Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-05-03

was another thing / went for. Tin sorry to
say they'll take no more delay, ~ I'd al
mean g soi & very soon Il s.a 'se
your poor father SrS mustn't ~ be be- troubled now.
through ms y Si Sa n few wS asys so
talk things oyer. and am, dear Miss Black.
thorn, yolr humble serysnt t.,, x.,,,.u.
And somehow this letter made her
feel, not that q new book of troubles,
but that the whole book Of her life, Joy
and trouble, and all things. save thought
for her father. was closed. Stephen
killed in battle! She had not q spark
OF reason to mistrust the only friend left
them. and, indeed, II she had. mistrust
would have been misplaced, since Enoch
Marrish himself believed his own story.
He had hidden nothing except how the
knowledge Of it had come to him.
Moreover, it was ~ II the whole story
had now been told; at least SO far as
any story can. What had driven her
promised husband to become . soldier
she would never know, but it could not
have been because he loved another
better than he loved her. Miserable
weakness Il must have meant-weak.
ness even to despair. in the face OF
troubles that forced even a strong man
to fly in secret and hide from weak
woman under the smoke Of war.
But what was she herself thinking of?
Better to have died. and left her father
to the coming stormP Thinking OF
preaching duty when she was forget
ting her own? No-the book of her life
was indeed closed. Nothing was left
but to seal it and hide it away,
Neither love nor hope nor life left for
herself, but only duty; a helpless father,
whom loss of his old home would kill;
an old man, who had lost his only son,
and had but his daughter to care fol
him and to lean upon; VOWS buried in
the grave-what thing but one was
there for Patience Blackthorn to dop
II can't swear to love you. Enoch
Marrish, but with my lips,' said she,
very quietly, when. just after harvest.
he asked her again. II don't know
why you want me, but IL you want no
more than . wife who will do her best
for you-then-for poor fathers sake
Don't say another word, lass" said
he. "That1l all come square. know
what l vast, and I'll make you know II
too. before long"
"You have been very kind"
"rve tried to be. I'll be kinder be-
fore I've done. I'm never in hurry
about anything, not l. big or small. Il
don't pay. You've made me the hap
piest man in England-there! When S
the affair to bes The sooner the better,
and then things will be settled for poor
old Tom. Lies an uncertain thing,
and then where'd you be againp"
"You will be quite content with what
can give youp With no moreP'
''Bless the girl, yes. / know what
Pm about We aren't Just boy and girl
My place wants q mistress, and wanj
you. When's 1t to be?"
She longed for delay. But then in
another day she would only long for il
all tho more. II have no choice" said
she, and that was true
Then say this day three weeks.
That'll see all the harvest work finished
up, and give just time for the banns
And say, Patience; we'll have nc
nonsense and trash, it wouldn't do sc
soon after poor Dicks death, arc
moneys money, these hard times. How
it does 90, to be sure! Well just wall
into church, you and me and old Tom
and then walk out again. and the very
day we're married we'll begin as WI
mean TO 60 on. Eh?"
He attempted kiss, but be got M
farther than her cheek. and found i
cold. But he went away in triumph
aud left her to think, or rather, to figh
everything like thought and feeling
away. She had decided on duty, which
ought to have given her comfort, but il
gave her none.
Father. Enoch Marrish has asket
me to marry him." said she. at bedtime
If he had only given her look o
surprise she must have given way. Blu
he gave her nothing of the sort-only
such an anxious look that it went tt
her heart. For she knew what it mean
"a dread lest she might have said "No. ,
'And it is to be this day three weeks
That's all. Say I've done right father
Right? Why It's the best news lv,
heard since-since Dick died like lion
Patience; l know. Enoch Marrish eh
Then you've just saved me, and Ley
Croft. Ny boy would have been prout
OF you, II he'd been here this day"
Thus il came to pass that, on a Ger
tain Tuesday Enoch Marrish set out OF
the same srrand. and the same path. ol
which Stephen Harlow had set out som,
sixteen months ago. He was going t.
Manchester to buy the ring, for to
lorrow was to be his wedding-day
Assurediy he had right to triumph
II ever man had in this world. Plain
almost old, awkward, and almost with
out single grace, ignorant (till quite Q
late) Of women. and starting too late
he had, in no very long time, distance,
rival who had every advantage il
which he was lacking, and in such wis
hat there was no fear of future trouble
He was no murderer, and yet nea
enough to satisfy his conscience b
being none. As for the rest, everything
ID fair in love, war and money. As {,
tie first, the only unfair thing was tha
It should have cost him 30 much to win
Patience, he had noticed, did not ca
much, and no doubt he would be abl
to mako her sec the advantages OF water
Cruel as dict before long Nor, so h,
noticed, did she care much about new
clothes; she would really be mode
wife, even II he had gone out to choos,
one otherwiss than by liking. But still
it would take good long time to saw,
up, in dressmakers' and butchers bills
his estimated losses by neglecting hi
own affairs for Q neighbor's, and b,
two journeys from home. And thei
there would be the fees TO the clerk an,
psrson to set against the absence of
wedding breakfast and all the common
tomfoolery; and then he supposed h,
would have to keep Tom Blackthorn II
grog and tobacco for the rest of hi
days. ''But I'll cut the old fool dow
| IN nina and t,,v