The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1885-11-18

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pulpit a pews. They talkei great
deal 10 each other, and when. at last.
she left the church to take her way
homewarj, he said to her;
IF You should feel like reading. !
have tolerable brary; and. though /
am an old bachelor. my housekeeper,
Mrs. Pratt, is very COOL old woman,
and will do her best to oblige you in
every way This is NV little home,
you know" and he pointed TO the
tiny house that hid itself among the
trees.
She thanked him and went her " ay.
full of new softnesS, and he looked
after her.
81 should have liked so very mucb 10
kiss her." he sad to himself.
1t was the first time he had said il vi
any woman 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 fatherly kiss oil
which he thought, did that old curs te.
And so strange. sweet friendship
grew into existence. The difference ir
their ages AMI his dice gave them
privileges else impossible in decorols
England. Lettice could walk and talk
with that old curate as much as she
chose. and she chose to do it great
deal: The library was an excuse, and
there was the garden. and what more
proper than that she should 90 &c
even NC prayer?
And the old curate began very soon
to watch for her: to count the mo
ments of her absence. and 10 know
that that which had never come to him
in youth had come TO him in age; toe
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 unrequt ted 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
tn 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
I have for the old curate only 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 at last moved
| her to shun the old library and even
! 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 great
| deal; but bis heart gave wild throb
when one day he heard that Lett. ce
/ Lee was going home to America.
Would she go without bidding him
| adieu?n he asked himself. Would il
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 blank of sermon
paper, thinking of no text. unless ii
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:
Il have come to bid you 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 .ight
|
he knew it. At last he spoke:
Il am sorry. | knew that you must
90. but l am very sorry
She gave a little start, and hooked
full into his eyes. What shesaw there
two tears that quivered on the lashe!
made her put both her little palm
upon his arm.
.sSorry?" she said. ''Oh, are yo,
really sorry, sir? II thought yol
d d not like me any more-thatI boret
you with my chatter; and so l KEEP
away"
Two hands upon his arm, two blu
ewes fixed upon his own, a sweet, quiv
ering red mouth parted with sue
childish sweetness-do you wonder tina
the man forgot that he was an old Gu
rate?
People are really never old, yo
know; only this fieshy dwelling c
theirs decays. not the heart-the sou
He forgot his gray hairs and his fifty
! FIVE years of lie. and in moment b
, stood almost TRANSPORTED before hel
flushed with youth color, bright wit
loves passion.
''Oh, my little gIri, my little girl!
he cried. Gould you not see? Di
YOU not know? Sorry! All, when yo
leave me YOU take my life with yot
/. who never loved any one before
I, love you madly. My little one, my dal
, ling!"
And then it passed. The truth cam
J TO him. He turned from her; his fac
grew gray He flung himself into
| choir and hid his face
Good bye" he faltered. Forge
what the foolish old man has said. an
don't think i'll of him. p"
He did not look at her, but he hear
: the rustic of her dress upon the foo
= He felt her close to him. He kne
:, that she knelt down beside him, an
: again the little hand touched him.
> Good bye" he faltered.
Then he heard her sobbing and bel
4 over her.
= NV child. do you weep for the o.
: mau?'' he said. ''You weep and {
: not laugh God bless you. +"
= And a choked voice answered:
Il cry because j am happy. j d
not want to go away. want to st:
!, with YOU. People that are nice a
: always nice. even if they are old.
= only wonder you could Ike a lit
= thing Ike me-so silly and so young
but am very glad you do.
% And then he opened his arms and s
4 crept close to his breast, and he he
= her there; and whatever people sa
= when the bans were published in Al
. berlv Church, it was no sacrifice; I
= within that old breast and that YOU
- one dwelt unaccountabIy the twin sol
- whose bodies should have been of t
q same age and no two married peol
q ever loved more fondly than the curs
= and his Girl wife.-Nrs Burnett