The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-10-24
ceasing rumble of innumerable carts,

about the farm and came i'm To Dime
as hungry rs a bear. He repeated tn
experiment i'm the afternoon and cam
into supper ditto.
Sarah had been occupied i'm her room
nearly all day and had not come t.
dinner, but when supper time cam
she was down in the kitchen, precisel,
as she had been the evening previous
except that instead of having he
sleeves rolled up to her elbows the,
were unbuttoned at the wrist.
The bachelor spent an hour or NOR,
admiring her as she sat after suppel
knitting socks for her father, the glitter
ing needles glancing in and out i'm the
freight and her long shapely fingers
looking like beautiful nodded wax
tapers.
She did not speak much it was i'm
possible to tell why. There was no
diffidence about her, and Mr.. Mans
field was forced to the conclusion that
she didn't think him of sufficient i'm
portance to bestow II thought or word
upon him. The reflection was not a
pleasant one.
y couple of weeks passed in much
the same manner, his acquaintance
with Sarah progressing very slowly his
appetite variable, and fidgety way of
moving about and looking out of the
window that surprised himself very
much when he ut length observed it.
One morning he arose a couple of
hours earlier than usual, and animated
with the praiseworthy determination
of hunting up such an appetite that he
would no longer be Obliged to mortify
Mrs. Ford Dy continual ''Not-anything-
more thank-you," when he had not
eaten enough to keep Il sparrow alive"
n the good woman said, he went out
for Il morning walk. In returning he
met Sarah coming from milking, a
''can of strippings" carried in her right
hand.
Good morning." said Sarah.
"God morning. Will you not allow
me to assist your
''Oh, no. Thank you"
81 am afraid you are taking too much
upon yourself. You will make your
hand ache. Do let me carry it."
She allowed him TO take the pail,
and then walked on erect and straight
as IA poung poplar before him.
When they reached the door, she
took it from him, and seeing the broad
red mark upon his hand, made by the
pail handle, she laughed merrily.
She entered, leaving him standing
there, thinking to himself that the
voices of all the nightingale whose
tongues had been stolen by the ancients
had come To her for consolation, and
mingling together produced the clear
est and sweetest one he had ever listen
ed to. There he stood for nearly five
u,.I., very earnest thought, not
something else. Finishing up by an
emphatic "I'll do it," he entered the
house, and for the first time in week
ate breakfast that almost astonished
Mrs. Ford.
The very first good opportunity that
offored he "did it'' and asked Sarah
To marry him.
1t was hard to tell whe ther she was
surprised, but certainly she was not at
all overcome and showed no evidence
of feeling herself particularly honOred.
1t was in the evening of the same
day that he had determined to ''dO it."
They were alone in the kitchen, Sarah
standing upon the hearth, her elbow
leaning on the mantel and her glowing
cheek upon her hand. She listened
attentively in grave silence till he fin
ished, and then, raising her glorious
purpleish blue eyes To his, she looked
nj him for some seconds and burst into
a pleasant, musical laugh.
"a pretty wife 1 would make for
yoI," she said then, and turning away,
before he could utter n single word, she
pissed from the room, and he heard
her singing ''Old Hundred five min
utes later, as he went about her work
up stairs.
''By JOve, love her ; there's no Use
in trying to hide it," and the captive
taken bachelor sighed drearily and
wondered what he would do next, and
he could only keep his courage up by
repeating the ''faint heart and fair lady
adage till he wore it to shreds. y
splendid opportunity occurred the next
evening for trying again.
Sarah was standing out by the gate
i'm the mellow moonlight looking up AT
the sky in way that she didn't often
do. Mr.. Mansfield had heard some
where that the moonlight was soften
er of "A woman's heart, 80 he thought
he would just prove he truth of il, but
when he came close to Sarah she dart
ed away like a frightened fawn and
hurried into the house by the back en-
trance.
He didn't see her again that night,
and 50, being unable To do anything
better, he went 10 bed and dreamed OF
| her-dreamed of her glossy black hair,
of her glowing cheeks, of her crimson
lips, of her milk white teeth, of her
snowy brow and her purpleish eyes
with their silken lashes.
She avoided him now she gave him
no opportunity to see her alone, and
ONLY remained i'm the kitchen when hel
father or mother were there. Then she
would sit knitting industriously. her
needles glancing, her lips sometimes
compressed, sometimes half apart and
her cheeks glowing her lashes BEN
down over her eyes, which she kepl
studiously averted, while her bachelor
lover sat looking at her, trying To catci
her eve that he might tell her with hi
how much he loved her, but failing in
that he had To content himself will
merely looking at her and thinkin;
what beautiful picture she made.
Thus matters went on for week. hi
tried every conceivable way ofobtain
ing private interview with her, o
finding her alone. He waylaid he
when she went out To milk in the morn
ing and when she came home from TN