The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-09-06
CHAPTER XVI.

| CHAPTER XVI.
THE DISAPPOINTED LOVER.
OF course, Erastus was told of Lucy =
engagement to Mr.. Annelsey. In fact,
he learned it from Jennie in advance Of
any other member of the family.
As they were driving home from the
landing on their return from San Fran
cisco and chatting of those things which
are of more interest to young people.
namely. other young people, Jennie
suddenly broke out with:
Say, Luce, I'm going TO tell Ras, y
and without waiting for reply or Civ.
ing any heed to the bushes which
flooded her sisters face and neck, she
ratified on with all the speed which hcl
tongue could command: How'd you
like t have Mr.. Annelsey for brother.
in-law, Ras? l know YOU didn't used
to like him very well, but you'll have to
now, for Lucy and he are engaged, and
are going to be married when he comes
back from New York in about year.
There now, Luce, it's out, and you
won't have to be carrying the awful
load of having to tell it any longer"
4 NHAn NOu ait JuSl dS IuC0u a1S SOu
can be, retorted Lucy. half angry and
uncertain whether to laugh or cry. Il
hadn't said word about Mr. Ensign,
who has been almost as constant rs
your shadow ever since we met him on
the boat. You would be engaged to
him, too-you know you would-if il
wasn't that he has got nothing to 90 to
housekeeping with. So, there now,
Ras. you know all about us girls, and
can confess that you are going 10
marry Julia Ennis if you want to with
out blushng"
But Erastus made no such confession,
and instead of blushing. his face became
very white. and he looked straight
ahead and did not speak for some Sec
onds, and then said. in voice which
sounded hoarse ald unnatural:
Il am not going to marry Julia En-
mis- or anybody else
After that little moro was said for
some time.
Once or twice Jennie, who felt that
den silence which had fallen upon
them, attempted to start the CONVERSE
ton again by asking questions about
neighbors or affairs on the ranch, but
Erastus only replied in the fewest words
possible, and still looked straight in
| front of him.
Jennie was half inclined to be Offend
ed at this. She thought HIM ans ~ be-
cause Lucy had engaged herself to .
man whom he did not like. Could
she have seen his face she would have
known that some feeling deeper than
mere dislike for Annelsey was at work
within his breast.
As for Lucy, the assertion of Erastus,
that he was not going to marry Julia
Ennis or anybody else gave her sud-
den start and momentary insight into
his true feelings.
Was it possible after all that he loved
herr
The thought sent all the blood rush.
ing back upon her heart. and for q
moment she felt that she should suffo-
cate. Then came another thought.
Perhaps Erastus had proposed to Julia
and been rejected. This she felt could
not be unless Julia had suddenly be-
come cnamored Of some new admirer,
for certainly she had always shown 4
preference for Erastus over the other
young men of the neighborhood.
Still the thought clung to Lucy that
such might be the case, and that in
stead OF feeling bad because of her own
engagement to another, his silence was
caused by pain at being reminded of his
refusal by Julia, and her whole mood
changed, and she became as cold and
hard as he himself appeared
AS they neared home she began talk
ing glibly of anything and everything
she could think of-the presents they
had brought for each member of the
family-toys for Johnny, dress for
mother, q neck-tie for Erastus himself,
and silver tobacco-box for father-alI
bought with money saved out of that
sent them for their own use; going on
from this 10 tell of their school, and of
a couple Of girls who came on the boat
with them as far as Sacramento, where
their parents lived; and how these girls
were related to one of their own neigh
bors, and how. in answer to their in
quiries, Jennie and she had told them
all about this neighbor; how near they
were to their own home; how their
ranch looked, and how it had been in
jured by the washings from the mines
Here she came to q sudden STOP
She had Internationally run upon that
which they were all trying to avoid the
mention of, and there came to her not
only knowledge of her blunder, but
an entirely new feelings feeling that
she was somehow responsible for the
losses and suflerings Of this family and
every other family in the valley whose
homes were endangered by the opera
tons of the hydraulic mining compa-
MES at Gravel Hill.
At least she had arrayed herself on
the side OF the companies; was engaged
TO be married to one who was Interested
in the continuance of the work which
was certain to bring moro loss and sui
fering TO these people.
She was no longer Of them or with
them; for from the moment she became
the wife of James Annclsey her inter-
ests would be opposed to those of every
one she had known since they had set
tied in the valley.
Even ner father and mother, and
Erastus, must feel that she had DELHI
eratcly chosen to desert them in the
hour of their greatest loss, and had
gone over to their enemies in order to
save herself from sharing in the hard
ships which might be coming upon
them.
All this passed through her mind in
an instant, and she sank down in her
seat with feeling of shame, and