Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-03

'right-would have left him plenty of time for getting ready to be married at II o'clock. But, as luck would have it, on that particular morning there was regular series of disasters.
 First of all, the mail man from whom Robert took his bags was late, owing to the fact of his horse having fallen lame on the road. Then there turned out to be an unusually large de- livery of letters, and what, with one thing an another, poor Robert had a regular scramble for it.
 "We were all beginnin to feel bit uncomfortable when in he came. He had been in an awful state of worry, knowin Ann Elizabeth would be waitin for him, but when at last he got there 'all right an saw her sit lookin so nice his spirits rose, I suppose, an he began to laugh as gay as you please.
 II could see in a minute Ann Eliza beth didn't like that. She had been feel in uneasy, though she tired not to show it, an sho couldn't bear to see him come in laughin, as if it was of no con- sequence.
 "'You are late, Robert!' she says quite stifflike.
 "'You may be thankful am here at all!' says he, still laughin.
 "NOw of course the poor chap never thought of anything but joke when he said that, but Ann Elizabeth drew her self up like queen and gave him such a look.
 Indeed r says she, and I'm sure her voice made me regular shiver. If that ic Mr Sc mine So far from bein thankful that you are here, it is a matter of perfect indifference to me, an I will now wish you very good mornin.
 "An would you believe it, miss, be- fore we could any of us recover from our astonishment or realize what she meant, she was out of the house? She stepped into tho conveyance which had been waitin to take 'em to church an told the man to drive her straight back to the house she left but short time previously.
 "'I'm not goin to be married,' she said to the old ladies quite composedly. T have altered my mind. I will just go an change my dress an then get to work" an within an hour an a half of her havin the house she was back again busy washin up dishes.
 "YOu may well stare, miss, but it's all as true as gospel. I can't begin to tell you what a commotion there was an what a talk it made. Ann Elizabeth flatly refused to see Robert an wouldn't even read the letters he wrote to her. She wouldn't admit there was any ex- cuse for him an stood on her dignity to such an extent that folks got tired of tryin to talk to her, an Robsrt-as was only natural-got his temper up an vowed he would be 8 laughin stock no longer.
 "There was the nice little house, ev- erything ready an waitin for a mistress, an Robert vowed he d be married. When a man really makes up his mind, he can generally get somebody to have him, an so it proved ill this case.
 "There was girl Twin in the village named Mary Goodacre. She wasn't at all bad sort, an I'd heard it said be- fore that she had a sneakin affection for Robert. I'm not goin to say she ever put herself in his way, or anything of that sort, for of course she as well as everybody else thought that he an Ann
 
 of it.
 "Mary must have liked him, how ever or she wouldn't have been so ready to pick up Ann Elizabeth's leavin's, as the sayin is, for in rather more than a month from the date of the weddin day that should have been Robert was really married to Mary Goodacre.
 "What Ann Elizabeth thought about it m not goin to tell you, for the very good reason that I don't know. She never opened her lips on the subject to soul, an she wasn't one of the sort folks could laugh and joke with. She seemed to pick up the threads of her old life just where she had dropped them, an glad enough the old ladies were to have her back, though the kind creatures were grieved about the misun- l derStandin an had done their best to heal the breach.
 "Neither can tell you whether Rob ert an Mary were happy together. was only an outsider an knew nothin of the | inner Workin of the minds of them. can only tell you the facts as all the world knew of them. Of thoughts an | feelin's I cannot speak. "Now, Mary had Twin near her a very particular friend, named Ellen COunter-bcen used to visit her a good deal, an no doubt Robert grew to share his wife's hkin for her. ''Time went on, an a little sick1y child was born to Robert an Mary. Motherlike, Mary chung to the child the more paSsionate1y for its more than usu- ally helpless dependence, an when her own health showed unmistakable signs of failin an it began to be thought she was not long for this world the thought of her child was the thing that troubled her night an day.
 "'The child shall be cared for, Mary, said Robert. Be easy, lass! Do you think I would ever let him be ill treat. l ed?'
 "'Men don't always know,' sighed poor Mary. You'll marry again, Rob ert; you'll be sure to do!'
 Robert did not speak. don't know whether the thought of Ann Elizabetl crossed his mind, but have often fan cied Mary must have imagined it did.
 "Poor soul, she was only human al may have thought that Ann Elizabetl would carry a grudge against the chilC of the woman who had been, in a sense her rival
 Robertp she said suddenly al this was told to me, miss, by the woman who was nursin poor Mary at the time an who heard it all-'wil you marry Ellen? Oh, if you will only promise t marry Ellen, shall have no care left could trust her to be good to my child.
 Robert hesitated, but it is hard t, refuse the request of the dyin.
 'swhen she said again pleadingly Will you marry Ellen?' he said fYes quietly, an Mary was at peace.
 "She did not live long after that Before she died she placed her child il Ellen's arms, an believe Ellen took i aS a solemn truSt