The record-union., 1895-12-21

L
| him. and threw her apron over her face
with quick movement.
MY money 'ould do fur both on us an
your two little uns; an the t'others
| could hae a home wi US. We med so
we'll make a match on't-wi' your con-
| sent, Sarann.
The apron was withdrawn by Sa-
= rann'S trembling hand and her face,
| flushed pinlzly, looked out again at her
visitor.
| I'VE be too old now" she murmured.
Folks 'ould langh at u.s."
| Dali EN-; what'd that matter to we?"
Il amt expected it: didn't know you
was comm home. l didn't hardly
| know as you was still alive
| But you gave a thought to ma some
| times, didn't ye Sarann?'
! Yes, l gave zee a thought some
| times, she admitted.
AN we was friends wunst?''
"Ah-h"
'Have you aught to say agen MAJ"
| mo, Seth"
DO ZEE cling STILL as the sayin' is to
! Ben Bradley?"
Not TO call it cling, Seth
Hey you took to arranother man
Sence his death?"
mo"
Then I reckons We'll make a match
ont as soon as you likes. / amt never
| forgot you out there, Sarann.
The pale woman, still a little flushed,
| got up and raked together the dying
| emberS in the fireplace, as though she
were striving to put fresh life into the
! long dead ashes of her marital love.
| She was too conventional, like most of
| her class, to depart from recognized
| methods of courtship; she had not seen
| Seth Waving for more than score of
years, and in spite of the sentimental
! l,1a.@ l. ~
| buried out of sight, had never waned in
| all the years of his absence, she could
not bring herself to depart suddenly
| from the traditions of her lifetime.
I'D like to marry you, Seth" she
said weakly, "if so be you're willin', as
you says. but don't know"
What doesn't knaw?"
How folks 'ould take it."
Dali folks, one an all; tbs fur you an
| me to manage this yer job
"Mebbe the Children 'ouldn't like it,
'Tis fur you an fur me; an if 'tis
| best fur we 'tis best fur the Children"
AN the neighbors med think twas
too suddent"
What! arter two-an' twenty year?'
A tear started to the pale woman S
| eye, and she wiped it with the corner of
her apron, but said nothing. Her under
| lip was trembling, and she could not
trust herself to speak.
| We'll, Sarann?"
| Again no answer; and Waving left
| his chair and took from her the tongs
with which she was still coaxing the
cinders together, and laid them down
on the bricks which served as a fender.
set down." he said" an gle me my
| answer. Will you marry me as soon as
parson can call us?''
You was allus so arbitery, Seth,'
murmured Mrs. Bradley feebly.
! An L reckonS it's summun as is
arbitery as you needs to kape the life
in your body, wi ahl they children a.
! eatin' you up. You trust to me; I be
rough, an 1 amt got much religion,
mebbe, livin' in the Bush ahl these
me God, an 1 amt got no bad ways.
| Now, my dear, It's yes or no-one or
| t'other ont
Then tbs no." cried Mrs Bradley in
desperation; leastways, not now
leastways, it's no l be kindly obliged
| to ZEE, Seth. but I can't do it. Mebbe
there's others as is younger as you'll
come to fancy, if you wants wife"
''Mebbe there be-" replied Seth.
| Waving took a cottage in the village,
and settled down within a stones throw
| Of his old sweetheart. When he hired
a wagon and went to Oldborough for
| the furniture he round it necessary to
| buy, he let the things stand on the bit
| of green outside his door for some hours
before taking them to their places.
| They were good things, and solid of
| their kind, and he thought perhaps
! Sarann might notice them. Sarann did
| notice them, and gagged their value to
! shilling; and praised them to the
| woman next door in distant and unin-
| terested kind of way. Then she went
| into her own house and wiped off a tear
| hQp nd Il
while she raked them together:
My furniture 'Ould ha' held good for
another twenty year. an my bedstead
be better un than his'n.'
1t seemed to her waste to spend so
much good money on things that were
not really needed.
| But her daughter Nellie had much to
| say about the new furniture
She came in. in her bright. fresh
beauty-a young and lovely likeness of
| her mother. Her hair was not dull, and
| faded. and thin, but golden and plenti-
ful, and it waved in little rough curls
over her temples, as her mothers. per
haps, had done many years before. Her
| eyes were soft and blue and her skin
was Of cream and of roses; and her
! hands were small and smooth. and not
toil-reddened as her mothers were. For.
| indeed, Nellie took good care that her
! hands should not be rOughened through
too much hard work; and she had left
her one situation partly on this ac-
| count. and had never sought another
| Straight and lissom as a well-grown
! young sapling, she carried herself with
! an ease and grace not often seen in the
| village, and her neighbors We're not slow
! to prophesy that she would come to no
good, as is the way with neighbors
Have you seen Mr.. Waving's furni-
| ture, mother" she asked, as she came
in and hung her gayly flowered hat on
a peg behind the kitchen door.
| "Ah. my dear"
isn't ii lovely?"
Yes. my dear"
That's the very chest of drawers Err
nest looked at last market day." con-
| tfnued Nellie, with a sigh. He'd ha'
bought it if he'd had another half crown
in his pocket: an now 'tis gone
There will be plenty more as good at
| Oldborough."
Nellie sighed again. She was not as
yet entitled to inquire too curiously
into the details Of Ernest's expendi-
| ture; but she had reason to believe that
| being baked of the chest of his desire
for want of an extra half-crown, he had
! spent the money he had saved on new
suit of clothes The carrier had reported
on his last round that he was bringing
a parcel from Ships for Ernest, and
| Nellie cOuld only wait anXlOuSly Tor
| Snday to confirm her fears. a visit to his
mother having brought forth no result
| whatever
Mrs. Stone says Mr.. Waving courted
you, mother before you married
father" said Nellie, with an effort
rousing herself from her dependency
with regard to the coveted chest of
! drawers.
Did she, my dear?'
Nellie looked closely at her mother
Could it be that she was blushing, or
was it the reflection of the fire on her
| thin checks?