The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-04-29
THE TEST OF LOVE.


~ hate her." cried Maysie, Eyes, dor
John laughed as the little 6st c'incDeo
until the palm was pink, and the brown
ewes flashed Gre. and ss he laughed NAY
eics anger grew.
81 hate her 80 l cant sleep at night,
sna al, because she is making fool OF
You John stratton. the-the white faced
witch" Now, that was q different mat
tor TO what be had looked on IS only q
pretty ebullition of jealousy on the part
of Msysie Bruce most gratifying to his
vanity. but to be told that another woman
was simply making fool OF him was
burtful to that same vanity, and 1t was
now his turn to feel the blood rush to his
sunburnt check. 81
Miss Lawrence is refined ana col,
tured woman whose society ENJOY, anu
who Is good enough to seem to ENJOY
mine,' was his stiff reply to poor Mays'e'
who felt singularly rustic and ignorant a.
he said it and fell to stirring up the snow
with her pretty foot A moment oeiofe
she had been so pleased to meet John,
for il had been a long week since he had
come to see her, and she had heard from
20 busy tongues like so many pin pricks
of his visits to the big white house on the
hill. where the beautiful Miss Lawrence,
the belle of Youngstown, was staying with
Mrs. Ross, the judges wife. But Maysie
was loyal and put aside the pain in her
heart to smile at him when he had over
taken her on the way from the village,
hoping to vile him back to his allegiance
by the winsome ways that had bound him
before.
She had been gay enough little CO.
ouette until now, but ell the joyous ca
nrice and fascination was gone with the
coming of this sorrowful conviction that
John was growing away from her. At
his sharp words now the tears rose to her
ewes, and she grew intent on her task OF
stirring up the powdery snow, but John
paid no attention to the small, we'll booted
foot which he had praised IN happier
times. nor what was worse, to the tears
but turned back pettishly with short
goodby, leaving Maysie to go on her way
home alone, while he walked hastily up
the hill to where his enchantress waited
in the warm scented drawing room, beside
glowing fire of Goals, and who welcomed
the stalwart young fellow with languid
smile that yet had in it something OF ap'
probation of his handsome face and we'll
knit figure.
Miss Lawrence had grown blase in the
several years between her and her school
days, and had struck most of the chords
in mems hearts. but even her jaded fancy
was taken by John Stratton's admirlng
blue ewes and his gentle Difference to her
as creature too fair and dainty for every
day life, and she exerted herself with an
anxiety that surprised her more than any
one else to keep him by her side. She
had heard of Maysie, and with all the
cruelty that turks in the feminine breast
had found new zest in the affair in conse-
4uence.
While John sat and talked and admired
IN that warm parlor beside Miss Lawrence,
poor Maysie walked slowly home finding
the world u sad, sad place, and feeling
for the first time in her short, bright life
that death was not terrible thing after
all. With q pathetic honesty she &C.
knowledgcd that the woman that had
stolen her lover was very fair and did not
doubt her many charms to hold him by
her side, and as she thought of the pale
golden locks of that rival and the violet
eyes, she felt that she hated her own
soft, brown hair and her eyes, that John
had once said were like woodland pools.
AS she choked up ut this remembrance a
voice hailed her: "Why, Maysie, going
to walk right over fellow1 On your
way home? Well | think had better
20 with you or you will be getting lost
if you are so oblivious of a s-footer like
me-"
Maysie started guiltily with q cry.
The speaker was Trueman Ellis, who
worshiped her ever since her babyhood,
through tyranny and encouragement on
the part of his ladylove. She had ac-
cepted his devotion as she had other of
the good things of life, without thought
of what it cost, and to-day, with petu-
lancy foreign to her sweet nature, she
tore her arm from the one IN which he
had placed it and cried:
''Oh, how you startled me! No,
don't want company, thank you" Then
as she saw his face fall her tender heart
prompted her to add: III am not very
well, think, and would be poor com
pany for you, Trueman. Gocdby." The
young man stood still in the path where
she left him, his own heart sore for the
little creature who had been SO bright and
gay, for he, too, had seen how often John
Stratton had gone to the judges Of late
and lie knew why poor Navsie was 'no'
very we'll, and would be poor company
for the first time in her life. But what
could he do7 So with sigh he stood
and watched the little figure IN the brown
c1oak walk YEARLY on To the old farm