Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-29

Nevertheless, she would not go down
the road to meet him, just to-day. She
did not like to seem running after HIM
and he must stand his trial for ne6ll-
gence. even though he was acquitted
beforehand And it was perfectly easy
to keep her resolution until the days
work was done and the first occasion
for breaking it had arrived. So, as
she would break it, she struck com
promise She would go along the path
till she struck hedge corner. whence
she could see him coming Il long way
off without herself being seen. and
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 into
her bush, and waited there. till sure
enough, she caught sight of a 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 oui
into the path. and waved her white
handkerchief as q signal that she was
there.
But how her very heart blushed to
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, heal
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 iiye-and-
twenty years. The truth is she was
getting anxious, in spite of herself. and
was capable of taking 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 plodding
pace brought him up to her.
Good evening, Mr.. Marrish," said
she.
Good evening. Miss Patience. II
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 notoriously
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 jostle unless kept in or.
der, would have given her additional
proof that he had been at Manchester,
whence farmer was not supposed tc
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 younger man than l 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. ''What a
year this will be for blackberry jamr'
"Hunchester? No. That is, yes,n
said he; for somebody might have seen
him there, and he was not a maI to
throw away q lie. She saw nothing in
the contradiction-except that Farmer
Marrish must assuredly have been
tempted from water-gruel for once in
white; and, not having the mo,ierr
feeling about such lapses On the part Of
self-indulgent man as distinguished from
selfess woman, she was rather amused
1t would be coed 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 inhamed 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
full-blown into his brain. Stephens
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 a 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 mo" And, if he suffered any
qualms of compunction the way back,
they were laid at rest at sight of Pa
tience Blackthorn and her pretense of
looking for blackberries.
mo" 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 Rut I never looked tn |