Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-05-10

eighteen / should have felt proud.
'But Squire Peckham is old enough
TO be my father" pleaded May.
''As if n few ycars, ono way or tho
other, made any difference"
"And he has had two wives nj
readyw
Everybody will tell you. child,
that he was model husband"
cts altogether too much, ehud-
dered May. "Thcro's no telling how
soon l may be called upon to make
why for the fourth Mrs. Peckwoodr"
els TINT all you have to bring against
Squire PcclSwool?"
"No, mother, it is not. Ho is nva-
ricious, fault-finding, whimsical, hyp-
ochondrinc-''-
"A1ay!"
'You asked me, mother"
"But you know very we'll your
fathers heart is set on this MARI iagc.
Why prejudice yourself against it,
when tho matter is rs good as set
tlcd?"
May Carroll knew very we'll that the
heart of obstinate Deacon Carroll was
set on seeing his only daughter the
wife of Squire Obcd lockwood, and
that was what made her spirit grow
faint within her. For there was still
another reason against this ill-suitcd
match-a reason which May had not
venturcd to speak of to either father
or mothcr-and it was this: May had
already given her littlo heart away to
David Chesterson, the student in
Lawyer Kolsoo's office, whose brains
wcro his only capital and who carried
his fortune i'll his frank fGco and
strnight, 1.-the figure.
81 have promised David" she
thought, with iluttcring palpitation
Mt her heart, ''and 1 will sooner
dio than prove fnlso to him. But, oh
what shnll do to ward off the suit of
this horrid old Squire Peclswood!"
AS these thoughts passed through
her mind Mrs. Carrolrs voice inter
rupted their current.
"Mny, child. what nrc you dreaming
about? Twice Two asked you ques.
ton, and you have stared at mo rs if
l were empty space"
81 beg your pardon, mother; what
did you nsk?"
whether You knew That no was go
ing to take You over to tho lockwood
farm this afternoon, to see the house
of which You arc SO soon to DO the
lnistress?"
81 knew it, mother"
"Then why aren't you dressing
YOURSELF"
/ am dressed, mother"
Indeed Go upstairs and put on
your silk dress Immediately, and wear
the garnet set your fathcr gave you
last birthday"
May obeyed unwilllngly enough !;
but when she came down stairs there
was n new brightness i'll her eye, an
unwonted color on her check. Squire
lockwood, who was waiting her mp
penrance in the big easy chair, with q
purple-faced contentment chuckled to
himself Mt her fresh young beauty
and Mrs. Carroll mentally came to the
conclusion that May had resolved to
"bohavc like sensible girl"
She WIS more mistaken, however,
than she had any idea Of Cupid, the
mischievous little imp Of true love,
had been invisibly counseling Made
moiselle May in the quiet and scclu-
sion of her own apartment upstairs,
and May had prolited by his hints.
'Tm sure we girls would have little
enough chance in this world" pouted
May, "if we didn't have recourse to
cur wits once in while"
She WAS all smiles and dinipios and
winning words, rs Squire lockwood
trunded heavily along by her side, and
that portly gallant rackod his brains
for some appropriate conversation to
nmuso the third Mrs. lockwood that
waste be.
The squire wiped ais beet-red brow
and secretly wished ne had read Moore
and Byron in his younger days, so as
to be able to converse agreeably with
Il pretty girl of eighteen.
"That's the house." he said Mt Inst,
pointing to the'gab.e end of the Peck
wood mansion, peeping through n
mass OF elm boughs. AS Miss Carroll
had been familiar with the neighbor-
hood for eighteen years, sho replied
with some acerbity.
81 know that"
| now VIII you ike 1T Tor your future
home?" he asked with clumsy effort
at badinagc.
II don't know-.-I may like it vol
enough" answered lday indiffercntly
but it has got to be altered yer,
much.
Squire Peckwood's iubilant counte
nance fell. To him tho family homo O
the Peckwoods was modern Mecca, {
sacred spot. faultless in its perfection
and susceptible of no possible i'm
provement.
"Altercd!" ho echoed. "How?'
''That horrid old elm-tree must b.
cut down first" said May, with dis
paraging motion of her parnsol towar,
it. at shades everythingl"
"That elm-tree, ma'am," said SOUR
Fleetwood huskily twas planted b,
Moses Fleetwood, ma'am, my grea
grandfather. 1t is known, ma am, a
the Fleetwood Elm !"
st must make tho house rs damp q
vault, said May, "and don't won