Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-31
"'He hasn't come yet, my GEAR, says
aunt. mo doubt he'll be here in min

AVN -
Elizabeth's face an knew she was none
too we'll pleased at havin to wait for
him. But she sat down an began to talk
about something else, as cool as If her
weddin day was hundred years off.
'sI told you before that Robert was
rural postman. He had usually finished
his mornin delivery of letters by half
past 8, which-had things gone on all
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
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,
KNOWN Ann Elizabeth would be waitin
for him, but when at last lie 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.
"I could see in a minute Ann Eliza
beth didn't like that. She had been feel
in uneasy, though she tried not to
show it, an she couldn't bear to see him
come in laughin, as if it was of no con-
sequence.
"'You are late, Robert' she says
quite stiff1ike.
"'You may be thankful am here at
allp 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 p says she, and I'm sure her
voice made me regular shiver. If that
is your opinion, Mr.. Jones, it is not
mine. So far from bein thankful that
you are here, it is matter of perfect
Indifference to me, an I will now wish
you a very good mornin.
can would you believe it, miss, be-
fore we could any Of us recover from
our astonishment or reaaize what she
meant, she was out Of the house? She
stepped into the 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.
Il have altered my mind. I will just &C
an change my dress an then get tc
work. an within an hour an half Of
her leavin the house she was back again
busy washin up dishes.
"You may we'll stare, miss, but it's
all as true as gospel I can't begin tc
tell you what o commotion there was
an what a talk it made. Ann Elizabeth
fatty refused to see Robert all wouldn't
even read the letters he wrote to her.
She wouldn't admit there was any ex-
cuse for him an stood OH her dignity tC
such an extent that folks got tired of
tryin to talk to her, an Robert-as was
only natural-got his temper up an
vowed he would be laughin stock nc
longer.
"There was the nice little house, ev-
erything ready an waitin for q 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 in this case.
"There was girl livin in the village
named Mary Goodacre. She wasn't at
all bad sort, an I'd heard it said be-
fore that she had 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 we'll as
everybody else thought that he an Ann
Elizabeth were goin to make match
of it.
"Mary must have liked him, how
ever, Or she wouldn't have been SO ready
to pick up Ann Elizabeth's s leavin s, as
the sayin is, for in rather more than
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 I'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
a 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-
lerstandin an had done their best TO
heal the breach.
Neither can 1 tell you whether Rob-
ert an Mary were happy together. I was
only an outsider an knew nothin of the
inner workin of the minds of them. I
can only tell you the facts as all the
world knew Of them. Of thoughts an
feelin's cannot speak.
"Now, Mary had livin near her
very particular friend, named Ellen
Counter-been used to visit her good
deal, an no doubt Robert grew to share
his wife's ikin for her.
"Time went on, an a little sickly
child was born to Robert an Mary
Motherlike, Mary clung to the child the
more passionately 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 i'll treat
ed?'
"'Men don't always know sighed
poor Mary. You'll marry again, Rob
ert; you IL be sure to dop
"Robert did not speak. don't know
whether the thought of Ann Elizabeth
crossed his mind, but I have often fam
cied Mary must have imagined it did.
"Poor soul, she was only human an
may have thought that Ann Elizabeth
would carry grudge against the child
of the woman who had been, in sense,
her rival
'Robertr she said suddenly = all
this was told to me, miss, by the woman
who was nursin poor Mary at the time,
an who heard it all-'will you marry
Ellen? Oh, if you will only promise to
marry Ellen, shall have no care left.
could trust her to be good to my child. ,
lol L., l,o,. 70