St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-25

me Ill the time OF our greatest trial, when
we thought we should be separated,
was to stroke my hair and murmur:
''My pretty, my prettYw in consofing
whisper. 1t soothed me very much,
and made me almost stop crying TO list
EN- to him.
If men only knew how much more
soothing it is to be told that one is
pretty when one is in grief than to be
eXhorted to ''be sensible woman now,"
they might make more use of this very
simple device. =
Dick and were standing in a deep
bracken-grOwn hollow at the end ofslny
fathers great park, In our passionate
young grief we had eyes and ears foe no
one but ourselves. l had, however,
chosen the very quiet hour of sunset on
May evening to meet my poor lover,
and only a few inquisitive but timid
rabbits stared with dark eyes at us from
the safe vantage of their own round
doors, gently moving their soft brown
ears with sympathetic interest.
MY pretty Nancy, my dearest girl, it
is quite impossible for me not to eethe
force of your fathers reasons. He is
perfectly kind and just to you. He
wants to make you happy. He calls me
a fortune hunter, therefore will not ac-
cept one penny of his money with you.
and | cannot be so selfish as to deprive
you of all those comforts which you
have been accustomed to-"
"You are the only comfort I care
about, Dick" Sobbed out. And what
good will other comforts do me if die?
For shall die if am never to see you
again. Father says, if [ persist in mar
rying you he will cut me out of his will
and leave everything to Aunt Betty and
her six ugly daughters. Well, dearest,
let him do it. 1t won't make them one
bit prettier; and money won't buy them
a sweetheart like mine. Do you really
believe, Dick. that if were sitting in a
room full of gold with sack of sover-
eigDs in my hands and saw you outside,
that wouldn't throw the nasty stuff
down and rush through the window into
your arms? Dick, you don't know much
about women. You'll have to take me
as am and begin the study at once"
My love claSped me little closer. but
he sighed profoundly at the same time.
II can offer you so little" he said
sadly. nothing but my love and a share
of my poverty. But l can work for
you. ! will work.. My uncle Richard
has promised to help me to berth in
one of the Oriental mail ships, from
which can work my way up. But,
Nancy, there is no rank in the merchant
service that would meet with your
fathers approval
II am tWenty-one,'' cried defiantly,
and if my father chooses to call you
names and threaten me with the loss of
a hOrrid lot of .money-which only
makes us into mean worldly wretches-
l shall run away from him and it. l
shall certainly run away, Dick, quite
soon. You may please yourself, whether
you help me OF leave me to do it alone"
After this bold speech was forced to
hide my shamed face OIL the breast of
Dicks blue uniform; and there | heard
his honest heart beating true loves
answer to my words. His scruples all
vanished, and in the next two hours
we had settled the details of my flight.
He was to return to Edinburgh, where
ne lodged with dear old Scotch lady,
of whom he had often spoken to me. I
was to follow in a. few days. We could
be married quietly, and await Dicks
appointment in blissful poverty.
l fear | thought very little of my
lonely father that evening as l stole
home across the wide park, scattering
shadowy deer and Hurried rabbits from
the grassy paths.
My father had always been absorbed
in business till he made his fortune,
and mad taken little notice of his moth
erless girl. | believe he was fond of
me, in certain way, but wanted to
keep me in leading strings all my life.
| was only a pieeesof the very handsome
furniture in his splendid house, and had
no more right to have an opinion. OIL my
own destiny than his easy chair had to
say where it. should stand.
| left him, therefore, without think
ing that it could cause him much grief:
but I knew that intense anger and
wounded pride would make him very
bitter against me and my almost penni-
less lover. Ia -
| seemed to live in a dream for the
next two or three days, till got Dicks
final letter to say all was ready for me
at Mrs. NicholPs.I His bright, manly
face, the ardent look in his gray eyes as
we parted that last evening were over
before me. went on, however, making
very practical preparations. such as
packing my plalneSt gowns, and leaving
my finest garments i'll my huge ward
robe. [ knew that the simple little
lodgings three flights of stairs
would. not fit in with Liberty Art
Silk" dinner dresses. 1t was more
likely should be cooking our dinner
than dressing for it,. In view of such a
charming novelty | packed up )me
painting aprons, with very. smart pock-
cts and bibS-Which knew Dick would
think becoming.
announced my intention of going to
visit school friend in Edinburgh, and
my father, vino never denied me small
pleasures, kissed me at the door as he
said good-by, told Inc to be a good girl,
and then, as the carriage drove rapidly
off, turned to enter his study with an
obvious air of relief.
His utter want of suspicion touched
me with remorSe for the first time. 1
half started up. and called family.
"FatherH' But the cry was lost amid
the roll of the wheels, and was fain
to drown my remOrse in flood of tears.
which only ceased at the end of my long
drive to the station.
For last time tall fOOtman got my
ticket for me. looked after my luggage
and stood respectfully at the door of the
compartment which he had secured for
my exclusive use. had recovered my
spirits now, and laughed when l
thought that the next journey made
would probably be by third-class, but
with Dick-my husband to protect me.
1t is only a journey of few hours to
Edinburgh from my home. There, on
the platform, stood my handsome, eager
young lady, and by his side plain but
most benevolent looking little old lady.
She had two gray curls Oh each side of
her round cheeks, and she nodded and
smiled at me in the most friendly way
as soon as Dick identified me by rush
ing forward as if to take my lonely COM
partment by storm. :
Conducted ''home" by these two en-
thusiastic creatures, l was shown into
a charmingly clean, bright little fat,
perched like birds nest, high above
the picturesque town. An honest
faced, middle aged Scotch servant
opened the door and said gravely:
eyer welcome, men,"
'.This is my Christie" explained Mrs.
Nicholl, land Mr.. Gordon's great ad
mirer."
l smiled at her kind though rugged
face. We're not all Dicks friends to be
nv friends now? She afterwards con-