Middletown transcript., 1892-06-02
done no other way if she bad it to dc

done no other way 1t she had 1t to
over again"
Was she our Joe's mother 7" ash
ed Dora quickly.
"Yes, to be sure; and when sh
died We took him to bring up an
work on the farm. Hes more tha
paid his way ; but he's a rolling ston'
like his father, and won't never com
to anything. forgot to tell you,-
he's going tomorrow"
Going tomorrow I" cried Dora
with great start. 81 thought hi
!. time wasn't ont for another month.
"Well it amt out rightly till he
twenty-one; but he was in such !,
hurry to be off that I gave him tn
last month"
Then silence fell upon them.
These two women had the sam,
father and mother; though score o
years lay between them. Prudenc,
had been born in the early married
life of her parents, when they wer.
struggling with stony New-England
farm and there was work for ever
baby hands. The lines of duty and
patience were deep-grayed in hel
rugged face, which yet beamed with 9
kindly common sense. But Dora had
come to her mother late in life, as an
old tree sometimes blossoms into love-
illness after every one has forgotten it
Her'little feet had walked in easy
paths. and Prudence yearned over her
like mother.
She sat now by the open fire, bend
ing her graceful head over some deli
cate work that Prudence woHld never
have found time for; her red dress
and the Pickering ire-light made her
a picture too lovely for that dull room.
Prudence" she said suddenly, as
this is Joe's last night, I think I'll go
down and say goodbye to him."
You might call him up here"
No; I think I will go myself"
at believe I haven't ever told you,
Dora, how much you pleased me by
giving up that childish way of going
ON with him that you used to have. It
did very we'll for you to be fond ofeach
other when you were little, but of
course, it is out of the question now"
It might have been the red dress
and the fre-light that brought such a
vivid flush to Dera's cheek as she
listened and turned away. She ran
lightly downstairs and opened the
door of the great farm-kitchen.
A young man sat by the dull fire,
looking into it as one looks into the
eyes of an enemy before the fight.-an
over-grown farmer-boy, in homemade
clothes, with nothing about him to fall
in love with, least of all for the bril-
liant little figure that stood waiting
for him to look up. He was too in-
tent on his own thoughts to notice her,
till she went swiftly across the room,
taking his head between her soft |
hands, turned his face up to hers.
Joe, bad boy. were you going away
without letting me know Z"
The hard lines of his face softened
and frightened under her gaze till one
would not have known him for the
'ame man. / thought should not
Zee you tonight" he said.
I" You know better you know
would have crept through the key
lole for one last little minute with you."
How long will you wait for me,
Dora p
"Till you come back"
If it were seven years. think how
ong it would be-"
"If you loved me as you make be-
ieve," said Dora, "you would not 60
way at all, but work here till you
ould build little house, and then
Ve would rough it together"
No, little Dora, that is not my
ind of love; my mother tried that,
nd she lived a slaves life."
Dora, Dora r. called Prudence
rom upstairs "what on earth are
on doing down there ?"
Il must go now, 1 must truly"
aid Dora, as she felt herself locked in
rms that would not give way. " If {
live without you for seven years I t
,all be a homely old maid, and you
ill not thank me for waiting for you" 9
He put her away then and looked .
her curiously, as if he had never 8
fought of her prettiness before. "Do I
,u know what your name means p" '
, asked earnestly. Il saw it in the '
aper that 'Theodora' means Gift Of G
cd = and you have been just that .
me. IF I had never seen you, q
ould never have had a notion above
days work and a nights sleep. / Il
III write whenever l have any luck, O.
ID come on New Years eve, when I e.
} come; and if you wear this red q
ess shall know you have waited &c
r me" m
E" l think / shall live to wear it NJ
1en you come home, if it is seven eI
mes seven years, Joe; for women re
9 very hard to KILL" said Dora, Oh
~ -