Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-04-24
:, .,.,t il hurs her her breath came in

little, miserable gasps.
She hardly knew what she was dc
in., when she passed out across eth
broad piazza, and, bareheaded, wen
rropingly out into the thickenini
dusk.
To be alone-to get away from every
body and everything-that was her be
wilderod longing.
'sFIo must have como by the sevel
O'Clock boat" she said to herself. me
Uhanically. again and again.
And that was at first rs far as he
thoughts would go; for she could nc
believe what she had seen.
"No, mol" she whispered, wringin
her hands. cit wasn't Stanley. Nc
no I" as though every. feature OF his
every look, were not familiar and dea
to her.
She found herself mounting the hi
and sinking down on the rustic sea
where they had sat together SO often
And there she pressed her face on tn
vough wood and tried to think.
Think? She could not. One thint
blinded her to all besides and stiie'
thought-ths remembrance OF tha
which the mirror had refected-o
that sight of the man she loved ant
had trusted tenderly, bending t.
caress another woman.
He did not love her, then. She wa
a plsything merely-as source of whim
sical amusement for him during thu
idle hours Of the summer. He ha(
not cared for her-he had not beeI
serious. He had meant to make Love
to her while the mood was upon him
and to break the bond when he should
tire of it. Else could he be making
love to another woman?
And she had cared for him SO deeply
her faith in him had been SO entire
And her love for him had SO filed her
heart aud her lifei Oh, it had been
no light matter to her.
And now-what? She could moi
find relief in tears, as she asked her
self that wrenching question.
She felt frozen, benumbed. She
sat motionless, and stared up at the
arst faint star in the gray skin.
'Nettie!" q voice called, impera-
lively and half impatiently.
It was Stanley Mayhew's, and he
followed it. He came hurryinS up
the bank.
''Mrs. Loney told me she saw you
coming up her. What on earth
You must have known I'd be there.
Or, no; told you the eight o'clock
boat, didn't I? Well, I got through
before I thought I should, and here ]
sm."
He threw himself down beside her
a shadowy form in the dimness. and
patted her hand by way of greeting !;
nor did he notice that she drew it
away quickly and far.
He was laughing, .anj when he had
paused moment to get his breath, he
began to explain why.
"Now, what do you think?" he de-
manded. "Now guess! I've just seen
Eleanor Wells. What do you think
'he told me?"
Nettie shivered.
"Well, they're engaged" said hel
lover, with an air of triumph.
What did he mean? she wondered.
But she did not care. What difference
Hid it make what he meant? What
difference could anything make now
They're engaged" he repeated.
"The trouble is over, the storm is
ended, and they've got into smooth
waters, with the matrimonial port in
plain sight. OF course she's told you
all about Leonard? Talked to you
,bout him for hours, I suppose?"
"No?" he went on, though Nettie
had not spoken. 81 can't believe it d!
And you such chum.!
'Well, I've told you about Leon.
ard, you know-my next older brother
who went to California in April to
manage a mining syndicate-the clev-
,rest fellow you ever saw.
"Wel, he and Eleanor were en-.
gagged. Really, didn't she tell you
Why, that's part of our family record,
for it's An old affair. The Wells chs
aren and we uns' used to play dolls
and tag together, you know, and it has
always been settled thing, somehow,
that Eleanor would marry Leonard
when they got old enough, because
hey were always sweet on each other.
"Well, they had been regularly en-
gagged for year or 30, when 10, and
behold early this spring they had Il
iff.
"It was all about young Spanisrt
that Eleanor didn't care any more
about than she does about me; but
tho spat grew into a quarrel, and the
quarrel ended in Eleanor's sending
back poor Lens ring and all his pho
and tin types and presents.
"i believe there was packing box
hull of them. and Fred and I arranged
them in his room, and put Grape over
tho door. But We were really broken
up about it, all of us. Mother was
sick for week. And Len
Len was O mental wreck.
"He looked like . ghost. He saio
he'd got to get away, and first we
knew he'd packed up and gc.e OF to
California to manage syndicets.
'Tvo been glum enough over it. !
knew Leonard thought the world of
her, and that she-well, I'll come to
the point" said Stanley, with another
breezy lsugh. 81 met Eleanor down
st the house just as I got there, and
she told me that it's just fixed up.
''She said she knew all the whit