The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-01-27
WILL o THE MILL.
BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
r. oncluded.1


who says he loves you, Madge. Do you love
him, ay or nor
u think do" said Marjory, family.
wen, then, that's all that could be
wished!" cried viii, heartily. And he took
her hand across the table and held 1t a
moment in both of his with great satisfaction.
ou must marry" observed the parson,
replacing his pipe in his mouth
Us That the right thing to do, think your
demanded WILL
ut is Indispensable" said the parson.
"Very well. )" replied the wooer.
Two or three days passed away with great
delight to VIII, although bystander might
scorca hova found n out Tia continued To
take his meals opposite Mariory. and to talk
with her and gaze upon her in her fathers
preseuee: but he made no ATTEMPT to see her
alone, nor IN any other way changed his con
d,,ct toyords bor From, ,ybat h had been
SINCE the herinning perbons tho Girl WINS n
little disannointoJ and rerhans not uniustly:
and vet II Il had heor op.moh IN Inc always in
fine ,boughts of ,pothor neysor and so ner-
vade and alter his whole life She might have
been thoroughly contented For She was
never ont of Wilrs mind for an instant He
sat over tho stream. and watched the dust Of
tho cddv and tho ,,o,sod An and strainino
weeds. he wandered ont alone into the purpie
even. with all the blackbirds mining round
him in the wood: he rose early in the MORN
inp and saw the sl,v tu,.n fromsprav to cold.
and the lioht lean unon the billtons. and ali
the while he kent WONDERING if he had never
seen such things before. or how it was that
they should look so different now. The
sound OF his own mill wheel. or of the wind
among the trees. confounded and charmed
his heart The most enchanting thoughts
presented themselves uubidden in his mind.
He was so happy that he could not sleep at
night, and so restless that he could hardly sit
still out of her conpany. And vet it seemed
as IL he avoided her rather than souoht her
out.
One day, ms he was coming home from a
ramble VIII found Marjory in the garden
picking flowers, and as he came up with her,
slackened his pace and continued walking by
her side.
"You like fowersN he said.
"Indeed l love them dearly" she replied.
"Do your
"Why, no." said he, mot so much They
are very small affair, when all is done
can fancy people caring for them greatly,
but not doing Us you are just now"
"Howp she asked, pausing and looking up
at him.
"Plucking them,n said he. "They are
deal better off wksre they are and look
deal prettier, if you go to that
81 wish to have them for my own," she
answered, ito carry them near my heart,
and keep them in my room. They tempt me
when they grow here; they seem to say,
Come and do something with u.s. but once |
have cut them and put them by, the charm is
laid, and l can look at them with quite an
easy heart.n
You wish to possess them," replied VIII,
"in order to think no more about them. It's
bit like killing the goose with the golden
eggs It's bit like what | wished to do
when was boy. Because | had fancy
for looking out over the plain l wished to go
down there, where | couldn't look out over it
any longer. Was not that fine reasoningl
Dear, dear, if they only thought of it, all the
world would do like me, and you would let
your flowers alone, just as stay mp here in
the mountains" Suddenly he broke Off
sharp. "By the Lord!" he cried. And when
she asked him what was wrong he turned the
question off and walked away into the house
with rather humorous expression Of face
He was silent at table, and after the night
had fallen and the stars had come out over
head he walked up and down for hours in
the courtyard and garden with an uneven
pace, There was still light in the window
of Marjory's room-one little oblons patch of
orange in a world of dark blue hills and sill
yer starlight Wills mind ran a great deal
on the window, but his thoughts were not
very lover like. "There she is in her room" "
he thought, land there were the stars over
head-a blessing upon bothw Both were
good influences in his life; both soothed and
braced him in his profound contentnent with
che world. And what more should he desire
with eitherl The fat young man and his
councils were so present to his mind that he
threw back his head, and, putting his hands
before his mouth, shouted aloud to the popu-
lous heavens. Whether from the position of
his head or the sudden strain OF his exertion,
he seemed to see a momentary shock among
the stars, and diffusion of frosty light pass
from one to another along the sky. At the
same instant corner of the blind was lifted
up and lowered again at once. Ho laughed
loud ho-ho Zone and anotherl" thought
viii. "The stars tremble and the blind goes
up. Why, before Heaven, what a great ma
gician must bel Now, if were only a fool,
should not l be in pretty wayf' And he
went off to bed, chuckling TO himself: "If
were only foolln
The next morning, pretty early, he saw her
once more in the garden, and sought her out.
81 have been thinking about getting mar
ried,n he began abruptly; 'and after having
turned it all over, l have made up my mind
It's not worth while"
She turned upon T. for single moment;
but his radiant, kindly T.. ...,carance woull,
under the circumstances, have disconnected
an angel, and she looked down again W N
the ground in silence He could see her
tremble.
II hope you don't mind, he went on, lit
tie taken aback. "You ought not. l have
turned it all over, and upon my soul there's
nothing in it, We should never be one wiz!
nearer than we are just now, and if am a
wise man, nothing like SO happy
at is unnecessary to go round about with
me" she said. 81 very wei remember that
you refused to commit yourself; and now that
see you were mistaken, and in reality never
cared for me, can only feel sad that have
been so far misled."
II ask your PARDON said VIII stoutly
"you do not understand my meaning. As tc
whether have ever loved you or not, must
leave that TO others. But ! ~ one thing, my
feeling is not chan 5ed; and Tor another, 20,
may make it your boast that you have mad,
my whole life and charoct something d,t
ferent from what they 'verv. ineAI what
say; no less. do not thl, getting marriol
is worth while. would r. Ter you went oJ
living with VOur fathCT lat | could ",