Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-03-31

M$E>AL" could he?" or
MaH NJ she?' Certain
G@ eM$si" ", when the
staid old bachelor, Jonas bingham
("thirty-tive, if he's a day.' said
the wondering "otner girls +. carried
off Mary Morton, not yet out of her
teens, right i'll the face and eyes of
many admiring bova, a, great many
people wondered, "Hov could she?"
But, after all, it was not SO very
strange; he was her first lover, and
great deal must be conceded to first
love. 1t was 80 nice to be admired
and adored. At. home she occupied
the sometimes questionable position
Of the middle one in family of three
daughters. Nobody doubted that she
was good and useful, but she was not
brilliant and fascinating like her older
sister, Amy, nor was she q pretty doll
Of a girl to be pettcl as everybody
petted her younger sister, Bess, SO
that if Mary had been in the least in-
clined to be jealous, she might have
felt herself neglected; but she was too
sweet ttemperel for that. Amy had
troops of beaux that she wound around
her finger and made her most obe1i-
cnt slavos; but Jonas bingham was
Marys first attentive escort. and his
devotion and sincerity carried her
heart by storm.
Their cour tshi y was not q very long
one. Jonas pleaded eloqrently for an
early wedding day, and Mary was
nothing loath, for life with Jonas and
for him seemed like paradise In antic-
ipation. He lived three miles away on
large farm his fathers and grand
fathers before him. His father hal
been dead several years, and his
mother, though still active and indus
always done Jonas WAS her only child,
and she favored his marrying, eX-
pressing her anxiety to give up the in
door management TO younger, abler
hands than her own.
Everybody knew the Hinrhams we're
forehanded, free from debt and with
money at interest The Mortons, on
the contrary, had always lived from
hand to mouth. Mr.. Morton $ trade
never having sufhced TO do much more
than provide home. with ample food
and clothing. besides educating the
girls a they wanted to be, with music
and painting, and all the ornamentals
which girls II countrr villages sigh
after. The Nortons' home, though
small. was really elegant, with all the
knich knacks with which fades of
leisure and tasie contrive to surround
themselves. Ii things were not e1,
penslve and luxuriant. they were taste
ful and comfortable, and that Is some
times better yet
1t is safe to say. that Mary never
dreamed OF the change It would be for
her 10 go from her snug, pretty honl.
into that great, ba-e farm house-zike
changing from soft. musical poetry to
plain, dry prose. She knew, of course,
that John mother could have no time
for fancy wora, besides making the
butter and cheese and doing the other
necessary things; but she did not
dream that Mrs Hinghan would con-
| slider il downright sinful and waste
! .: precious time - do up su:ed pi.-
.ov-shams Q, paint beer Jugs IL faded
| pink or blue. There was wilderness
j OF rooms II the house. most o: then,
kept shut Hp ths year round. except
when opened Tor cleaning, all o. them
with bare, yellow painted fioo-s. spot
less and shining, except the pario1.
which had a ray CARPET male by Mrs.
| bingham twenty yeazs before. Sum
mer AID winter the family had always