Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-09-19
4 Rough Diamond; or, Tried and
True.

She had not been there more tnan
week before her cousin, Jim Seton,
found himself desperately in love
with her. Poor J:ml with his broad
Northern dialect, his thick shoes and
Ioutish airs, why should he have as
pired for the love of such dainty little
woman as Patty. He knew his own
shortcomings and what a poor lover
he was to be sure, and rued the day
that he ever laid eyes on her.
Coming home from a concert in the
village one night Jim found himself
alone with Patty for a few minutes,
as the others had strolled on ahead.
The wind had risen again and came
sweeping like a giant over the fields of
young crops as if It would tear every
green blade out Of the earth.
''It'!l be a rough night-that will it."
said Jim.
"wm be?" accented Patty. "Ts,'
| should say"
This Is naught?'
''Naught is d very rough customer,
them
"Have you changed your mind, jim,
and are you coming?' Patty had TO
shout her question, the wind was so
loud and gave such ppffs and snOrts.
''Y ou're bound TO come one day.
"Eh! III be coming one daay." Jim
fell into broad Lancashire, being taken
aback by her graciousness.
Tomorrow"
"No.'' He ierked his head. ''No,
not just that Kent will see me when
when''-
s'when2" called Patty from the
front.
Cant say" he answered doubt
ingly.
"when?'' And the girl, her love of
teasing him excited by his manner,
turned and faced him. Her hands
were IN the side-pockets of her ulster;
her close cloth cap that matched it was
well down on her small head, but the
wind tossed her halr about. Loose
brown locks flew around brow, and
ears, and throat; still, her trim. alert,
mlschievOus young self stood firm, and
her merry eyes dashed raillery at the
unfortunate Jim.
"When?' she repeated.
"Eh, laasS,'' he sighed, dropping
helplessly into the broadest provincial
ism, that I'll no-not," he corrected
himself" Do able to answer vel
ThereI the likes o. NELL not be of your
sort. No; Pm best out or Kent"
III, hOly "SIi' AuAZ sACs anu
ran on.
No such storm as that which ragged
over the Lancashire coast that night
had been known IN the memory of
man. The destruction was measure
less. Lives were lost, trees uprooted,
roofs flung bodily TO distance,
sheaves and rlcks had the thatch torn
off them, gardens were swept bare.
Farm hands were up all night. At
the Haigh Farm, Sefton's place, old
Seton and his sons worked like slaves
to save things. No such mighty stacks
of hay were III all the country round as
theirs.
They saved all.
But the pricel
Ali jim Seton was reaching up
from the tOpmOst rung of a ladder
bracing the end of the stack, when a
sweep of wind bore down upon him.
There was no time for any one to call
| 10 him, no time for thought; he was
| flung ike a Wisp Of straw to the
ground.
They took him up groaning,
No legs were broken, no arms were
broken, but he moaned in anguish and
lay like log
| Another Spring came.
For nearly a year had Jim Seton
lain on his back III the old farmhouse.
Death was not coming to him, but a
life that to his vigorous spirit was a
living death seemed To De his portion
for the term of his natural existence.
Then some one said: go TO Lon
dom
Well, the London surgeons cured
him; and, then, being SO far South,
why should he not go on Into Kent?
Jim had never lost his gloriied
dreams of his wild cousin.
But Patty, though he did not know
it, was scarcely by that time TO be
called the wild young cousin" Jlm's
accident had struck a terror INTO heI
heart. Things had been so arranged
that her going home was not delayed
by that terrible event; she was not
wanted to nurse, and her father would
have her home. SO it was that she
only once saw Jim, and that was when
she went into his room TO say, Good
by" to him. He did not know her and
her aunt hurried her of. The good aunt
was the soul of kinduess, but she was
in dire grief and she was OF the stern
North.
Patty went sObbing.
And Patty had never forgotten.
How should she meet Jim?
He was IN the house. She heard hi'
voice. and all at once this foolish
thought struck her-how should sl'
meet him?
| Common sense SAID: 'Meet him nat
urally-he Will expect nothing new
from you"
She dallied about her room, then sh,
ran into the garden for a rose; from
there she saw the lifting of the hillOcky
common, gold with its masses of gorse
From a goOse-bush III the old-fash
iOned garden she hastily pulled bI
of the yellow bloom, prlcking Ler lin
gers, but-remembering.
Would Jim remember toop
She did not see Jim until her mOthe
called to her to come to tea, and dur
, ing that meal she astOnished them al
by being the Patty she had been
year ago. She laughed, and she teased
and she talked nonsense. Was that th
girl who during the past year ha
grown quiet and stald? Aye-the Yer
same
Presently they were in the garden
"Eh, and that's your Kentish gorse!
: exclaimed Jim Seton. Months c
lying on his back with nothing 20 d
but read. had changed Jim a goo
deal; for one thing his shyness ha
gone and had carried off much of b
. provincialism.
"Eh, that is it?'' Patty mischleN
8, ously copied the norJh-country Tilt.
( ''It is what have come specially
see,'' said Jim, quietly. "Win 20
lput on your hat and walk out wit
Ime-to show it me?"
"To-night?'' doubted the girl. II,
wildness fed suddenly. She looked L
Il ward the others; they were all saunte
= ing about the garden in the sweet Ma
evening. "I ou will not be tiredr
It "Tired2 No, lass, mol I'm rigi
I again now. AS tough as ever. An
( I'd like to get a walk with ye. You'I
wIlling?"
: "AII right" Patty ran in for
After that night Jim Seton used