Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-05-19

& ~ hill The night was
long remembered in the neighbor-
hood. A heavy snow had fallen the
previous day, succeeded by rain which
a sudden north wind had frozen to a
slippery crust. The moon, one night
on the wane, was half hour above the
eastern mountain, silvering the long
stretch of snow, and turning the ice on
the trees into diamonds. Blake stopped
a moment on the summit of the hill,
to admire the spectral beauty of the
night, and to cast an awed glance down
to the hideous gully into which the
steep and jagged side of the hill fell.
The place was upon the farm of young
I Rodney Blackman, and ever since the
accident death or murder of the elder
Blackman there many years before, it
had been regarded with aversion Oeld
horror by the country folk.
1t may be that Blake stopped, too,
more firmly to set his courage for his
errand. He was a prosperous young
mechanic in Templeton, the village
whose lights twinkled in the valley to
his left, and was going to learn Mary
Graham's final answer to his declara-
tions of love. Beset by the customary
obstacles, the principal being elusive
ness or coquetry on Mary's part, he
had wooed her for two years. He was
now determined to have the question
settled that night.
Mary's father was a well-to-do far
mer. Mary herself was vigorous
country girl, who might well have been
an ideal of rural beauty, and who set
upon herself an estimate by no means
too low. She was not backward in
making known the standard by which
the successful wooer must measure.
Whether James Blake so measured was
a much discussed question in the To-
cality. 1t was admitted that he Vas
an ideal of muscular and honest man
hood, and if his means did not quite
equal Mary's prophesied dowry, he
had capital of vigor and determine
tion well worth taking into consider
alton. II
Another of the obstacles had bee|
set up by Farmer Graham. He declared
that, having no son of his own, the
man who won Mary must come and
live on the farm and learn to care fdr
it after he was gone. To many this
would have been-snd, indeed, was
more of an inducement than an obsti
stacle, but Blake was interested and
successful in his business enterprises, s,
and he stoutly asserted that the woman
he married must leave all for him. 1t
was to adjust this difference, as well as
to get final answer from Mary, that
ne knocked that bitter January night
at the front door of the Graham farm
house, and was hidden "Come in ~
Mary sat knitting by the wood fire in
hhe capacious chimney place, and seldom
have hearth flames frightened pref
tier domestic picture. James put his |
hat on the table, pulled a chair over
near her. and, after few prelimina-
ries, began to state the purpose OF his
call
"Mary, do you know how long I've
been coming to see you now"
'It must be-" she replied, pedsing
mischievously, as if she did not know
the exact time to the day, "a year,
anyhow, isn't it?'
at was two years ago yesterday
els it, indeed?" she said, In caPtlous
astonishment ST wouldn't have
thought it. ."
'Mary," he said, in mild censure,
sI'm serious tonight, and I'd like you
TO be, too. think you remember as
wellas do that it's two years since the
first night I brought you home from
the protfacted meeting in Tempieton.
I have told you often that love you
and want you for my wife, but you
have been pleased to turn away the
mbiect, and l see you are disposed to
hold me off tonight. I want to tell
Won that l came to get yes or no.
He paused, and she looked up IN real
at the decisive tore marking
the last statement
eyes, I'm in dead earnest tonight
no continued. 'sWhat is your arswer% !