The herald., 1894-03-20
plucled up courage and knocked at the

QUOl.
don't mind telling you that while I
was waiting for somebody to come l felt
kind Of weak about the knees, and when
the door opened and there stood Mollie
holding the lamp up high and looking
out into the darkness, with her cheeks as
pretty as a peach, we'll, then was clean
gone.
managed to stammer out the speech
I'd made about being out walking and
being tired, and might rest and have a
drink Of water? Goodness knows need
ed both, for was that shaky was fit to
drop.
Mollie told me to walk in and called
her grandfather. told him who l was
Sam Thorpe, engineer on AZ, the best
engine on the road, too, strand he made
me welcome and treated me hearty.
"This is my wife," said he, "and this
is my granddaughter, Mollie," he added
as she came in carrying pitcher of cider
and some glasses, and with pretty
blush on her cheeks.
/ sat down and had real pleasant
evening, and it wasn't the last spent
there either, for in course of time when
ever spent the night in Chewboro,
which was every other night, you re-
member, spent the evening with Mol
lie.
One evening got talking about names,
and says I:
"Your names queer one-Stackpole.
I never met with it before except when
l was a boy. Down in Maine where
/ lived there were two boys who had
been left on the poorhouse steps one
night, and who were brought up there.
Tom and Bije their names were, re-
member, and we boys used to call them
'haystacks' for fun"
Mollie had given little cry of sympa-
thy for the orphans, l supposed, but
ceased abruptly as her grandfather
glanced at her severely. He was stern
man and disliked all display of soft
heartedness.
The name isn't uncommon in some
parts" said he, and that was all. Do
YOU know. after that the old man would
hardly speak to me and gave me to un-
derstand by his manner that wasn't as
welcome as / used to be. 1t made me
mad. So at last / says TO Mollie:
II tell you, Mollie, can't stand this.
must sec you as much as have done,
and can't do it with your grandfather
acting as if he owed me money. Now, l
don't want to do anything underhand,
and | know your honest little heart
wouldn't let you either, SO the only thing
for us to do is to get married right off,
and I'll go and ask your grandfather
now"
You see. we'd made it all up between
us some time before. but we'd agreed to
wait year, because Mollie was SO young
Mollie said YES" and off went to in
terview the old nan. l didn't expect a
very cordial reception, but I didn't ex-
pect anything nearly 80 warm as l got
was consigned to spot not fit to be
mentioned before ladies the minute 1
made my proposition, and the old gen
tleman used language that certainly
didn't belong to deacon. Then got
mad, and says L:
'Have you anything against my char
acter, Deacon Stackpole," says I, ''or my
prospects,"
mo" says he; "I've looked them up
pretty carefully when guessed what you
were hanging round here for"
"Then what is your objection?" says /.
But he wouldn't have anything to say
to me but mo, no, no." and wouldn't
listen to anything said, so off to find
Mollie crying under an apple tree, for
she'd heard our angry voices.
didn't see her the next evening but
one, for found at my boarding house a
long letter from her:
''Sam, dear, grandfather is very de-
termined, and you'd better not come
over this week.
cts all about those two little boys
you knew in Maine in the poorhouse.
You see, 1 had an Uncle Tom, who was
grandfather's Oldest son. He turned out
to be very wild and a great trial to
grandfather, and he nearly broke grand
fathers heart After awhile he married
an actress, and they went away and new
er were heard of for years.
Grandfather is an awfully proud
man, and he was mortified to death at
the way Uncle Tom had acted. He had
been expelled from the church, and that
was great blow, and finally, when he
brought home his wife, that was the fin
ishing touch.
'She was black haired, and she red
dened her cheeks, and she was rather
handsome, but loud talking and not like
grandmothcr.
Grandmother tried to bear with her,
but one day she was impudent. and I'm
Gle Tom stood up for her against his
mother, and grandfather got angry and
turned them both out of doors.
''In three or four years a letter came
to grandmother from Uncle Tom, writ
ten from Maine, saying that his wife had
died, and that he was very i'll himself
and didn't expect to live long, and that
he had two little boys whom he had
called Tom and Abiiah, after himself
and grandfather, and that they'd have
to go to the poorhouse if something
wasn't done for them soon, and would
grandmother tell grandfather how mat
ters stood and how Uncle Tom repented
of what he had done.
Grandmother actually didn't dare to
tell grandfather, though her heart ached
for her boy, SO she copied it all down and
sent it to him anonymously. He was as
angry as he could be and cursed Uncle
Toms wife for bringing the nape of