Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-10-09

IL will to go by the cars and boat"
"You can have the horse If you wan,
him." replied Mr.. johnson. al know
you won't hurt him; but you haven
told us vet who is sick or dead"
"There's no one sick or dead, boys;
but Tn going, and going to start TO-
night"
"Girl run away with another fellowp"
asked one of the men, with grin.
"No, my girl hasn't run away with
another fellow" replied the young
man, with a laugh that some way re-
minded him OF what he had often called
the "giggling" of the girls.
How could he help it when reminded
so forcibly of what, up to the moment,
he hardly realized; that instead of rum
ming away with another fellow rs he
had expected her to do, his girl had dis
missed the other fellow because of her
love for him.
The rough joke sounded irresistibly
funny, and withal brought such de-
lightfully warm feeling to his heart that
IL is no wonder he laughed, or that the
laugh was just trille hysterical.
What terrible mistake there had
been. What wretch he was for not
having spoken up when Annelsey first
came counting Lucy, and so have saved
all this suffering.
How tender his heart grew, thinking
of her who had suffered so-who must
have suffered so terribly all this time.
Such were tho thoughts that passed
through the young mans mind as he
walked rapidly towards his boarding
place.
But what If Uncle John was mis-
takcnP
He was halfway to the house when
this thought came to him, and he
stopped and stood perfectly still for
some seconds, but not stiller than his
heart seemed to have become.
"At any rate I'll know the truth"
he said aloud and then mentally: "I
played the coward once, I'll not do it
agan. Uncle John certainly meant
me to understand that Lucy loved me
well enough to be my wife, and would
be craven indeed not to ask herself
now"
Going directly to the shed where the
roam horse stood, he groomed him
carefully, then went to the house and
to the low room upstairs where he
slept.
Here he bathed and changed into his
best suit, being careful to see that the
few dollars in money which he pos
sesscd were in his pocket-book and in
his pocket.
Meantime Mr.. johnson had left the
ditch and gone to the little patch of
ground quarter of mile away, which
his wife cultivated rs q garden, where
he knew her to be at work.
When told that Erastus was going on
visit to his old home and would start
at once, Mrs. johnson hurried to the
house and began preparing a meal be-
fore he should go.
Neither of them asked the young man
any questions as to the cause of his sud-
den going, but both guessed that it was in
some way connected with love affair
and were anxious to assist him in every
way possible. Mr.. John. on offered to
loan him all the money he had, which
was less than two dollars, and Mrs.
johnson fiuttered around, trying to get
something little extra for him to eat,
helping him with his necktie, and offer
ing to do dozen other things as if he
had suddenly become child, or what
appeared more likcly-was going to sec
| his sweetheart, if not. indeed, to gel
married. And all the time she was try.
ing not to say anything that would
show how very anxious she was to have
him coniide in her, yet hoping greatly
that he would do so.
Erastus, in the first flush Of his new
found Joy, was only restrained from
showing Mr.. Parsons letter and making
clean breast of the whole affair by .
lingering fear that Uncle John might
be mistaken.
1t was really very hard for him tc
keep from telling. Mr.. and Mrs. John
son were the best friends he had here
at the Slough, and he knew they
thought good deal of him, and h,
wanted to tell them what lovely cir
Lucy was, but could not quite brnl
himself to do so even when Mrs. John
son remarked, rs she fixed his nccktie
that she supposed he would soon have
some one else to do it for him now. )
and so he left them wholly in doubt
and mounting the roam, rode away il
the direction of the foothills of the
Sierras.
He curbed his own impatience ant
the desire of the spirited roam at the
start, well knowing that time would be
lost and not gained by fast riding fol
| the first hour or two.
The sun had long since set, when
having put thirty-iive miles between
himself and his starting place, he dis
mounted, tethered his animal in spo
of wild oats alittle off the road, rubbet
him down with dry leaves and grass
rnl1i,nr h,n,.nlf -, h1a ,l,nt
down upon the ground.
If his body was weary he was moi
aware of it, for his heart was filled
with the sweetest hopes; and what sus.
tains the physical powers like hopeP
AS he lay looking up at the stars, and
watching the full moon coming slowly
up from behind the distant hills ant
climb ne sky that had not known q
cloud for weeks and weeks, he recalled
every incident of his life from the time
Wien Mr.. and Mrs. Parsons had taken
him, a poor, outcast boy, to their home
and their hearts.
He thought upon every act of Lucy's
which appeared in any degree to indi
cate her feelings toward himself, and
tried to place one against another, the
io iho III
such n way MS to enable him to strike q
balance and determine just what his
chances were. But in this he was con-
scous of failing, for there were many
little instances or words the
meaning of which he was utterly un.
able 10 determine, which he yet felt GER
tain had a meaning ii only he knew
upon which side of his love account to
place them. Besides, it was so very
pleasant to fancy that the favorable
one3 outnumbered the others, if indeed
there were any others, that he could
not avoid going off into blissful waking
dreams of the future, when he should
have got his place at the Slough irri-
gated, and set in fruits, and have cot
tage built.
He would have cottage just like the
one in the foothills, where they had all
spent so many pleasant days, he
thoughts the cottage now abandoned
m tn I ln H.,