The Penn's Grove record., 1885-11-07

sure are nOL WOrJn having. Or Jney
have been picked up before now. But
give the young people a chance Of set
Ting decently In life"
81 feel disposed to place myself un-
der your direction, Mrs. Burnham,'
said Mr.. HARDWOOD, laughing. "YouI
experience and advice would be very
valuable in such an important STEP"
"Wll you, indeedp" said Mrs. Burn
ham eagerly. "Come, that's right.
See II l don't find you a wife that will
answer all your expectations"
And may / call and sec you, and
confer with you on the subjectp" asked
MI. Harwood.
sob yes, you may come, y she replied
-"Briar Cottage. Langley Lane !
l shall be delighted to see you, sir"
Mrs. Burnham rose, and took her
leave, well pleased with the success of
her mission. They parted very warm
ly, Mr.. HARDWOOD assuring her that he
should soon avail himself of her per-
mission to visit her.
The news of Mrs. Burnham's visit
soon got wind in the village and every
where she was assailed with inquiries
about 1t. Her account of its result
gave rise to various surmises. The
young men were bent upon Mrs. Burn
ham having the stranger, and rejoiced
in the way she had got to make
the first advance; while the girls began
to think that a man from Australia
with q lot of money would really be no
bad catch; and hearing how he had &C
copied Mrs. Burnham as a guide and
friend In the matter. they began to pay
her asSiduous court.
Miss Truelove, who kept a millinery
and trimming shop in the High Street,
condemned in the most bitter terms
! at the same time that she was actually
working her fingers off at a pair of
slippers, which she purposed offering
to the stranger-the audacity and pre-
| sumption of that barefaced woman,
Mrs. Durham, In intruding upon MI.
| HARDWOOD, and introducing herself in
| such an indicate way; and Mrs. Hay
ford, a well-to.do widow, expressed her
horror at tho conduct of a married wo.
man running after strange men, and
was convinced that Mrs. Burnham
wanted an opportunity to commit big
amy.
Mr.. HARDWOOD soon availed himself
Of the permission Mrs. Burnham had
given him to visit her. In fact. on the
evening of the very day on which she
had been to see him, she had just tidied
up her parlor, and seated herself at the
open window. when he made his ap-
pearance, and asked If he might come
in. After this his visits became very
frequent, and he seemed greatly to en-
joy the privilege of dropping into IA 8.
Burnham's cottage. His moods on
these occasions varied greatly; some
times he was merry and light-hearted
at others downcast and depressed; and
signing, would tell Mrs. Burnham oil
his loneliness and dullness, and of his
want of love and sympathy.
Mrs. Burnham administered such
consolation as occurredto her, and tried
to ascertain what friends and connec-
tions he had had before leaving Eng
land and what was his native place;
but on thesSpoints he was not commu-
NEGATIVE, aud they only seemed to in
crease his depression. Indeed,
evening when he was in one of his de.
spending moods, and was sitting in the
twilight with Mrs. Burnham, unbur-
dening his feelings to her, his nerves
were so unstrung that he actually burst
into tears.
But it was only occasionally he was
sad and down-hearted; generally he
was merry enough, and often urged
Mrs. Durham about her promise to
find him a wife. His frequent visits
to her soon becoming well known. the
young girls of the nelghborhood kept a
watch on Briar Cottage and the stran-
gers movements; and when he was
there, several would drop in quiet un.
expectedly on some particular business
with dear Mrs. Burnham, and hence
many merry evenings were spent under
her roof.
Towards Mrs. Burnham herself there
was always a tenderness in his manne
and an affectionate consideration, which
could not fail to make an impression
upon her. In fact, she felt in q very
short time this unknown stranger had
gained a great hold upon her, and she
often wondered il he was really serious
when he wished her to recommend him
a wife; and il 80, how solemnly she
would accept the responsibility, and
how she would hope and pray for his
happiness. This was when he had
besn spending a mirthful evening in
company with many others at her cot
tage; but on other occasions, when they
were alone. and a quiet conversation, a
glorious sunset, a starlit sky, or some
awakened recollections had subdued
him to his reflective and melancholy
mood, then Mrs. Burnham felt as If she
could resign the task of making him
happy to no one, but must claim it for
herself.
Mrs. Burnham now began to discover
that they were talking In the village
about her and the stranger, and that
Mr.. Harwood's visits and attentions to
her afforded much topic for discussion
among the widows and single ladies of
a certain age.
Hitherto she had not ventured to
consider Mr.. HARDWOOD IS an admirer
OF herself, but now she discovered that
others regarded him In that light. If
he were really so, she reflected, was she
justified, as q married woman, in re-
ceiving his visitsp And the perplexing
doubt, arose as to whether or not she
was a married woman. Was she free
or not, If the stranger were to ask her
to marry him, to become his wife? She
pondered over this question continual
ly and confessed to herself that she liked
Mr.. Harwood; but then 1t occurred to
her that she had known him only a
week or two. that she knew nothing of
his history. and but little of his charac-
ter. Yet his visits were now so fire.
quent that she must either forbid them
or give a color to the rumors and sus-
picions concerning her which were rife
in the village, and the conclusion that
she came to was that she must discour-
age them. She found, also, that she
could not do this without regret; never
theless, she determined that 1t must be
done. and that on the first opportunity.
This opportunity was not long in ar
irving. Mr.. HARDWOOD called in n
evening, telling Mrs. Burnham that he
had something particular to say to
her.
''I'm very glad you came in this