Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-12-26
OLE CIIR!STl||S TIVE.
BY MARX LTHG,I.

Her ampl' hall dress WIS 81 the MR..
whit. r!u-i,n, i3>jc,'c,l al tn. 3! .,..,.,"f!I
round the waist with iiuc rihnuu-ulacr
than her eyes.
"Irs. an.vered Lefty, Il want t.
dance with NUu.
The danrc at an end. Lofty tried tG
smooth icr golden curl, into order with
her little hands. AMI then. opening her
pretty blue eyes TO their lull. s;'ri:
George Poy | should Ike some
oraRg"."
"lcS. Lefty" said the young gentle
man addressed; and there's lemonade
and ncgus and such Il sponge cake"
Il Ike dancing with you better than
any one. Lefty. said tirorSc, to hi:, preit,
partacr.
do Won? Whv?" replied Lefty. her
voice rather obatructed by the sponge
cake.
Il think it is because like vou-vou
are 50 pretty. replied the Young gallant
"ion mustn't aly that, or mamma Will
one who tells mc1 am pretty" SAID the
young lady.
Bot the words had been snokcn. and
from that ni"ht until the end OF the
Christmas holidays, George and Lefty
sad they were swecticarts.
ii.
Some four or five wears had passed end
Lefty Green and her mamma wer,
sitting together under the vcranda of
their pretty cottage, working. ard talk
ing OF pleasant day they had spent at
MIR. Poynters. when Master George came,
he said. to bid them good-hy. as he was
returning TO school on the following
morning
"And want TO ask You favor. Mrs
Green, and Lefty Il favor" s2id George.
colering slightly.
Mrs. Green would grant il. of course
and 50 would Lefty, if she could.
IL want Lefty Ia ride l,ifus. my pony,
whilst am at school. Papa has no use
for it, and it carries lady beautifully"
"But toacccpt this proposal would give
SO much trouble"
Not in the least, Tom-that's our
groem-says it won't. ana papa says it
won't. and ! cay the same: so please s1v
you'll Use the pony. Straps. the harness
m4l4er, will lend a side saddle"
Mrs. Green accepted Georges offer, as
Lefty WAS rather fragile, and pony
riding had been declared to be good for
her: but Mrs. Green's income would not
allow of the expense, she said. There
were people who called Mrs. Green a
mean wc.ian, and limited that she loved
money better than her child.
George Poynter went to school very
CHEEKY. because he had made such a cap
ital arrangement about his pony, and he
often thought. when the weather was
fine, of Rufus. and wondered if Lefty
were riding him. George had not for
gotten, perhaps, that ycars-years ago
he and Lefty had called themselves
sweethearts.
More years had passed, and brought
their changes. George and Lefty were
alone together in small book room in
Mrs. Green's house. the windows OPEN
ing to the garden. George was attired
in deep mourning. and there were strips
of black ribbon here and there on Letty's
white dress. They had been talking of
death and sorrow until both had become
silent. After time Lefty took Georges
hand. and said:
Dear George, you must strive to
meet your great aflliction with brave
spirit-indced YOU must"
81 have-l do strive" replied George,
looking away from Lefty; but remem-
Der what has come to me. Two years
ago my father died. A year before that
villain, jackson, ruined my father
broke his heart-killed him. o Lefty!
what have done to deserve this? What
can dO?"
"Trust still to the father of the father
less" replied Lefty. I'VE do not know
why great Affections are permitted to
overtake us any more than we can tell
why great good comes to us when we
least expect or deserve it, dear George.
You are young. clever, good and have
many friends. and one-who is more
than q friend"
She raised Georges hand to her lins
when she had said this they were true
Sweethearts now. and he-what could
he do but press her to his bosom, and
kiss her check burning with bushes?
Mrs. Green had been walking in the
garden. evidently busy with her thoughts.
She had stopped near the book room
window, near enough to hear what the
sweethearts were saying to each other,
and she appeared to be made more
thoughtful by what she heard.
When Mr.. POINTER was thriving mer-
chant Mrs. Green had been more than a
consenting party to her daughters ac-
ceptance of George Poynter's attentions
indeed, she had by several indirect
means encouraged the young people to
think lovingly of each other. But now
AA1AeeSio "Nit StcI.7c,
as he was generally called, had neither
houses nor lands, nor had he ships gone
to a far countrie," and Mrs. Green was
perplexed how TO act. She knew that
Lefty loved her first sweetheart, and
would perhaps love him more now that
he was poor.
Mrs. Green was relieved from her per-
plexity more agreeably than she de
served to have been. as George POINTER
called the next day. bringing with him a
letter from his uncle. rich old. Silas
Cheeseman, promising to provide for his
only sisters only son, and limiting that
George might by good conduct look to be
heir TO all his thrifty savings.
Silas was bachelor. having been
blighted in his youth. He then took to
loving money, and had been a most sue
cessful wooer. as those clever people
who know everybOdy's business but
their own declared old Silas Cheese
man to be worth his hundred thousand
pounds-"more or less
Uncle Silas had also procured situa-
ton for George in the ncighboring town
of st. GnatS-incrclv a probationary sit