The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-18

suppose my face darkened ominously
for she harriedly continued
Hugh. You must not get angry-indeesi
you must not. | did il for the best. wa
AFRAID, after what happened last night, tina
he would dismiss YOU; and he would have :,
done. but l have interceded, and now al
viii be as it was before
You have interceded for m p l said
'sThen you were wrony, Annie; if he wishe.
% dismiss ME, let him. I have other mean.
of earning my bread. :"
For answer 10 this Annie emDloved ,
stronger medium than words-She cried
Now. tears always dlsarm me; all / could q,
was what did; soothe my cousin. kiss he
pretty cheek. call myself brute, and avov
that she was the dearest, sweetest little wo
man in the world. Under this process, An
ME came round, and smiled sadly up at me
through her tears.
''You promise, :" she said, TO go on just tn,
same as usual, and TO take no notice of whai
occurred last night
Il will promise" l said, IF you can show
me the good OF it.
The good OF 1t viii depend upon whether
or not you care anything about me - she re
piled. Just think, Hugh, il you two quar-
rel again, and you are dismissed, everybody
will know why it all came about-and my
mother and father too. An, Hugh, deal
Hugh, for my sakeF'
She folded her little hands over my arm
and looked up into my face Ike a supplica
ting child.
As / looked down into her bright eyes
now fast filling again with tears the thought
came into my mind TO do what her mother
and father wished me 10 do. Annie"
thought OF saying, give nae a right to pro-
tect you. Let me call you wife, and | will
agree to all you say" But something helC
me, and the golden moment passed.
"An right, Annie" / said; don't worry
yourself. little woman. / won't do a thing
thai will iniure yolt"
For a couple of days OF so the master KEEP
away. and things went on at the works pret
ty much the same as usual but on the fourth
day he strolled down. He talked good dea
TO johnson, but never addressed one word "a
me. He looked at me, however. aud the
look he gave made me wonder what strange
influence Annie possessed when she could
intuce him to keep in his employment one
whom he SO cordially hated. |, however.
took no notice, since | had given my promise
10 Annie, and ap onlooker would never have
guessed that anything sinister was going ON.
How long this state OF things might have
lasted, it is impossible to say, but it was most
Unexpectedly and suddenly changed.
One day my aunt, having a little shopping
to do, and eager perhaps for a days outing,
determined to go to Falmouth. She started
off in the morning in John Rudd'S wagon,
and left my cousin to keep house
Now, it mad seemed to me that Annie had
looked particularly duh that morning; 50, to-
ward afternoon, | determined 10 take an
hour, and to hurry back to the cottage to see
how she was getting on.
As drew near to the cottage door, l was
astonished to hear yoiees-the one loud and
angry, tile other soft and pleading. When |
entered the kitchen my amazement increased
tenfold.
An elderly lady-none other, indeed. than
old Mrs. Redruth George r ,druth's widowed
mOther-was standing in the middle of the
room, while my cousin Annie, CRYING bitter
ly, was actually on her knees before her!
Mrs. Redruth had two characteristics her
confirmed ill-health and her iron VIII Her
power in the village was great; but she was
feared, rather than beloved Indeed it was
averred by many that every hard deed com
mitted by either her husband or her son
might have been traced to her influence. For
the rest, she was tall, thin woman, with
powerful aquiline features and a face of
ghastly pallor.
Amazed at her presence there, l entered
unceremoniouSly, but both were so intent
upon themselves that they were actually un-
aware of my approach.
The old woman was speaking.
''Your tears don't deceive me-" she said.
81 am not a man and a fool | am a mother,
and know when danger threatens my child,
and | say that You are doing your best to en-
tangle my son. But take care. George Red
ruth shall not be sacrificed; sooner than that
l will ruin you--do YOU hear?-run uour'
''Oh. my iadyr' sobbed Annie; twill you
listen?'
No" she returned. Il will notI Listen
to y0u-when every word you utter must be
a he! have seen you with my son. Cease
to follow him, or | viii expose you before
every soul in the village!'
She turned to leave the cottage, and came
face to face with ne. She paused abruptly,
opened her lips as if about 10 speak; then
she changed her mind. and without uttering
a word passed out.
AS for myself, | have been toomuch stupe-
fed to say a word, and l stood now, like a
great bear, looking at my cousin, who, sob
bing pteously, had sunk into chair. Then,
suddenly, while gazing at her thus, it seem
ed TO me that the time had come for me to
speak. | went up to her raised her from
the chair, and folded her in my arms.
annie" ! said, Annie, my dear, let there
be an end to this. Give me the right TO pro
tect you from all this trouble that has come
upon you lately. Become my wife"
She started, and stared at me like a fright
ened child.
Your wife, Hugh?'' she said. "Youl
wife@'
''Yes, Annie. l answered. my wife-that
is, if you care for me enough, my dearr'
At this, she fell to crying afresh, and clung
to me tenderly
''Ah, Hugh, dear Hugh - she sobbed ''Y OF
are the kindest and best man in all the world
and it is your kindness which makes you ASK
me this now, for you don't I0Ue me, Hugh
Her words cut me 10 the heart, for / felt
their truth.
Perhaps" l said, Il don't romance as
some young fellows might. but | shall make
as good husband. have always been fonC
OF you, Annie ever since that night year,
ago, when first came here and you gave mt
a welcome. We have ever been excellen
friends, haven't we?-and now tell me if We
shall be more than friendsg'
No, Hugh; be what you have always beer
my own dear BROTHER
"Is it because you think L don't care fol
you, Annie?7
''Ah, no y she replied. Don't think it i.
that. So much the better for you, dear. thai
you don't love me: for even if it were other
wise, we two could never be man and wife.
looked into her eyes, and l thought
read their meaning. Annie did not care fo
me, her heart was with another man, anC
that man far above her.
think | see those who read these line
smiling at my ignorance or my folly, anC
asking. was it possible that all | had seen o.
heard awakened in my mind no suspicion o
any darker wrong lurking in my little c0us
ms path? Yes: il was quite possible. Crow
man as was. had no experience whateve
of the world. / would have trusted Annie
in my company. OF in any place. and neve
dreamed for a moment that there could b.
any danger to one so good.
As my thought travels back to that time,
reproach myself again and again for my owl
| blindness. What worlds of soTTOw it woul'
have saved if had been less unsuspicious-
if had only loved poor Anne more!
CHAPTER x.
THE LETTER
But after this | watched Annie a goOl
deal, and / soon discovered she had grea
and growing trouble on her mind. She wa
restless and I'll at ease, and once or twice
while observed her quietly, saw tears sud
denly start to her eyes.
Her mother and father noticed this. too
| but they attributed the change to quite an
other cause. They were good, honest folk
who could only consider one project at