The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-01-09

his honest eyes that she could not es-
cape him.
I'VE miss you at the social gatherings,
Susie he said. land you must not let
one disappointment deprive the neigll-
borhood of your society. You have
done nothing more than any girl in tho
country would have done had the OPP
portunity been given her; and Mr.
Herman certainly displayed good
Judgment in selecting you IN prefer
ence To all others. be said, sootlIingly.
II didn't said Sas.e. decidedly.
.sWeH. nes er ni.nd that now" he
answered. Il want you to go with
me to a party ut the residence of Mr..
Nelson. next week. !"
''Oh, | cant. can'ti' cried Susie,
pitcously. Every one will be laugh
ing at me and teasing me, and cam
not bear it. f"
''No ono shall say n word to annoy
you without hearing from me then and
thcrep he said. encouragingly. at
is not To be supposed that girl like
you can get over a liking for man
like him all at once. But / would be
glad to have You 90 and convince Mr..
HERMAN that he has not broken your
heart entirely"
''My heart will never break for such
cowardly miscreant as her she an
swerc,l. Indignantly.
Come, then, and satisfy him that
YOU don't mind seeing him fiirt with
Mollie Dean any more than if it were
myself, he said, persuasively.
''Phil, have you really the courage
10 take N where every one will be ridi-
culing us both?" she asked earnestly
..Yes, and shield you from al. an
noyance while YOU are there, he an
swered. promptly.
Then I'll goi" she said, with feel
ing of greater respect for Phil Will
Jams than she had ever known before.
Mr.. HERMAN was Mt the party, and
Susie recognised him with the polite
ness due 10 a guest at the same Iiouse,
and treated him with the unaffected in
difference of an ordinary acquaintance.
which was infinitely more pleasing =
than \ decided expression of resent
ment would have been, for 1t looked TO
him as if she cared too little To be
angry.
In the course of few weeks he was
married to Mollie.
Three years passed away. and lIav-
ing acquired comfortable home in
which To place her. Phil Williams led
Susie TO the altar without the necessity
of an elnpement
MIR. and Mrs. Herman continued
to live upon the forty-acre farm given
them by Mollie's father
Susie had never visited them since
their marriage; but one morning,
shortly after settling down to house
keep u@, Phil asked Susie TO ride to
town with him and having business
with MIR. Herman, he drove round
that way.
They found Mollie out attending to
the pigs and poultry, carrying child
in her arms, aud followed by another
little one just old enough to toddle
after her.
She tried to conceal the fact that her
husband was still in bed; for, having
been to party on the previous eve
ming, from which he did not return
until four o'clock in the morning. he
was making up for his loss of sleep,
while his wife took care of the children
and attended to the farm.
There was n feeling of pity in Susie's
heart when she noted the weary and
discouraged look upon Mollie's fea-
lures, as she tried TO make satisfactory
excuses for her husbands too apparent
negligence; Tor true woman always
endeavors to conceal her husbands
faults.
After leaving the place. both were
/ silent for a few moments, then Phil
said:
'.Susie, do You envy Mollie her hand.
some husband?'
.'Oh, Phil. said Susie earnestly, 81
was just thinking"
She paused. as if unwilling to proceed.
"Of course you were, and so was -
said Phil. ''Susie, have secret that
/ have never told you"
s'Well, let me hear it, she replied.
''Not till you promise forgiveness,
/ he said, teasin9ly.
And ut last she promised.
s'It was | who first discovered youl
intention TO elope. and gave the infor-
nation that cheated you out of the
handsomest husband in the county
Susie stared at him in aston;shment.
"You promised forgiveness. remea-
ber," he said, laughing at her look oi
astonishment
mot forgiveness, but eternuI graft
/ tszde, Phil. - she said. with heart over
tlowihg with thankfulness for having
escaped the consequences of her Own
/ girlish rashness.