The sun., 1894-10-14
HAPPY LOVE.
The Courtship OF Susan Bell and
the Wedding at Last.
ny ANTHONY TRoLLoPE.


thriven well. He had thriven well as long as
thrift and thriving on this earth had been
allowed TO him. But the Almighty had seen n,
to shorten his span.
Early in life he had married timii, anxious,
pretty, good little wife. whose whole heart and
mind had been given mp to do his bidding and
deserve his love. She had not only deserved II
but had possessed IL, and ns long John Mum
roe Bell had lived Henrietta Bell-ITetta as he
called ker-hnd been woman rich In blessings.
After twelve years Of such blessings he had left
her, ard had left with her two daughters, a sec
ond Hetta, and the heroine CT little story,
Susan Bell
Alswyer IN Albany mny thrive passing we'll
for sight or ten years, and yet not leave behind
him any very large sum OF money II he dies at
the end of that time. Some small modicum,
some few thousand dollars, John Bell had
amassed, go that his widow and daughters were
not absolutely driven to look for work or bread.
In these happy days when cash had begun TO
how in plenteously TO the young father Of the
family he had taken II into his head to build for
himself, or rather for his young female brood, q
small, neat house in theoutskirts Of Saratoga
Springs. In doing so he was instigated as much
by the excellenceo OF the investment for his pocket
rs by the salubrity of the place for his girls He
furnished the house well, and then during some
summer weeks his wife lived there, and some
times he let IL.
How the widow grieved when the lord Of her
heart and master of her mind was laid in the
grave, l need not tell. She had already counted
ten years of widowhood, and her children had
grown to be young women beside her at the
time Of which am now about to speak Since
that sad day on which they had left
Albany they had lived together at the cottage
at the Springs. In winter their life had been
lonely enough; but as soon the hot weather
began to drive the fainting citizens out from
New York, they had always received two or
three boarders-old ladies generally, and occa-
sionslly old neutrality-suspicious. of very
steady habits, with whose pockets the widows
moderate demands agreed better than the hotel
charges. And 80 the Bells lived for ten years.
That Saratoga is gay place in July. August,
and September the world knows well enough.
To girls who go there with trunks full Of
muslin, for whom . carriage and pair of
horses Is always waiting Immediately after
dinner, whose fathers pockets are bursting
with dollars, 10 is very gay place.
Dancing and firtations come as n matter Of
course. and matrimony follows after with only
too great rapidity. But the place was not very
gay for Hetta or Susan Bell.
In the first place the widow was a timid
woman, and among other fears feared greatly
that sho should be thought guilty OF setting
traps for husbands. Poor mothersi how often
are they charged with this sin when their hon
est desires 60 no further than that their BARNS
may be 'respectit ike the lave.' And then she
f,ared firtations; frtations that should he that
and nothing more, hirtations that de-
structive of the hearts sweetest essence. She
feared love also. though she longed for that
well as feared it-for her girls, I
mean; all such feelings for herself were long
laid under ground; and then, like a timid
ture as she was, she had other indefinite fears,
and among them great fear that those girls Of
hers would be left husbandless,- phase OF life
which after her twelve years of bliss she re-
garded as anything but desirable. But the up
shot was.-the upshot of so many fears and such
small means,-that Hetta and Susan Bell had
but dull life Of it.
Were 10 not that am somewhat closely re-
stricted in the number of my pages, l would
describe at full the merits and beauties of Hetta
and Susan Bell. As IL is can say but a few
words. At our period Of their lives Hetta was
merely one-and-twenty, and Susan was just
nineteen. Hetta was a short, plump, demure
young woman. with the softest smoothed HAIR,
and the brownest, brightest eyes. She
was very useful in the house, good at
corn cakes, and thought much, particu-
larly In these latter months, OF her religious
duties. Her sister in the privacy OF their own
little room would sometimes twit her with the
admiring patience with which she would listen
TO the heightened eloquence of Mr.. Phineas
Beckard was a bachelor.
Susan was not good girl In the kitchen or
about the house as was her sister; but she was
bright In the parlor, and IL that mOtherly heart
could have been made to give out its inmost
secret-which. however. IL could not have been
made TO give out in any way painful TO dear
Hetta-perhaps It might have been found
that Susan was loved with the closest love. She
was taller than her sister. and lighter; her eyes
were blue were her mothers; her hair was
brighter than Hetta's, but not always singu-
larly neat. She had dimple on her chin.
whereas Hetta had none; dlmples on her cheeks
too, when she smiled: and, oh, such a MOUTH
There; my allowance of pages permits no more.
Ono piercing cold winters day there came
knocking at the widows door-a young man. |
Winter days, when the Ice OF January is re-
frozen by the wind OF February. are very cold
At Saratoga Springs In these days there was |
not often much 10 disturb the serenity OF Mrs. |
Bells house; but on the day In question there |
came knocking at the door-a young man.
MrA Ban kept an old domestic, who had lived |
with them IN those happy Albany days.
Her name was Kate o'Brien, but though |
picturesque In name she was hardly In |
person. Shs was q thick set noisy. good |
nAtursd old Irish woman, who had Joined her |
lot 30 that Of Mrs. Bell when the latter first |
began housekeeping. and knowing when she |
was we'll on, had remained In the same place |
from that day forth She had known Hetta as |
= baby. and. 90 10 say, had seen susan's birth.
"And what might you be wanting, cir - said |
kaIs o'Brien. apparently not quite pleased as |
abe opened tho door and let in all the cold air
ia~I wish TO SEQ MIRA Bell Is not this Mrs. |
Bells house 2" said the young man, shaking the |
hnow from out OF the breast of his coat
He did see Mrs Bell. and we viii now
tall who hs was. and why he had come.
and how 10 came 10 pass that his carpet
bag was brought down 10 the widows |
house and ons OF the front bedrooms was pre-
pared for him. and thAs he drank tea that night |
In the widows parlor.
His name was Aaron Dunn. and by profession |
he Yves an engineer. What peculiar misfortune
IN those days OF frost and snow had befAllen the |
line Of rails which runs from Schenectady TO
Lake ChamplAin, I nSver quite understood.
Banks and bridges had In some way come TO
grisG and on Aaron Dunn's shoulders was