Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-09-05
PARTED ON THEIR WEDDING DAY.

Hattie Furman was a great favorite
With the gentlemen, and her partially
for the sterner sex was rs great az
theirs for her. She was engaged to
young DR.. Hartley, but he had one
year more at the university before his
studies were completed, and his fan
Gee seemed nowise inclined to mourn
HE absence. There were admirers In
plenty ready to take his place, and she
never lacked an escort to any Of the
nsighborhood festivities, where she
was always the life and mischief OF
the party.
Then she would write full history
o. each affair to her absent lover, never
Forgetting to tell him how much she
had enjoyed herself, how agreeable
Mr.. so.and-So had been. what pretty
epseches Mr.. Such.a.one had made
when she accepted his escort for the
next dance Mt the ball, "and he's such
an elegant waltzer, you know" she
added, tantalizingly. The young doc.
tore blood fairly boiled when he read
these missives and imagined some
other mans arms where he considered
none but his had any right to be. Yet
hs dared not protest. He vcntured
once to assert his rights, on his last va
cation home, and his ring had been OF.
Tered him with such promptness that
Il fairly took his breath away.
II don't want It. I won't taka II"
10 gasped.
gust 40 you like" replied Hattie,
eoldly. II thought you were tired Of
me. II you are. Just take back your
cid ring. Fred Foe offered me .
nicer one last week.
"Oh, Halter was all the Doctor
could say.
His grieved tone and white face
touched the girls heart, aud she burst
cut with: "Oh, Frank! I didn't mean
Il. I'd rather have your ugly old ring
than all the other rings In the world,
and I'd rather have you than alr"-here
che threw her arms around his neck
impulsively, hid her face on bis shout
der and burst into tears.
Then, Of course. he begged her par
DON and called himself brute, and she
torgave him, and when he went away
Airted more than ever.
She was usually very prompt In full.
Alling their compact Of writing week
II letters to each other, but on two &C.
caslons the weeks had made q month
before the longed.for letter came to the
absent lover, and then she made no ex-
cuse but that she had been having %
much fun she had quite forgotten to
write.
The young doctor really believed she
only meant to tense him, yet he felt In.
dignant ana mutually vowed that II
the reins were ever In his hands she
should repent her seeming heartless-
ness. II 10 a wonder tho poor fellow
could study at all. but no did at last
graduate with honor.
Hattie seemed proud as he Of the
hard.carned diploma, and the young
couple spent a delightful fortnight max.
ing plans for the future and trying to
decide upon the most desirable location
for o young physician to gain a lucra'
I've practice and home for his bonnie
bride. He was far too manly to ask
Hattie to link her fate with his until he
could offer her home that would In
some degree approach the comfortable
one she would leave, even II her par
ents had been willing for such pro-
ceeding.
While still undecided a position wal
offered his as physician and surgeon
with an exploring and surveying party
that were making a tour to tho fal
Northwest. There was money In II
and the needed practice without feal
Of competition or failure. It seemed
the chance Of a lifetime and had beer
rendered him through the influence OF
one Of the university professors, ye,
Il would involve a three years sepaM
ton from Hattie. and what assurance
had he that some of those other fellow.
would not win her from him? Even n
they did not no felt AZ II he never
could endure three such years Of tor
ture a. that last one ut the university
had been. Still he could not refuse
especially when her parents urged hin
% strongly to accept.
Hattie seemed very sorry to have hin
20 and promised very faithfully to b,
true to her trOth.
"But you can't expect me to be al
Old woman. Frank" she said. "Why
u couldn't have any fun for tire,
pears I'd DO wrinkled and gray haired
when you came back, and then 70,
wouldn't want me ut ALL"
Frank laughed and said he'd run tn,
risk, and II she'd only wait for hin
twas all he'd ask, but 1t was will
aching heart he kissed her a last fare
well, and torturlng fear of what tina
long three years might bring forth.
It was twelve miles from the prett!
little village, where their childhoo.
days had been spent, to the nearest rail
way station. and he arrived there at /.
o'clock one beautiful June night. H,
found that schedules had been changes
and that he could make better time II
reaching his party to wait for tn
morning express. He felt Aggravated
70 think of waiting six long hours tina
he might have been spending with Hat
tie. who he knew was almost crying he
pretty eyes out over his departure. Tn
more he thought of 1t the more tortur
ing 1t became and with a sudden re
solve he bought his ticket, checked hi
baggage, visited the nearest liver,
barn and In fifteen minutes horse an
buggy was making the best possibl
time over the home road.
He could hardly tell just when tn
momentous thought did occur to him