Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-07-17

numerous class of feminine towards
who will stoop to deceit, subterfuge,
or even lies, rather than encounter the
Just wrath of any dark. .browed lord OF
creation for any sin or blunder COM
mitted against him.
"Anyhow," she quieted her con-
science with, ''if it was 30 awful i'm
portant he can come over and tell her
himself. And if he finds out she didn't
get it, I'll go home with jimmy Hicks
AMI stay till they've fixed it oil right,
and by that time he won't care.
And so Rob waited in vain for
Jimmy Tibbs-Farmer Meadows's
chore boy-whose tow head and
freckles he would have hailed as well
come vision that day. He cherished q
feeble hope until after dark.
"It's just possible" he said, 10th to
resign himself to his doom, "that Til
lie forgot to give her the note, or
something. Ill step in there for "a
minute, and I'll know mighty quick
by the looks how things air."
So Rob stepped in, and ran against
Tillie in the passage way, on her way
to the kitchen.
He clutched her by the arm.
"Tillie," said he, "did you give it
to her?"
And Tillie laid up future worry for
herself by telling fat tib, asthe only
way of dodging an immediate scolding.
"Did she say anything?" queried
Rob, anxiously.
"No! Let 60, Rob!'' said Tillie,
twisting her arm away and darting off.
The door of the dancing room swung
open, and Rob could see in. A quad.
rille was in progress, in which Charity
having concluded that he was not
coming-was dancing spiritedly with
Jake Hargood.
A couple Of young fellows arriving
at that moment swept Rob into the
room, and the swinging door concealed
him.
|. Jake ard Charity were not far away,
but had their backs toward him.
"They say Rob Redwood's goin' OIL
to furrin parts, said some one in the
pause. of the dance. sis that so,
Charity"
I suppose it is, replied Charity,
coolly.
Rob slipped from the shallow of the
door and walked out unobsorved.
"Rob Redwood's gone to the In
dies" was the news Charity heard two
days later. 1t was Aunt Hulda Pitcher
who brought it. "For whole year, I"
she added. "His uncle made him
promise to stay that long, if he come
ut all, an reckon he will"
ga year---a whole ycar?" went echo.
ing through Charity's head.
How would the world seem without
any Rob Redwood for whole year.
twelve MONTHS three hundred and
sixty-6ve days?
She went into brown study over
the matter, while her mother and
Aunt Hulda talked on indi1erently
about the fall soap making, preserv-
ing, qullt-piercing, etc.
"I've got awful nice new pattern
of quilt" Aunt Hulda was saying.
"Hits called the Calendar. takes
three hundred and si1ty-fve SQUARES
to make it. Better SEN On git tho
pattern, Charity.
"Maybe I WILL" answered Charity.
"Rob don't caro for me--not bit,
said Charity, that night. "He wouldn't
have gone off this way if he did. And
I'll be fool if I don't marry Jake
Hargood if he asks me. But then, ="
she added, half rueiully, 81 always
was fool?"
In proof of which she fatty refused
Jake Hargood when he did ask her.
And she borrowed Aunt Hulda's quilt
pattern, and straightway sct to work
piercing her calendar" quilt, making
only one square day, and remarking
to herself as she finished each one:
"One day less to wait. Not" she
added, shaking her head, dismally,
"that it'll do me any good when the
time is up. If he didn't care for me
then, he won't now. But it'll be a
comfort to know it when he's home
again.
There were several squares yet to be
pierced before the quilt would be fin
| ished, when word came to the Red
woods that Rob would be home in
three days.
Just the day of that quilting last
year." said Charity, oil in nervous
flutter. "I'll hurry and finish this
right off, and have quilting the very
same time; and maybe Robll come to
this one.
She got out her invitations in q tre-
mendous hurry, pressed Aunt Hulda
into immediate service to get the re.
ou1site amount of cooking done for
the occasion, and devoted herself to
the finishing OF her quilt.
"RobIl be home tomorrow morn
ing, sure" said Tillie, who had run
over the day before the quilting to
render Charity what assistance she
might. "We had q telegram. Un'
cle's coming, too, to start an estab-
lishment here and take Rob into part
nership. He'll be awful rich Why,
Charity Meadows, what are you rip
ping up that lovely basket quilt for?"
"Have to-" answered Charity, ''to
get the cotton for my new quilt. The
tore was plum out, and wouldn't gel
any before next week; and besides,
never could bear the sight of this
quilt. 1 wanted to get rid OF it, Look
a-here, Tillie, how do you reckon
letter got inside of it? Why, it's
sealed, and it's for me, an Oh,
rlllie, it's from Rob, as sure as you
live!'
! Charity tore il open with breathless