The sun., 1894-10-14

He pressed her hand and got II up TO his lips
Ss Ss' yS PS door d"Ts co%s dos,
Perhaps Mrs Bell will be here" And then h
But Mrs. Bell did not come in. She and Hctt,
ing house, and Mr.. BeSEard, Il, seemed, ha6
and tried 70 think. But she &c could not think
she could only love. she could use her mind
that demiSod whose heavy steps pv we're SO aUdibi,
overhead, as he walked TO and fro collecting hii
things and putting them into his bag.
And then. Just when he had finished, shc be
thought herself that he must be hungry. She
could az o bread he
scended the stairs with q Gathering noise, and
heard her voice as she spoke quickly to Kate
Mics Susan" he said, don't get anything
"Oh, MIR. Dunn, I am 30 sorry. You'll he SO
hungry on your Journey" and she came out to
"i VI shall want nothing on the Journey, dearest,
II you'll say one kind word TO me-"
Again her eyes went, 20 the ground. What
Say, God bless you, Aaron"
Cod bless yo1, Aaron" said she; and yet ,lU she
lie, however, thought otherwise, and went up TO
Nsw York with happy heart. -,-,,,
| quickly. Susan at once resolved TO tell her
mother. but she resolved also not TO tell Hetta.
That afternoon she got her mother TO herself in
Mrs Bells own room, and then she made clean
And what did you say to him, susan1"
:. said nothing, mother
ain; ,%INo, mother; not not word He told me che he
his Christian name in bidding God bless him.
| oh, dearl" said the widow.
but what do You think you yourself. my child p"
asked Mrs Bell after while. What are your
Mrs. Bell was sitting on a chair and Susan
was standing opposite to her against the post OF
| the bed. She made no answer. but moving from
| he nj hp hpr int hssp ilarfa
| arms and hid her face on her mothers shoulder
1t was easy enough to guess her feelings.
| must not think that 1t Is an engagement"
| No" said Susan. sOrrOwfully.
| Young men say those things to amuse them
selves" Wolves. she would have said, had she
spoken out her mind freely.
oh, mother, he Is not like that"
| The daughter contrived to extract promise
| from the mother that Hetta should not be told
| just at present. Mrs. Bell calculated that she
| had six weeks before her: as yet Mr.. Bockard
had not spoken ont. but there was reason to sup
pose that he would do so before those six weeks
would be over, and then she would be able to
Mr.; Bcckard spoke out at the end Of six days,
and Hctta frankly accepted him. - hope you'll
love your brother in law" said she TO Susan.
"oh. will indeed" said Susan; and in the
made up her mind to tell; but Hetta was full of
her own affairs. and thus It passed on
spend week With r s Beekards Hs I2sa pSrens go oid
Mr.; Beckard was farmer living near Utica,
and now that The nh match WA was declared and aP;
know her future Husbands family. SO she
went for a week. and Mr.. Beckard went with
to speak to him before Aaron Dunn's six weeks
are over" said Mrs. Bell to herself.
On the very morning after the departure of the
engaged couple there came letter from Aaron.
evening The railway people had ordered him
down again for some days, special work; then
to %nS he TO =. aS ID
the letter. that Mrs. Bell would not turn him
into the street even then, though the summer
might be expected
'O6 dear. oh dear!" said Mrs Bell to herself.
very day; Why had the let Mr., Beckard go
thought Mrs. Bell, he VIII say nothing about it.
to say somethingf Poor motheri She trembled
nearly as much as Susan.
1t was dark when the fatal knock came at the
door. The tea things were already laid. and
the tea cake was already baked; for II would at
any rate % be sS 70 give r Dunn his tea
her chair and took refuge up stairs. The widow
gave long sigh; and settled her dress Kate
How are the ladies ?" asked Aaron. trying to
gather something from the face and voice of the
- Miss Hetta and. Mr.. Beekard be gone off to
Utica, just man-nnd-wife like; and 50 they are,
more power to them"
"Oh. indeed; I'm very glad" said Aaron-and
on sD ne of he Ee mad h hhs TS
the parlor; doubling much. and hoping much.
Mrs. Bell rose from her chair and tried to look
Susan was not there He walked straight up TO
the widow and offered her his hand which she
took. IL might be that Susan had not thought
fit TO tell. and it would not be right for him TO
compromise her: so he said never word.
mother to allow OF her being silent when the
young man stood before her "Oh, Mr.. Dunn"
said she; what Is this you have been saying to
~ have asked her to be my wife," said he
ace Mrs. Bells heart was almost nes ia as soft m 's as
her daughters and II was, nearly gone; but at
5ss oS Ssar she had nothing to say only "oh
- - May | not call you motherS" said he, taking
%oh dcar"oh dear! But will you be good to
her oh, Aaron Dunn, II you deceive my
in another quarter of an hour Susan was
kneeing at her mothers knee, with her face on
her mother's lap; the mother was wpng tears
holding one of the widows hands.
~, - You are ny mother; too, now" said he
they came back : But he surely was not a wolf
There as, were -four or hye days left & for &Sourtship
happy, Aaron triumphant and Mrs; Bell ner-
yous. Days have said, but after all It was only
Susan got up to give Aaron his breakfast, but
Mrs; Ben got up also :, susan san, boldly declared
tion which she could urge But after that Aaron
was always absent till seven or eight in the |
evening, when he would return to his tea. Then |
came the hour or two OF lovers intercourse.
But they were very tame, those hours. |
The widow still felt an undehned fear
that she was wrong, and though her |
was happy in the sweet happiness OF
dent Not word had been said about money |
matters; not a word OF Aaron Dunn's relatives. |
SO she did not leave them by themselves, but |
waited with what patience she could for the re- |
turn of her wise oounsellors.
And then Susan hardly knew how to behave |
herself with her accepted suitOr. she felt that |
she was very happy; but perhaps she most |
happy when she was thinking about him
things for his comfort and waiting for his |
evening return, And as he sat there in the |
parlOr, she could be happy then, too. IL she were
but allowed to sit still and look at him-not
and again to his face for the shortest |
possible glance, as she had been used 10 do ever
since he came there,
But he, unconsconable lover, wanted to hear
her speak, was desrous OF being talked To, and |
perhaps thought that he should by rights be al
lowed 10 sit by her and hold her hand. No such
privileges were accorded 10 him. III they had
been alone together, walking side by side on the