The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-09-04
mouth with dryness; her aeart beat

mouth with dryness; her neart beat
| faint
Harki At tho upward ding Of her
leaders arm music rained down from
Heaven, and the earth made joyous 70
Spouse; strong, exultant strains, like an
organ peal, and such vibrant melodious
| chimes as Bunyan heard when all the
bells OF the holy city rang together for
JOY. The majestic. floating figure turned
| to lean toward her with outstretchei
arms. and eyes that gazed into hers -
she had vowed they should never look
again.
20! knew it must be your She said
it aloud. in her rapturous dream. "It
could be nobody elsei Thank COP!
Thank GoD!"
Thor bounded from under her hand.
March Gilchrist's New York
friend was bachelor cousin, who was
always delighted to have - good fell
low" drop in upon him on Sunday even
ing. March, in the uneasy wretched-
ness that beset him, honestly intended
to visit him when he took the five o'clock
train. He wanted to get away from the
place for few hours, be said; away
from tormenting associations and pos
sible catechists, and think calmly Of the
next step to be taken. By the time he
reached Jersey City no had discovered
that he was trying to get away from
himself and not from his home; more
over, that he wanted neither dinner
nor the society Of the genial celibate.
He stepped from the train. tuEned into
the station restaurant, sat down at the
table he had occupied on the day be
landed from the City of Rome and
missed the noon train. and ordered 1t
random something to eat
The longer table built about the post
in the middle Of the room was sur
rounded by party Of men and women.
The men wore full black boards and
great deal Of waistcoat, crossed By gold
ropes. The women had round, black
eyes, high-bridged noses and pronounced
compilations. March tried not to see
them and tried to eat what was set be-
fore him. It made him sick to observe
that Hetty's place was filled by an over
blown young lady whose bang made
definite downward peak between her
black brows, and who bad ten rings on
the left hand and five on tho right
He caught the six-thirty train back to
Fairhill. He had made up his sensible
mind to talk over his family to project
marvelously-well developed when one
remembers that the inception was not an
hour old when he swung himself OF
upon the platform OF the Fairhill sta
tion. He would set out next week for
the Adirondacks, set up forest studio
apd begin serious work" The phrase
jumped with his mood. Nothing else
would draw the Inflammation out OF the
wound. He meant to bear up like
man under the blow he had received. to
forget disappointment in labor for .
worthy end, love, in ambition.
He took the orchard in his walk home
from the station. 1t was quite out OF
his way, and he was not guilty OF the
weakness of denying this He went
there deliberately and with purpose.
vaulting the fence from the quiet street
at the foot Of the hill, as he had done
on that memorable Sunday when the
orchards were "all a-flutter with pink"
One more look at the nook under green
apple-boughs would be sad satisfac-
ton. and the contrast between what he
had hoped and what he knew to be rock
bottomed reality, would be salutary
tonic. One look he must have-a look
that should be farewell to folly and re-
gret.
While still twenty yards away from
the arbor he espied something that
looked like mass Of white drapery ly-
ing upon the turf. He stood just with
out the STOPPING boughs fencing the
sleeper about, his face framed In an
opening OF the foliage, as Hetty,
aroused by Thor's bound from her side.
raised her eye-lids and closed them
again with smile Of dreamy delight
upon eyes swimming in luminous tears.
II thought it was your she repeated.
in thrilling whisper, and again, and
more drowsily-"Thank God!t"
The church-bells. Ginning the half,
hour notice of evening service. went on
with the music Of her dream.
Thor, enacting, . second time, the
role Of Deus er nsachina, thought this
an suspicious moment for thrusting his
cold nose against her cheek.
With . stifed scream, she attempted
to rise. and catching her foot in the
shawl, would have fallen. had not
March rushed forward to her help. Hav-
ing taken her hands to restore her to
her balance, he continued to hold them.
She struggled to free them-but fee
bly,. Surprise and confusion had robbed
her OF strength and self-possession.
Il thought-they said-that is, Perry
saw you take the train for New York;"
she managed to articulate.
"Hetty!"-imploringly. while the
eyes she had seen In her vision, over
flowed hers with loving light-'why do
you shun me SO persistently? Are you
determined never to hear how dear yor
are to me?"