Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-09-28

Everett; aeer that he never cama
into the house.
L saw him week after, on the front
steps, late one starlight night, when
father was asleep. i felt bitterly, and
l frankly told him everything His
fine face was full of surprise and
sympathy; he looked very serious, and
then SAID:
Miss Mendenhall, no father has the
right to demand so much of his daueh-
ter. And there are few daughters who
would submit so patiently to q false
dictate of duty. After all, the women
are the true heroes
1t was in the same place, three months
later, that he asked me to marry him.
One tieeting vision of happiness that I
knew could never be mine passed before
my eyes; [ turned away my head,
wiped my eyes, and told him that it could
mot be.
T. do you expect, then" he asked with
manly indignation, "to devote your
whole life and wear out your youth and
health in waiting upon the unreasonable
whims ola selfish hypochondriae
His words described the case exactly,
but had to chide him.
you must remember that he is my
father, Everett. You should not speak
so of him."
II would speak so of the Apostle
Paul" he said in passion, IF he had
+ been capable Of such meanness."
He was properly indignant, but /
, could not encourage him in such talk.
!, '"Just take the sensible view of it,
Salome," he went on. "You have just
| as good right to the reason> enjoy
3 ment of life as any other girl. You
g needn't care for your fathers money;
| have plenty of my own. He can have
9 all the attendance and service that he
e ought to have, and release you from
/; this drudgery. Tell him so, frankly; il
a he remains unreasonable, release your.
self. 1t is now September; want yot
: to marry me at Christmas"
! My heart seemed to stop within ME
: 1 covered my face and shook my head
: "You must choose noe, Salone," hi
v said, sternly. Il am out OF patience
= with that old mans heartlessness. L
. it is no, deliberately said, I go dowl
I the river tonight on the boat, and tx
h Europe next week. This village. may
r never see me again. Is it yes, OF no q
J. 80 Evvy!-youk know"
h "Yes or MOI"
n "No."
It was very faint, but he heard it
q He did not offer to kiss me farewell
i. he just pressed both my hands, and wa
+ gone.
i Some mercy kept my father aslee]
= and quiet that night, and I sat uninter
rupted on the steps, fighting the old
hard battle between love and duty tina
!, we poor daughters Of Eve have Tough
q since the world was young. But hat
! chosen; my conflict was over in min
9 ute. was now only trying to reconcil
- my rebellious heart to the hard wa
~ that I had taken. The stars wer
o bright and glittering. I thought tina
j, perhaps there would be another worl
:, where all these bitter things would b
made right. The hours wore on, an
e away down by the elms and maple
"a that marked the course OF the river
!. saw drifting column of smoke, an
=. heard the noise Of the steamer. 1t wa
T all over; he was gone from me forever
e. and with the last severing OF the heart
- strings, 1 hid my face again and erie
~ aloud:
80 Envy, Evvy!'
- '"Salome!"
~ He was standing there before me
az with open arms.
20 II couldn't CO. he said. Il can
- leave you. I'll stay; I'll wait"
-, He took me in his arms.
a. I did not begin, to tell the story
the next twenty years. In fac
ce there is very little to tell. My fills
rs seryitude went on in the most prosy an
uneventful way, cheered only by til
no fidelity and affection Of Everett. II
III first the fear that he would tire OF wal
T ing troubled me, it soon wore Oft. The7
T never was man like him. Sometime
CO now take my Bible and read OF Jacc
~ and Rachel, and say, "the world III
NJ not grown worse, after all" And
It, those weary but always faithful day
90 when some ineonsiderate gossip told II
u, that the village wits spoke OF our lit
=, romance as the "forlorn hope it I'll
II not offend me. While he was true an
be patient, cared not what others mlgl
say.
I was A, Everett was three yea
=. older. when the death OF my father I
w leased him from his self-imposed mlser