Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-01-13

and uId not once awake TIL tie
warm morning sun had bathed the
room in flood Of golden glory.
Then, when he arose in the morn
ing, how pleasant it was to have
clear, pure rainwater, just caught
as it fell from the clouds, instead Of
Croton; a coarse towel that made
his face glow when he used it, and
above all tract of country, rustling
forests, blue sky and golden patches
Of sunlight to look out upon in
stead of the gables of tumbledown
houses or the everlasting fronts Of
the gay shops, the paved sidewalks
and the never ceasing rumble Of
innumerable carts, carriages and
cars.
After breakfast he went out to
walk about the farm and came in to
dinner as hungry as bear. He re-
peated the experiment in the after
noon and came into supper ditto.
Sarah had been occupied in her own
room nearly all day and had not
come to dinner, but when supper
time came she was down in the kitch-
en-, precisely as she had been the
evening previous, except that instead
of having her sleeves rolled up to her
elbows they were unbuttoned at the
wrist.
The bachelor spent an hour or more
admiring her as she sat after supper
knitting socks for her father, the
glittering needles glancing in and out
in the freight and her long, shape
ly fingers looking like beautifully
nodded wax tapers.
She did not speak much: it was i'm
possible to tell why. There was no
difidence about her, and Mr.. Mans
field was forced to the conclusion
that she didn't think him of suffi-
cient Importance to bestOw thought
or word upon him. The reflection
was not a pleasant one.
A 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 at length
observed it,
One morning he rose a couple of
hours earlier than usual, and animat-
ed with the praiseworthy determine
ton of hunting up such an appetite
that he would no longer be obliged
to mortify Mrs. Ford by continual
"Not anything more thank-you's, j
when he had not eaten enough to
keep a sparrow alive" as the good
woman said, he went out for morn
inc walk. In returning he met Sarah
coming from milking, "can of strip
pings" carried in her right hand.
Good morning." said Sarah.
Good morning. Will you not al
low me to assist you2"
"Oh, no. Thank you"
II am afraid you are taking toe
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 q young 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 mer-
rily.
She entered, leaving him standing
there, thinking to himself that the
voices of all the nightingales whose
tongues had been stolen by the an
clients had come to her for consola-
ton, and mingling together produced
the clearest and sweetest one he had
ever listened to- There he stood for
nearly five minutes in very earnest
thought, not only about the nightin-
gale voices, but something else. Fin
ishing up by an emphatic ''I'll do it, "
he entered the house, and for the
first time in week ate a breakfast
that almost astonished Mrs. Ford
The very first good opportunity
that offered he 'did it" and asked
Sarah to marry him.
1t was hard to tell whether she was
surprised, but certainly she was not
at all overcome and showed no evi-
dence 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
rill he finished, and then, raising her
glorious purplish blue eyes to his, she
looked at him for some seconds and
burst into pleasant, musical laugh.
"A pretty wife | would make for
you, "shesaidthen, and turning away,
before he could utter single word,
she passed from the room, and he
heard her singing "Old Hundred"
five minutes later, as she went about
her work up stairs.
by Jove! ] love her; there's no
use in trying to hide it, and the cap