The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-07-17
A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT.

A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT.
When 1 first started in life it was
as salesman in the very small estab-
lishment of Mr.. Brusle, stationer. It
was not very remuneratlve sltua-
ton, but old Mr.. Brusle was kind
old man, Mrs. Brusle a nice, talka'
tive old lady, and Dolly Brusle often
came into the store on busy days and
stood behind the connter beside me,
and Just for this last reason I would
not have taken double wages with
Mr.. Throgmorton, the only other sta
toner of the town.
Dear little Dolly! she had brown
eyes and a dinple in her chin, and
sang like a prima donna. She had
lessons from a German Fraulein and
from an Italian Signor, and the old
man quite forgot Throgmorton and
his gilt window when he sat with his
handkerchief over his head of an
evening and listened to her. The pi,
ano was old and tinkling, but none
of us ever thought Of that. Old Mr..
Brusle and my father had been friends,
and was not clerk only, but a priv
ileged friend as well, and all the ex,
cuse I needed for coming every night
was given in the words, II want to
hear the singing" Well, any one
might have wanted to hear it, for that
matter-not merely boy who was in
love.
Things went on in this way fo1
three years, when one afternoon old
Mr.. Brusle, shutting the drawer of his
desk with bang, said: ;,
It's no use, Tom, I may as well
give in. Throgmorton has beaten
me. I'm not making cent, and !
shall break up. The old woman and
can manage on what I nave, with
only one child, and I can rest and
stop fdgeting. I suppose Dolly can
teach little, too. There's no other
music teacher in Hamilton. But the
old shop isamockery, and I've known
it good while"
So that was the end of Arcadia. The
stock and fixtures were sold out.
Throgmorton bought the stock, and
the shop was altered into a parlor; and
I wrote to my uncle in New York
who had promised to take me into his
business if I wished it, and he tele-
graphed, Come next week" And
then one day I asked Dolly to walk
down into meadows and see if the
blackberries were ripe. Before we
la, 10 q az y>1o
under great maple and put my arm
about her waist, and said:
Dolly, you know just how | feel
toward you, don't you2"
She nestled up to me little closer,
and / took both her plump brown
hands in mine.
evil. you wait for me little while
Dolly2 Will you think that am do
ing my best all the time to bring the
day nearer when I can ask your faith
er to give you to me?"
She said nothing for a while, and
in the pause I heard bird sing
whole song through, Then came her
voice:
eyes, Tom, I'll wait"
And we picked the blackberries
and went home again through the
meadows.
'sWe'll not speak of it yet, Tom, ,
said Dolly. "At home I mean; they
think me such a child yet. I don't
want to break the charm. In time
they'll guess that I'm woman; and
they like you, Tom"
For while I was bewildered in
the city, then very busy, then flushed
with the prospect of being rapidly
advanced and of being able to ask
Dolly to be my wife sooner than
expected. wrote her joyous letters
She wrote pleasant ones back to me
We did not make them open love let
ters, but both understood the love a
the bottom of them. And so the
months gided by. For six I had nc
holiday. Then a grudgingly given
week was given me, and l hurrlec
down to Hamilton. visited my ole
friends, and had a glorious time. Dol
" was iovelier than ever. She walked
over to the depot with me when I left
leaning on my arm. The train mac
not come in yet-the onefor New York
but the other had set dowr
some passengers from the city. One
stout gentleman of 35, dressed ir
fine style, having given his portman
teau to a porter, advanced to Dolly.
"How do you do, Miss Brusle:>
said he.
She held out her hand shyly.
Glow do you do Mr.. Holly? Tom
this is Mr. Holly. Mr.. Holly, Mr.
Hearn."
He bowed; so did I. But the fel
low had such an air with him that
hated him. How did she know him
I had never seen him before.
''Who is he:" asked I, in a whisper,
as the porter called Mr.. Holly bach
for directions.
"He has something to do with the
opera, think, said Dolly.
Then came the shrek of the whis
tie.
''Au aboard" yelled voice.
"Good-by, Tom, said Dolly.
"Good-by," said l, and hurried
away.
I thrust my head out of the win
dow. Dolly was walking away OF
Mr.. Holly's arm.
made fool of myself next day
wrote Dolly an indignant letter
She wrote me a spirited answer.
demanded an explanation as to how
she came to know Holly, in the next
and before any answer came to thu
old Mrs. Brusle walked into our place
with her shopping bag in her hane
one morning.
II want youto take ,2e to some
nice store, Tom" she said, If yol
can spare an hour or so. I'm going
to buy silk dress for Dolly, and sh'
told me to tell you all about it, as yol