The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-06-29

tt&ys uelOFe ne Se8ufeI tile pflNDeEes OF
speaking to her unobserved. IN the Joy
Of having her thus before him he .fpggpt
that she had appeared TO avoid him.
Annie he said, and he went to her
side, you ain't going to leave Poskdt
again, be your
She turned negsously away and stood
in front Of the open window, where any
chance passer might plainly see her.
BE your repeated Daniel, following
"Why, no, she answered, her eyes
cast down. Il suppose not, Daniel" and
of sudden she raised her head and
looked him squarelv in the eyes. Such
a troubled, wistful expression Daniel
saw but the sweetest, fairest face in the
known world.
Annie, lie exclaimed. 81 don't know
why you come here to the winder where
everybody can see as hasn't got no bust
ness to, but / don't care. Everybody
knows that I've been co,utin' you since
we went barefooted together to the red
school house. an it'll take MORN Mis-
Candles tongue to keep me from l1issin'
you as had ought to-
Daniel was too quick for her, and he
held her head IN his arms while he
pressed his lips to her cheek, for she
turned her face away. When he let her
go she sank into chair and looked
not at her lover. Daniel Hardy was not
an analyst. He felt her resistance: he
was vaguely disturbed by it, but he
could not tell what was wrong, even if
anything was. He took chair near
Annie and began:
i've BEN loollin' for'ard to this, An
ME, ever sence you went to school three
years ago. | made up my mind then
that when you come home l would have
money enough laid by to set up house
keepin'. .
Don't, Daniel, don't, . interrupted An
ME, and she reached impulsiyely for
ward and took one of his great hands in
both Of hers. Don't let us talk of it
now, please.
"But done it, he persisted; ssthey's
money in the bank, an I've got a chance
to buy the old Ransurp place, an by a
little ixin's it'll do fust rate till we can
build new house onto it.. The siIe iist
IS good s they is In the county, n if you
liked it better, p'sume the bank would
let me have money enough to build to
oncet. Everything's ready jest 5 soon
IS you are, m it shall be jest s you want
it, m don't perpose to hurry you nei-
ther, 'scept it's long time I've ben
awaitin'."
"You are so good, Daniel, and Annie
was almost crying; "but please don't
speak Of it now; wait few days, dor
She bent her head down and kissed
the brawny, toil-worn hand she held, and
kept her face there TO conceal the tears
that ran over it.
After astrange pause, s'AlI right, said
Daniel; sail right, Annie. jist's you say"
She raised her head, dashed away the
tears and smiled, and, without knowing
exactly how or why, Daniel left the
house.
Two weeks passed, during which Dam
lei held his peace in painful wonderment,
while sundry disquieting rumors gained
currency in the village. They did not
reach Daniels ears at once, for few PEG
pie cared to intrude upon him, but it was
said by so and so that one of Armies class
mates had a handsome, wealthy brother
who had visited his sister many times
throughout the past school year, and who
had been very attentive to the Posket
beauty during the graduation festivities.
The first intimation that Daniel re-
ceived that others than himself were sen
sible of some change in his relations &c
Annie came from our friend Postmaster
Sparks. The usual concourse of villagers
was idling in the store one evening wait
ing for the stage to bring in the mail.
Daniel was there, silent and somber.
"Got a touch of malary, Danl9v asked
the postmaster; 'syou don't seem to be
lookin' S smarts usual"
'sI'm SOS to be settin' up, Mr.. Sparks
responded Daniel, evasively.
"Yaas," drawled Mr.. Sparks; s.they's
several sicknesses s don't confine man
to his bed, hay9'
AS Daniel made no reply, the kind
hearted postmaster continued:
You're a younger man thin l am,
Dan'l, but you've got more sense thin
most boys Of your age m you'd ought to
have seen that you can't spect too much
in affeers of the heart. Hay, Daniel?"
Daniel rose from the cracker barrel on
which he had been sitting.
"Alr. Sparks. he said slowly, and all
the villagers listened intently; .you be
an older man thin be, n you'd ought to
have learnt to NEEDLE with nobody's bust
ness that dent consarn yourn. Mebbe,
though, bein' postmaster, you can't help
it,"
If ever sally pleased the listeners that
one did. Sparks was notorious, even in
rustic Posket, for his persistence in learn
ing about the correspondence that passed
through his hands.
''They's no sense in gittin' excited,
Danl Hardy, he said, g n they'sno call
for you to be sassy to a mans went to
school with your father. Everybody in
Posket m fer miles around knows that
you've BEN courtin' Squire StockwelPs
daughter, the Lord knows how long. m
BEN engaged to her for goin' on three
year, n p'raps more; you've's much's ad-
mitted it yourself. An all I've got to
say is, it's long lane that amt got nc
turnin'."
Daniels heavy jaws were shut hard to-
gether, and down went his clinched ficts
S,,4<s l.. To ELL