Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-04-03

She grew serious as he went on; turned
pale, looked anxious, and perhaps q lit
tie suspicious. This was not what she
had expected: When he suddenly
was gathered into a new strength, she
rose hurriedly, stammered out some in
coherent words, and rushed to the adj
joining room.
Richard Simperson rose too, and stood
for a moment irresolute; then he pursed
his lips, stopped down and kissed the
work she had dropped, and went on tip
behind him, and passed up the village,
tingling with hope and joy.
A few days afterward it was known In
the village that Harriet Rushton was to
be married to the shopkeeper. She had
told him simply and humbly that she
would try to make MIN good wife. She
admitted that she had been vexed at
first. She even told him, shyly, that she
had thought him 80 old and hard and
and-well, she supposed she meant not
nice. She begged his pardon for laugh
ing SO rudely; she was SO sorry when
she found he was gone, and was afraid
he was regularly offended. She had
thought it all over. and she was sure she
should be very happy If she married him.
Then Richard Simperson, like q true
Englishman, began to grumble TO him
self. He did not somehow like her way
of giving herself to him. She seemed
rather light about it. He began to WON
der perversely il the FELTON, bank and the
shop stock had anything to do with it;
indeed, he set about making himself as
miserable as any young lover could do.
I dare say Harriet was rather frivo-
lous, and at times she would go into an
excited state, which her staid lover by
no means approved of. He was pain
fully aware that most OF the old people
scorned him, and many OF the young
people pitied her. Our village opin-
ion is much against all ilI-assorted
matches, whether in respect OF age
or of position. Mr.. 6imperson ought to
have married Miss Morris, who was 50
years old, and whose brother farmed over
100 acres at Stubley Bottom. Harriet
Rushton, for all the fine airs she had
picked up in service, and her school-Eng-
lish, and all that, was only kinds
daughter, and her aunt had half-a-crown
from the parish, as every one knew. Mr..
Simperson relieved the rates of this at
ter sum, and continued to do as long as
the widow lived. He took very few peo-
pie into his confidence on this matter.
Betty Sheard openly expressed her Won
snuff at the time, and Mr.. Simperson
was looking hard into his ledger) as to
how Widda Rushton had come by her bit
o. money, which made her give up her
allowance. Some folk had all the luck.
But Betty, perhaps, had no real doubt
on the subject, and the village at large
certainly thought that the well-to-do
grocer had done no more than he ought.
Afterward, the more generous were sur
prised at his being SO free with his
money, such close man, too, as he was.
All this tittle-tattle was exceedingly
painful to the object of 1t. He thought
Q good deal Of the opinion of his little
world. A very respectable man, VINO
seems to be standing fixed in his owr
strengthen character and reputation, Is
often morbidly sensitive to what Is said,
or even thought, about him. But
Richard simperson at this time was
developing q great power of unselfish-
ness. He cared wonderfully little for the
reflections that were cast upon himself.
His great love carried him on regardless
Of them. He felt much more keenly the
remarks that were made about Harriet.
He heard some; he devined many; per-
haps bs imagined more.
He cared little, indeed, for certain ILL
natured stories and hints about her
Aightiness when she was at service; he
put them aside with lofty scorn. But he
shrunk from a suggestion that she was
mercenary in marrying him. Perhaps
there was little wound to his self-love
In this after all. Perhaps he felt there
was only too much reason for the sugges-
ton.
1t came out one day. His voice lowered
and thrilled as he told me how-all un.
they were together one night, returning
from an expedition to Leeds, where his
purse had been freely open to her; how
she turned on him in the moonlight;
how she dashed down the purchases she
was carrying; how he read truth In every