The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-11-20


or as many liked to suppose, Lucy can
make me what she viii; without her
shall be nothing and nobody y; but they've
told her all kinds Of wild things about
me; they've told her she might Just as
well jump into the river as marry such .
scapegrace. And perhaps II made her
q little jealons-you know there's no
harm In that, lis there? all's fair In
love--and perhaps II the old folks see me
driving about with Miss Becky Thorne
| my stock may go up and may be saved
from the burning as Parson Amory
says" And Becky had consented;
how could she refuse to do q
service for such true lover? So slight
"a thing too, she had often trayersed
the same road since, on foot, on her
dali rounds of toll or mercy Sam
Eustis had married Lucy Amoty years
ago, and was the foremost man in the
county to-day. Strange, how that
| friendly drive had interfered with Miss
Beekys prospects; how the simple fact
OF carrying home Mrs. Eustis' needle
work should have determined her fate,
and devoted her TO a life of hardship
and the ''Old Ladies' Home" at the
end! sTafk 81 frfffes. Poor Miss Becky
she remembered that once or twice the
opportunity lad offered when she might
have made it up with Larry; but pride,
or a sort of fine reserve, bad locked her
lips-Larry ought to know that she was
| above Silly fiirtations Once, when they
had met at Lucy Amory's wedding
when they all went out into the orchard
while the bride planted young tree.
and the guests looked for four-leaved
cloyers, she had found herself-whether
by accident or design She could not lelf
--on the grass beside Larry; their FIN
gers met over the same lucky clover.
I9their eyes met above 1t, and for. an in
slant she had it on her tongues end to
confess all about the drive and its re-
sult. to put pride in her pocket but just
then Nell Amory called to Larry.
''Oh. a horrid spider!-on my arm,
Larry! Xiii him, quick-do! Oh-oh-
oh! / shall die-I shall faintw and that
was the end OF il.
II fhe-otd orchard, with its fragrant
ounce bushes, it's gnarled apple trees,
its four-leayed clovers was thing of
the past; cotton-mill roared and thun-
dered there all day long where the
birds built and the trees bourgeoned
thirty odd years ago. 1t no longer
blossomed, except in Miss Bccky's mem
~9ry. She had turneds= her thoughts to
raising plants when she was left to her
| own resources, but one cruel winter
night killed all her slips and the cap
ital was lacking by which she might re-
new her stock. Since then she had
gone out for daily sewing, had watched
with the sick had been in demand for
temporary housekeeper whenever a
tired matron wished an outing. but lat
terly her eyes no longer served her for
fine work, and sewing-machines had
been introd uced; she was not SO alert
in the sick-room as OF yore; she moved
more slowly and her housekeeping
talent was no longer in request; added
to this, the bank where her little earn
ings had been growing one day failed
! and left her high and dry Some
of her friends had travelled to
pastures new some had-married
away, some had ignored and for
\ gotten her. AS for Larry Rogers.
he had been away from Plymouth
this---many a year. - Somebody
had sent him abroad the year after Lucy
I Amory's marriage, to develope his must
cal genius. He had grown into IA
nous violinist, playing all over the
country to crowded houses, before the
finest people in the land. 1t was "a
/ beautiful romance to Miss Becky to
read in the Plymouth Record about our
j gifted townsman;a she seemed to hear
4 the eeha-of his violin when the wind
swept through the pine boughs. She
had no bitter thoughts; she did not
i blame him because she sat in shadow,
because her life had been colorless. She
sang again the old tunes he had taught
her, and made little sunshine in her
heart All of happiness She had ever
known he had brought her. Why
should she compla ain? And now she was
: going TO the ..oid Ladies' Home. '--
1T ism exactly what expected in
my youth, she said to the old doctors
widow.
mo; but you'll3haye nice room and
a bright fire, and the neighbors will
drop in to see you and make it seem
homc-like Now, there's oldNIrs. Gum;
nothing can persuade her to go TO the
Homes She says it's only genteel
almshouse after all; and so she rubs
along with what little she can earn and
what the neighbors have mind to send
in; and they have to do it nightly gin
gerly, too, just as if they were asking a
4 favor Of her. Lori she doesn't earn her
salt
81 dare say" returned Miss Becky,
Now, if it hadn't been for the rheuma-
tism | could earn my living for years
4 yet, and, may be, get something ahead
again But it seems as if the rheuma-
tism laid in wait for the poor and
friendless.
you ought to have married when
you were young, Becky said the
doctors widow,'who had forgotten all
about Bocky's love affair, and labored
under@t the impression that she had
never had a 5chance-an impression
which matrons are apt to entertain con-
corning their single friends. Miss
Becky had been spending some weeks
with Mrs Doctor Dwight, who had
moved away from Plymouth after her