Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-09-04

AAAAAi hAOU tAlesU olAO uAOCislOOu tIlo w
be the fact, or the laurels she had Won
would forever burn her brow. She could
not make any excuse for approaching
him until sic was ready to go home.
The coaches were filed, and it SO
happened that she got lower berth III
the Wagner that was to carry them
home. John saw the situation at
glance, and betook himself to the smok-
ing compartment and staid there un-
til midnight in order not to annoy his
fair neighbor and enemy, but she had
made up her mind to speak to him, and
when he sauntered down the aisle to re-
tire he saw Miss Jeanette sitting i'll her
seat and was about to turn back when
she called to him:
Gone minute, please, Mr.. Brown, y
she said
John dofied his cap and bowed with
out speaking.
81 want to say to you," began jean
cite in some confusion, "that am per-
fectly aware of the fact that you placed
the honors of our class on my head by
not doing your best. 1 owe you thanks,
from the ordinary point of view, but
under the circumstances I can but wish
that you had pursued different course. -
This speech was a rather prim one,
and was not we'll delivered, in spite of
the fact that jeanette had been coming
it for hours and had it word perfect.
The young man was no whit less con-
fused than was the young lady, and for
moment he stood unable to reply. He
could not lie by saying that she was
mistaken, and he did not want to ac-
knowledge that she was correct.
"You have no reason for your belief,
Miss JONES'" he said, resolving on
middle course, ''and if your surmises
could by any possible chance be correct
the honors go to Kentucky and to our
home, and that is honor enough -
This was question that required
considerable discussion, and before
either of them was aware of it the
light of the new day broke through the
windows and the porter smiled grimly
to himself as he slipped the dollar John
gave him into the proper receptacle
and said something in an undertone to
the conductor of the Car about some
folks being lawfully sweet oD each
other
The dispute between the young people
was not definitely settled that night,
and after their arrival at home every
time they met casually when going
about the country it was renewed. It
was surprising, too, how often their
rides on horseback were over the same
roads and at the same time, and if there
had been any one in their secrets that
one would have concluded that the old
dispute between the families was going
to break out in a new FORM though it
must be said that the arguments of the
young people were very decorously con-
Quoted and frequently strayed away
from the original matter of the school
honors.
One day as John went up the hill he
met Jeanette coming down This was
not very unusual occurrence, and
neither Of them made any pretense of
being surprised. In fact, John said
plainly that he came that way because
he hoped to meet Jeanette.
There was that in Johns eyes that
day that made Jeanette's brown orbs
droop when she looked at him. With
a woman's prescience she knew that he
was going to talk to her of things that
had not been spoken of before and tell
her story that would sound infinitely
sweet to her coming from his lips.
John turned his horse. and together
they went slowly down the hill along
the winding road beneath the green
trees. All the glory of summer was
about them, and the sapphire skies
seemed to bend just above the hills to
the south, while across the river to the
north the blue Ohio heights lay basking
in beauty, dim, blue and far away
Jeanette, darling, love you. Will
you be my wife?''
John spoke without preface and with
out warning, and the girl gasped at the
suddenness of it ALL
"Don't say no., pleaded the big and
handsome John, as the girl bent her
eyes to her horses name and paled and
flushed from the sweet emotion that
surged through her heart. "Don't throw
me over, for I love you better than life,
better than ever any other one can, and
will love you always. You say you owe
your college honors to me and want me
to have them. You do not owe me any
thing that your love will not repay a
million times over and leave me hope
lessly indebted to you. I know we be-
long to two factions who have been at
war always, but cannot we go down the
way in peace with each other? Cannot
we forget that our families are enemies,
and by joining hands make the old
hateful feud thing Of the past to be
forgotten forever? Won't you say yes,
dearest?"
The young man grew eloquent in his
earnestness, and yet the girl said no
word nor gave him even a glance. Sure
ly this was the day Of triumph for her
when she saw the hereditary enemy
begging favor at her hands, and tri-
umph was in her heart, but not Of the
sort that the warrior feels when his ene-
my lies vanquished before him. It was
the triumph that caused the maiden in
far Judea, long years agone, to sing,
"My lover is mine and l am his, and
she simply put out her hand in bland
sort of way toward John, who seized
it and kissed it as if he were saluting
an embassadress.
What further was said belongs not to
this story, for there are some things
that sound we'll when time and circum
stance may be fully considered, but
which seem to be quite silly when put
in cold words in black and white. Suf-
flee it to say that the question Of what
the people would say cane up, and
these two brave young people concluded
that they had not quite the courage to
make open announcement of the treaty
of everlasting peace which had been
duly ratified and sealed after the man
ner known to lovers since the world be-
gan. and they then planned and con-
spired to escape to Ohio and at the
town Of Aberdeen, known and famed as
the "Gretna Green of Ohio" be married
unknown to friends and relatives. who,
after it was too late, might discuss the
question Of what they would do about it,
The night when the elopement was
to take place was set and the young peo-
ple went their respective Wavs happy as