Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-30

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lets in the floor, and the white ones on
the wall; at the painted windows and
at the strange old Bible and the ancient
prayer-books; at the fine carving on
pulpit and pcws. They talked a great
she left the church to take her way
homcward, he said to her:
'.1f you should feel like reading, 1
have a tolerable library. and, though l
am an old bachelor, my housekeeper,
Mrs. Pratt, is a very good old woman,
and will do her best to oblige you in
every way. This is my little home.
you know" and he pointed to the
tiny house that hid itself among the
trees.
She thanked him and went her way.
full of new softness, and he looked
after her.
81 should have liked so very much to
kiss her." he said to himself.
1t was the first time he had said it of
any oma even thus. and the blood
flew to his smooth brow as he spoke.
and he blamed himself very much; for
he knew it was no fatherlv kiss of
which he thought, did that old curate.
And SO strange. sweet friendship
grew into existence. The difference in
their ages and his office gave them
privileges else impossible in decorous
England. Lettice could walk and talk
with that old curate as much as she
chose, and she chose to do it a great
deal. The library was an excuse, and
there was the garden. and what moro
proper than that she should go to
evening prayer?
And the old curate began very soon
to watch for her; to count the mo-
ments of her absence, and to know
that that which had never come to him
in youth had come to him in age; too
late for him to taste its sweetness, but
not too late to feel the bitterness that
love must ever bring when it is moth
ing but an u%nrequited longing.
Oh, if he could but keep her thus! he
said to himself. If only she could love
no one else. And they might be friends
forever. Then he could be happy. But
this could not be. Young, sweet,
beautiful, some one must claim her
soon. She would be the wife of a
young man. She would love him. and
have for the old curate only a kind
memory.
All that she knew was that he was
graver, and that he did not seem to
like her as well as he had done at first.
This troubled her, and ut last moved
her to shun the old library and ever
the church, and she even shed tears
sometimes. wondering how she had Of
Tended him. SO. in the end, they saw
little OF each other, and thought a great
In,1. I,,f III, Ino,t n, W. ,-,11 X1.-l>
when one day he heard that Lettice
Lee was going home to America.
would she go without bidding him.
adieu?" he asked himself. "Would i.
not be better that she should?" But
she did not. She could not. He had
been too kind to her. even though he
were cold to her now. one morning
she came.
She opened the door of his library
as he sat staring at a blank of sermon
paper, thinking of no text. unless it
were this: Love is strong as death, and
jealousy is as cruel as the grave; and
coming up to him. put out her little
hand and said, softly:
II have come to bid Won good-by,
sir. ! am going away"
He took the hand and arose and led
her to a seat, and then they sat quite
silent for a while. 1t was not tight
for an old heart to beat so fast, and
he knew it. at last he spoke:
81 am sorry. knew that you must
go. but | am very sorry"
She gave a little start, and looked
full into his eyes. What she saw there.
two tears that quivered on the lashes
made her put both her little palms
upon his arm.
"%Sorry?" she said. ooh, arc YOU
really sorry, sir? II thought YOU
did not like me any more-thatI bored
you with my chatter; and so | kept
away"
Two hands upon his arm, two blue
eyes fixed upon his own, a sweet, quiz
oring red mouth parted with such
childish sweetness-do youwonder that
the man forgot that he was an old GU
rate?
People are really never old, YOU
know; only this tleshv dwelling of
theirs decays, not the heart-the soul.
He forgot his gray hairs and his fifty
five years of lille, and in a moment he
stood almost TRANSPORTED before her,
flushed with youths color, bright with
loves passion.
"Oh, my little girl, my little grill"
he cried. Gould you not see? Did
you not know: Sorry! All, when YOU
leave me you take my life with you.
!. who eve loved any one before,
loye you madly. My little one, my dar-
ling!"
And then it passed. The truth came
to him. He turned from her: his face
grew gray: He flung himself into a
chair and hid his face.
"Good-bye.' he faltered. Forget
what the foolish old man has said, and
don't think i'll of him."
He did not look at her, but he heard
the rustic of her dress upon the floor.
He felt her close to him. He knew
that she knelt down beside him, and
again the little hand touched him.
Goodbye" he faltered.
Then he heard her sobbing and bent
over her.
my child. do you weep for the old
man?" he said. You weep and do
not laugh. God bless YOU"
And a choked voice answered.:
Il cry because | am happy. L did
not want to go away. I want to stay
with you. People that are nice are