Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1895-09-14
SHE WAS SO LONELY.
A Real, old Fashioned Love story.

now that to-morrow's ballots were TO
decide the question the opponents had
rested on their oars and comparative
quiet had settled down over the entire
community. The sun was sinking in
fiery prophecy beyond the tall, dark
woods just outside the little town.
sending its penetrating rays up the
smooth straight streets and along the
fronts of the quaint, neat little cot
tages which marked FreemanYille
from the ordinary suburban village.
Mr.. John Taylor came down from
his law office and glanced furtiyely
about with a haunted, weary look
which i'll became his usual fine man
illness. But Mr.. John Taylor was one
of the candidates whose fate his ter
ritory was to decide the following day
and the weeks of severe battling had
left him thoroughly worn out. Fur
thermore, he wanted that office with
a deeper more desperate longing than
that of mere political fondness, for he
felt that defeat here meant everlast-
ing loss TO the dearest hope or his life
that of making Enid Dixon his wife.
To begin with, he was 30 years old,
and when a man has reached that
point without ever having before lost
his heart, he is cruelty lacking in
courage. Secondly, he felt that his
position as a lawyer in a simple little
town like Freemanville, where cases
were few, and invariably of little
weight, scarcely upheld him in this
longing to take into his keeping such
a treasure of a girl as Miss Dixon.
Now. if he only were successful in the
coming contest. if he might go to her
with the fresh weight of laurel on his
brow-then he might dare. But, there
We're hOurs-ages it seemed to him
in which he must wait and his con-
stituents thought that he was fighting
for honor, when in reality he was
praying for the love of woman.
=
At last he had succeeded in freeing
himself from the horde of fellows who
all day long had thronged about him
with plans, encourag ements and news
of the next days prospects, and he
crept out alone into the falling dusk.
where the very streets seemed awed
in an ominous hush which precedes
the pending storm. The red in the
west had faded into an exquisite
stretch of opalescent grays when the
anxious Mr.. Taylor stopped in his
headlong walk, drawing up sharply
before a figure which suddenly APP
peared before him-the tall, 1.-THE Miss
Dixon, with her correct grace and
sweet calm. Miss Dixon was 20 years
old, hence Miss Dixon had discovered
the state of Mr.. TaylorS feelings to-
wards her months ago. Those self
same 26 years, though, also worked to
give Miss Dixon a remarkable degree
of self-poSsessiOn and she had smiled
softly. wistfully to herself many times
lately when she saw how her frigidity
had hurt him, all the time declaring
to herself that the man who had faced
the most noted judges of the state,
who had argued long and valiantly in
some of the deepest controversies
which had vexed the courts for years
must be taught to come to her in open.
honest bravery before he should have
a hint of her willingness to make him
the happiest man in the world. So
this evening she merely smiled at him,
so sweetly yet so calmly and held out
her cool, daintily glOyed fingers so
naturally that the poor man felt all
the more painfully the fact that his
face was flushing traitorously and
that his voice could not he trusted. He
hated himself for his weakness-he
who had never been afraid of any
thing on earth until he had met this
open-browed, clear-eyed being in petit
coats, and his pride knew no balm be-
fore the realization that he always APP
peared at his worst when with her
recently. He would give ten years of
his life if he could meet her again on
the easy, equal footing, as when he
had first known her. 1t was only a
year ago that she had come to Free
manyille, she and the tiny widow
mother, and then he had talked ard
walked, read and sung with her in
open comfort. But it was all chang
ed now, since he had ceased TO look
upon her merely as a beautiful inter-
esting woman who was well-read.
well-bred and we'll under her own con-
troll. So poor Mr.. Taylor simply turn
ed and walked back beside her as she
talked on of his hopes for the NOR
row, and the only time that he ven
tured to glance sideways at her his
heart fell like lead within him as he
saw only quiet interest in her sweet,
calm face.
In spite of his awkwardness he was
sorry when they at last reached her
gate and she said:
MAY be so selfish as to ask you to
let me know tomorrow evening how
matters stand with you? | shall be
very anxious for the results
Mr.. Taylor looked Up quickly. bold
ly and evidently unexpectedly, for ne
caught a pink flush of eager. almost
fond concern on the brow of his com
panion. 1t gave him a courage lie
had never felt before. and lie 0nked
her fairly in the eyes as he ASKED
'Will You really care 50 t1u:h?"
For the first time since lie ingw her,
Miss DiXon's eyes fell before lis
steady gaze and her voice was strange
ly low and timid she answered.:
Eyes, it will mean much to me. Am
selfish to ask you 80 come to tell
me. even if it is ever so lateY
"It may be after midnight" went on
Mr.. Taylor, determined to hold his
power now that he possessed it.
Nevertheless / wish you would
GOMEZ shall not be able to sleep till
l know the end"
Mr.. Taylor never knew quite how he |
left her. Always afterward there was
a delicious confusion Of tear-wet, gray |
ewes a Dair of oypr-pa ger Inns and tho |