The Red Cloud chief., 1889-02-15
SEVEN OFFERS.

SEVEN OFFEkS.
What Happened While Waitin,
for tho Next.
SWELL, good night, Elizabeth" said Toa
Barbury, and opened b front door IN
went out.
Miss Elizabeth Iawton stood q lew mi.
utes In the hall where he had left he
There was q half smile On her face.
Poor TOm," she said, 'poor, dear oil
TOmr' Then she sighed a little and wen
back into the parlOr, where the chairs wer
drawn up suggestively near together il
front Of the bright crate fire.
This In the seventh time, ''she said, softiy
"Yca, tho seventh time, poor, dear oil
Tomv'
She looked around the beautiful luxuriou
room, and wondered how it would seem I
she had given q different answer to tn,
seventh asking Of the same question. WOu!t
he he hero still! Would abe be sitting be
sid him on the sofa, his arm, perhaps-bu,
Miss Elizabeth blushed slightly, ant
changed the subject in her own mind. Suct
thoughts seemed hardly dccorous in 9
masden t1oy past o'irty.
She rOso and walked scross the room 70
ring the bell, but paused a she noticed q
letter on n Of the little tables. It had
come in the evening post, and been brought
In while Tom WAS there. and SO she had not
read il. She opened itnOw, and her face grew
surprised and q little hard as she read. And
yet it certainly contained only pleasant
news. Her old friend Helen Armstrong
wrote to say that she was going to be mar
ried, n wanted her TO come and be a
bridesmaid at her wedding. Surely there
was nothing distressing in this, nothing
that should make Elizabeth feel suddenly
betraye ed n deserted, and yet she did. She
had n curious feeling OF having locked the
front door in the face OF an enemy while her
'r'"""i weakly und deceiifuily admitted him
at the back
Wen, We'll" sho CALCULATED as she read,
"a widower with two children!" and she
thought with the rapidi.y Of lightning that
Tom Barbury at least was q bachelor, in
good and regular standing"
Il am ashamed at mi age" the letter ran,
ITO be so much in love and to feel 50 happy
over 1t, but IL you only knew him, Eliza
beth! He is the dearest man. so good and
honorable, and 80 fond OF me. Every one
respects him, and I am so anxious for you
20 know him. He is OF the Arm OF Cochrain
4 Brown. merchants. quito well OF and
with Q lovely home"
Miss Elizabeth instantly stripped the
sugar coating from the pill. and xaminedit it.
"ln trade. Is he-a dry-goods merchant!
We'll, | certainly shouldn't have expected il
OF Helcn" And then the disagreeable
thought rose in her mind and confronted |
her. that the reason, the real reason, why
she had said mo" several times to Tom
Barbury was because no owned q shoe store.
She had never acknowledged this to herself !
before. 1t was such Q hOrrid, snObbish res-
son
She wa ashamed of it; she had covered
u up with 6ner. more di9nified explanations
md hidden It away. even from herself. But |
=" night 1t shook them all OF, and appeared
before her In al it, unveiled ugliness.
Yea, sho would have married Tom Bar
bury years aRo. except for her silly, false, |
unwomanly pride. She was ashamed. q lit |
te bit ashamed Of him.
Aud b Wa there to be ashamed Of.
lilo wa ~ honest and good Q man, as ever
walked Inc earth. and a. true . gentleman, |
too.
But the Lawtoa blood had never run in
manner OF TRADE. Elissbeth's father, old |
Judge i-awton. during all the years that he |
mad sat ON the bench. had never known Tom
haroury's father, who was sitting on Q
bench Of . di0erent kind. and making shoes.
Tom had partly washed away the stain
wh'chs retail TRADE seems to bring. with
the cleansing watess Of Q wholesale trade
nc DID NOT sit on . benz b as his father had
done; he did not button customers .hoea
lie sat in q little ONCE. with . pen behind
ms ear, and wrote most Of the time. but
sel to sensitive Elizabeth Lawtou, the
(rai! OF the serpent Was over il all Nha
"a q o ut the Lawton cnest IN h.r
note pcpcr occasionally, and sav sorrow.
fully to herself: %. I could mover ouartor
It with . huttoa hookr,
She and Tom had grown mn toeether Inn,
e.cir family backgrounds wsre difYrrcn,
La Eli,ab~th's homo every Trims VIA.
stately. elegant and refined. She had never
Ucen inside Tom Baroury's house. but she
had reason 70 think il wa othervise ,her.
he had . mother and ashsdowy s;.ter a.
Two. nut they were ucbulous and upcert.ir
persons in Eli.sbcth's fancy. for sho had
never scsn 9 at . close social ranee-
With Tom H va diRersot n. go
that wss deli9Atful and satisf.c.or~ n
why - it that We can not pick 4 man ~
from his family tree, a We wou,a . r,,.
or pcach. and serve him separately.
IL VIZ To years since Tom h.6 A.,
lskcd her to marry him, and she ha6 -,
ashamed q say yea: bus she h.8 IN
ashamed OF her shame ever since p"or
dear oA To0e Hee heart warned $780,.
him tonight, "a che read her friend. I.,t.s
1hesc N rory strong eprsf de curx .mono
Unmarried women, who arc no longer yuune
Friendships between then Are urn.u.Is,
1eer and strong. partly perhans hec.n:
The sentiment generally called out hr w..
. BY e U~nexPcuded, and Ana. =.
,rt!ct upon their friends. They hand ~
ecther and staad BY and UNFOLD -.
They watch each other n.,o,s,~
md honestly mourn wheu one of their
,unher dcfects from the course, aud icin.
he greas matority q the married. They
ire always = little disappointed in the All |,
member. q have a u,,uli.,
lonely feeling for her de.~,,;or |,
hey d. mot giudxe her her happiues. hus !
,hey wonder q her choice Of il.
llfss Elizabeth experienced all the<e fee,-
mn alesr - Aaa read Helen Armstrong.
Dt1er. |,
0he shavespA q little and drew her ch.;,
aessrao ~ - 80 fen unnecessarily
lneey Mn Haaea. PseseuHy abe ane ~
~ al 0aiA Was answered =:
$500 =