Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-10-17

kNFS' sse,s of sr'ias's: ass b n! y
taken charge of the place when my
father died, received me cordially Al
the spacious, old-fashioned farmhouse
Ralph" he said, as we smoked OF
the wide porch after supper, you vii
have companion during your visit.
"a companion! " ho:"
"Grace Northbrook "
Grace" l cried, in aston;shment
Eyes, she will come tomorrow a
the same time you came today" he
replied, rising. '1'm going 20 the
barn now. / hope you and she viii
find it agreeable to renew your old &C,
quaintance.
''Grace coming here" said t. my.
self after he had gone. "What does it
mean?" Striving for an explanation
naturally fell to calling M the clrcum'
stances which caused III as,onishnent
The Northbrooks had IN the old days
owned the farm adjoining ours, and
the families had been intimate. Grace
being an only child, and L the same, 4
peculiarly close friendship sprang NJ
between lis. We were Insepar, ole play.
mates, and it easily came to be the wish
and intention of our parents, so far as
they could direct events, that we should
marry. But conditions changed. bly,
father and mother died, and L soon left
home and when 1 learned afterward
that Mr. Northbrook, moved by ambi-
tion, hal sold his farm and gone to
New York to live, my belief YVES that
Grace and I were finally separated.
Having been young when l LEFT
home, and whatever boyish liking 1
had had for little Grace North brook
being quickly ground into forgetful-
ness by business strife, the severing OF
our youthful engagement caused me
/ had taken up my residence in New
York, 1 met her again at friends
home. Our sur rise and pleasure
were mutual. Walking together that
night on the broad piazza of my
friends house, l soon found that her
temperament had frightened rather
than dimmed. In the daring way that
is so easily excused in merry people,
she lightly called up our old engage
ment. 1 met her in the same spir t.
and we i:al hearty laugh over tns
youthful declarations and promises,
but, charmed by her mature beauty,
], even then, had misgiving that,
with me. this spirit would soon settle
into seriousness. A few moments
after our promenade ended, / saw her in
company with Mr. Frederick Adlow, the
son of wealthy banker, and in the
happiness of her face, and the de-
votion Of the young man. l found the
reason for her amusement over our
childish e-making and her freedom
III speaking of it.
l met her frequently after that. and
our chief topic was this youthful at
light in jesting about it in her half
reckless, light hearted way, and seemed
to think it equally delightful to me.
But, though joined in her mirth,
the effort was greater each time, and
realized that the boyish liking I had
had for her as little girl had risen
into mans love for the beautiful,
sweet hearted, noble woman into
which she had grown. 1 saw, too,
with growing coRr,cn, that, In the Joy
OF her love fox ALLOW, she was per-
fectly innocent of even possibility of
seriousness on my part; and, wishing
more every day, as did, for a revival
of our childhood engagement, the
danger into which We were drifting
grew palmer We were setting up q
barrier of mirth, which, l feared,
would be difficult to overthrow.
At last 1 felt that could no longer
endure this jesting upon what had be-
come sacred TO me, and, shrinking
from the possibility of her anuse,, sur
prise at revelation of my love, / de-
termined to go away. This determi-
nation was fixed one evening when
Grace came to nc with the announce
ment that she had been authorized to
invite me TO accompany party to
spend two weeks It Long Branch. She
mentioned the names, concluding with
Adlow's. The prospect of seeing their
JOY day after day at the beach, showed
me that it would be far from pleasure
trip to me, and that l must decline.
did SO, assigning business reasons. She
looked at me oddly, half wonderingly;
and she was so lovely in her party
dress. that l would have thrown our
testing aside and told her my love
there IN the quiet corner behind the
people who were Watching the danc-
ers, had not Mr.. Adlow came mp and
claimed her for the waltz She left me
with merry glance over her shoulder
and joking entreaty for her 'Iittle
lover" to change his mind.
Not many days after made an excuse
that took me from New York, and I
went as I have stated, to visit my old
home.
"And now," said to myself while
sitting alone on the farm porch, "she
- coming here? What has changed
her plansa The party was to be at
Long Bra,.ch by this time. cannot
it"
The ne,t day was rainy, and I speni.
1t roasnin< over the old house to solve
the puzzle of Grace's coming. OF
course, she could not know that I was
there, because had kept my destina-
ton a secret, and because had she
known it. she would not have come.
felt that could not long renxin with
her among those pleasant scenes of our
childhood without telling my love, and
the relations which she aud Adlow sus-
t.;.es, toward each other forbade such
h Gecisra.ion.
In the old farmhouse ,ras q rooin
vhich had irresistibly attracted ne a.
) boI. Il w0 -A1a1g. ps1fow CON: