Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-03-09

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lis hold Of affairs or lis interest i'll the wide
a,il rushing life OF tn world il one Of whose
side eddics lie lived apart This tas!; of reading
The Saturday Review aloud had formerly
been "a part OF Bessie's Sunday ceryic, III:
her uncle YVES very glad 30 effect Gn G.,
change Bessics mind vas not quite in tune
with the profunditios Of that Journal, and hci'
attention was ap. to wander at the moct
pointed passages and thus it came about,
what between The Saturday Review ami
other things, that a very warm and deep at
tachment sprang Up betwixt the old man and
his younger partner. John was q very tax
ing man, especially to the Old, for whom he
was never tired Of performing little services.
One of his favorite sayings was that old peo-
pie should be "let down easy" AMI lie acted
up to it. Moreover, there was quiet jollity
and bluff honesty about him which was I'M
doubtedly attractive both to men and women.
But his great recommendation was that lie
was well informed, experienced man and a
gentleman in country in which both were
rare Every week the old man got to rely
more and more on him, and let things pass
more and mere into his hands.
I'm getting old, Mel" he said to him one
night; I'm getting very old; the grass
hopper is becoming q burden to mo, and I'll
tell you what it is, my boy" laying his hand
affectionately upon Johns shoulder, Il have
no son Of lny own, and you will have to be
son to me, as my dear Eessie has been a
daughter"
John looked up into the kindly, handsome
old face, crowned with the fringe OF Snowy
hair, and at the two keen eyes set deep in it
beneath the overhanging eyebrows, and
thought of his Old father who was long since
dead; and somehow he was moved and his
own eyes filed with tears. S4
GAY, Mr.. Croft" he said, taking the old
mans hand, "that will to the best of my
ability"
THANK you, my boy, thank you. / don't
like talking much about these things, but as l
said, am getting old, and the Almighty may
require my account any day, and if he does l
rely on you to look after these two girls. 1t
is wild country this, and one never knows
what may happen in it from day to day, and
they will want it. Sometimes wish l were
clear Of the place. And now I'm going to
bed. am beginning to feel as though had
done my days work in the world. I'm get
ting feeble, John, that is the fact of it."
After that he always called him John.
Of jess they heard but little. She wrote
every week, it is true, and gave an accurate
account of all that was going on ut Pretoria
| and of her daily doings, but she was one Of
those people whose letters tell one absolutely
| nothing of themselves and of what is passing
in their minds They might as well have
| been headed Our Pretoria Letter." as Bessie
said, disgustedly, after reading three sheets
in jess curious, upright handwriting. "Once
you lose sight of Jess" she went on, ''abe
might rs well be dead for ell you learn about
l - I.-A~
she is with one" she added. rc1ectively.
"She is peculiar woman" said John,
thoughtfuily. At first he had missed her
very much, for, peculiar as she undoubtedly
| was, she had touched O new string IN him
somewhere, of the existence of which lie had
not till then been himself aware And what
is more, it had answered pretty strongly for
some time; but now it was slowly vibrating;
itself into silence again, much as harp docs
when the striker takes his fingers from the
strings. Had she stayed ON another week or
SO the effect might have been more enduring
But although jess had gone away Bessie
had not. On tho contrary, sho was always
about him, surrounding him with that tender
care woman, however involuntarily, can
not prevent her from lavishing Oh the man
she loves. Her beauty moved about the
place like beam of light about garden, for
she was indeed q lovely woman and as pure
and good as she was lovely. Nor could John
long remain in ignorance of her partially for
him. He was not O vain man-very much
tho reverse, indeed-but neither was he n
fool. And it must be said that, though
Bessie never overstepped the bounds of maid
emily reserve, neither did she takc particular
pains to hide her preference. Indeed it was
too strong to permit Of her doing So Not
that she was animated by the half divine,
soul soaring breath of passion, such as nni-
mated her sister-which is very rare thing,
and, take it altogether, as undesirable and
unsuitable to the ordinary conditions OF this
prosaic and work day life as it is rare-but
she was tcnderly and truly in love after tho
ordinary young womanly fashion; indeed.
her passion, measured by the every day stand
ard, would have proved to be a deep one.
However this was, she was undoubtedly pre-
pared to make John Mel faithful and q
loving wife il he chose to ask her to be-
como SO.
And as tho weeks went on-though, Of
course, he knew nothing of oil this-it be-
came very serious question to John whether
he should not ask her. 1t is not good for man
to live alone. especially in. the Transvaal. and
it was not possible for him to pass day by day
at the side Of SO much beauty and so much
grace without thinking that it would be well
to draw the bond of union closer. Indeed,
had John been younger man or had less ex-
perience he would have succumbcd to the
temptation much sooner than lie dill. But he
was neither very young nor very inexperi-
enced. Ten years or more ago, I'm his gree
and gushing youth, he had. as has been said
burned his fingers pretty sharply, and a livel
recollection Of this incident in bis career ha
heretofore proved very efficient warning t
him. Also, he had got to that period of lif
when men think great many times befor
they wildly commit themselves to the dee
matrimonial waters But, however com
mendably cautious man may be, he is Away
liable to be thrown into temptation sufficient
strong to sweep away his caution and make
mockery OF his plans However strong til
rope, it has its breaking strain; and in th
same way our power of resistance to an
givcn course depends entirely upon the powc
Of the temptation to draw us into it, And S
it was destined to be with our friend job
Mel
It was about a week after his conversation
with old Silas Croft that it occurred to job
that Bessie's manner had grown rather strang
Of late. 1t seemed to him that she had avoi.le
his society instead Of, IL not counting it, Il
least showing certain Partially for il
Also, she had been looking pale md worric
and evinccd tendency to irritation that wa
quite foreign to her natural sweetness of dis
position. Now, when person on whom OF
Is accustomed to depend for most of :ha
social intercourse and those pleasant Iittl
amenities that members of one sex value fror
another, suddenly cuts of the supply withou
any apparent rhyme or reason, it is enoug
to induce feeling Of wonder, not to say O
vexation, in the breast. 1t never occurred I
John that the reason might be that Best
was truly fond of him, and perhaps uncor
; sciously disappointed that lie did not show
warmer interest in her. II, however, we weI
to examine into The facts of tho case W
should probably Gizcovor that this was II
real explanation Of lie change Bessie was
Straightforward young woman, whose I'll: