.
Il cannet help but say it, Ruth,
when feel it so strongly. 1t should
not make you sad for il is much bet
ter to be dead than il is to suffer with
out the slightest hope of recovery. 1t
is the pain of this world that makes
lis willing to try the fortunes OF the
wsrld to come. There is ONE thing
that l cannot help bat regret. This
farm is mortgaged fou ALL Id is worth.
Being hard pressed, in consequence
ef inabjaisy to hook after my affairs,
compeiled me to go in debt
Ned made no reply. Ruth looked at
him with an expression of eagerness
She longed to hear him tell her father
that it made no difference He is de-
vising some noble plana" she unused
but Ned,s face showed 20, sign Of gen.
erous contemplatiGlA
We'll, said tha old nlala, Il must Lie
down. an afraid Of the pleasant all
out AeSs,h
RuAA, Ned, remarked when the old
nan, had withdrawn. Set Us walk ont
into. the. gaHdRn,'
They walked among the flowers
WHICH the girl had so carefully cult
waited. The air was sweet with the
perfume OF roses.
Ned, something seems to be weigh.
ing on Your mind
i am not very weR.'
i am so sorry, Can | do anything
for yous
No. I'm be an right alter awhile"
Rhey walked in, silence. Ned's
Gaanner was. restless, and his frequent
signs did NOT escape the, gjnl's oBserva.
ton,
Ned, plpase' tell me what is the
matter with YOU. Something must be
troubling you
Ruth, let us sit down here
They sat on rustic bench. After
few moments of meditation, Ned re
marked
4 fear that you are deceived in me
/ am
Now please don't Upbraid yourself
You arc the hest, the, noblest man in
the world
He sighed YEARLY. tNo, have be.
gun 10 belSese that there is nothing
good about me, Ruth, H.
tWhat, Ned2
4 cannot marry you now. Ny cir,
cunlstanees--'
Now, Ned, yoa know that makes nc
difference
Let me ses through. My cireum.
stances sse such that l cannot afford
to marry--cannot in justice to you
AFFORD it. Another thing, l have lived
here in the country all my life and
have never seen anything Of the
world. II is all right with woman
hut man who has never been around
don't amount to anything. ] have
thought, for several days, that we'd
better indefinitely postpone that little
affair Of ours. want 10 go out west
| want to SEQ something.
She had arisen The moon, coming
from behind 4 ileeey fragment d