The Portland daily press., 1892-12-10

yer? Wull, she's SOI TWO gals DIS purG
as their NAV. Reckon one on 'em God
suit yer" &
Chris looked up, caught Nancy's eye
and frowned slightly. His own feeling
responded to the look in her face. What
to real stranger might have been anus
ing Jared upon him.
After supper they sat around the ire
talking of old times. Chris learned with
strange feeling of being under spell
chat all the boys he remembered of his
own age were either dead or had be-
come gransfathers, yet he had not
thought of growing old. Pretty soon
Uncle Billy rose and said:
81 reckon me an my wife'll go ter
bed. Nancy'll keep yer company" and
he retired to the room beyond.
Chris sat looking into the fire. Nancy
drew a chair near him. He was scarcely
aware of her presence, his thoughts be-
ing far away. At last she spoke:
81 have waited long fur yer, Chris"
He started.
''Did you believe I would Gomez he
asked.
h eyes"
Vividly he recalled the moment when,
a boy, he had hidden goodby to rosy
checked girl. "Will you wait for me.
NancyT' he had said. s'Fll come back
and marry you some day" Idle words,
containing more of feeling than resolve.
He had long forgotten, till the freight
reflected upon her face flashed into a
dark corner of his brain, and it had all
come back to him. He could say moth.
ing, and she began to tell him of the
long, weary years she had waited. She
had no misgivings; among her own peo-
pie she was accounted a simple creature.
She knew nothing of the gulf separating
her from her old sweetheart. He had
not married, and he had come back as he
said he would; that was enough for her.
He listened, panied but fascinated.
Her speech, uncouth as it was, still had
something of dignity in its old English
form. He had not the heart to wound
her with the truth. Most men would
have thought such cruelty the truest
kindness; finer sense restrained him.
Perhaps experience had taught him that
a forlorn hope may be dearer than at
tainment. He realized that an illusion
which has been growing up in a woman's
heart for twenty years cannot be shat
tered at blow without crushing the
woman.
s'Poor child" he said tenderly; she
had been telling him of her loneliness.
''But you're here now, Chris" She
drew nearer him and laid her cheek
against his arm with simple, childlike
confidence. He started slightly. It
seemed wrong to touch her, and yet if
he put her away from him he would
have to tell her why.
'sThis is an evening out of the old
time, Nancy. You and are girl and
boy again, do you understands he said
putting his arm about her waist.
eyes," she said, with a happy little
laugh.
Soon he disengaged himself and arose,
saying that he was tired and would like
to go to bed. She went with him to his
room, and before leaving him lifted he'
lips for kiss. Again he hesitated, and
stopping kissed her forehead. He went
to bed, but not to sleep. The sense of
the irreparable wrong he had done this
girl burned into his heart, tender with
it's own pain. Wild thoughts of self i'm
notation occurred to him, only to be
checked by the conviction of its hope
lessness. She would not be less lonely
with him. They were utter strangers,
for how little of the boy she had loved
was left in the man, and how lost she
would be in the world where he livedi
He rose early, and, going into the
kitchen, found Mrs. Grimes dressing
chicken for breakfast. The old woman
gave him a knowing look and remarked
with chuckle:
"Nancy's ben a-waitin fur yer
mighty while, an here yer air shur nuf."
ibid she tell you so?"
"No; / knowed hit 'thout her tellin
me. She amt like other folks, Nancy
amt; she's sort O. fool body"
81 do not think 500
eyer don't?"
"She doesn't seem strong. I'm afraid
she works too hard"
'sUs mounting folks all hef ter work.
Manly dill SbOuus AollO SOu CiiO VII
sumption, an the doctor says she can't
live the winter out"
Chris was going to speak, but the
woman's cold, hard face checked him.
"Who is your doctorr' he said at last
"Nobody yer know; young TELLER
he amt like DIR. Grain, he amt; he's got
larnin an knows what's the matter wi
yer right off. "
"What is his namep
"Jim Banks. He lives in VAUDEVILLE"
Chris wrote down the name, and
plan began to form in his mind.
After breakfast he took his departure
AS he was starting Nancy came up from
the springhouse.
"Where air yer goin?" she asked in
some alarm.
'To Cranberry"