The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-09
THELOVEOF A WOMAN

1t was early spring. In the sunshiny
corners of the snake fences and in sheltered
hollows the young grass had begun to
sprout. Patches of snow still lay on the
bleak sides of the hills that encompassed
the little Canadian town of Cartersford,
but these would speedily disappear with
the coming of the spring rains, which
would swell the river Trent to twice its
present size and cause it TO rush angrily
away with the great hummocks of ice that
just now floated lazily down toward the
dam.
Dick Downing stood on the bridge that
spans the Trent above the falls and con-
meets the east and the west sides of ram
bling little Cartersford Just then there
was rumble of wheels on the bridge,
and he turned tosee what was coming.
In an instant his insignificant face was
aglow and his eyes shone Ellen Adair
was driving toward him. Natty Tom Far
rers was beside her, but Ellen was Ellen,
Farrers or no Farrers, and Dicks heart
gave bound at sight of her.
GOOD morning, Miss Adair," said he
as the light wagon passed
"Oh, good morning." she responded
lightly, with the faintest possible toss of
shoulder, she called with smile, Don't
forget the choir rehearsal tonight
"No; I'll surely be there" responded
Dick, with pleased flush. Then Ellen
and the dapper Farrers were gone.
Dick was not favorite with the girls
at Cartersford, few of whom did not
hesitate to let him know it-a way girls
have sometimes when a man offends them
by being small and slight and plain. But
as for Dick, he had his work at the cloth
factory-where he was bookkeeper-to &C.
cupy his mind and he did not care straw
about the girls They might do as they
pleased-all except one, and how he wished
that she would please to think him good
for something better than to be snubbed
and teased and laughed at.
Presently Dick stopped dreaming and
went back to work. The shadows grew
longer and the river and the blue distance
more blue, and before Cartersford knew
it night had come and the electric lights
-Cartersfori has electric lights-gleamed
in the streets But the stars did not come
out, and the moon that was due ut half
past failed to make her appearance.
By these signs and tokens any one with
half an eye can perceive that Dick was in
love with Ellen. And she-well, Ellen
!
Wallace, who sang in the Presbyterian
church choir on Sundays and clerked for
Mr.. Collier, the village lawyer, the rest of
the week, was the embodiment of manli-
ness and chivalry. Toms preference for
the doctrines of Calvin was cause of Sc
cret regret to Ellen. who went to the little
English church in the hollow. Here, also,
Dick might have been seen and heard any
and every Sunday, warbling forth hymns
and responses in the sweetest of tenor
voices.
Dick glanced uneasily at the black sky
as he hurried on his way to choir rehearsal
and predicted within himself that there
would be rain before morning and hoped
1t would not come until after he had seen
Ellen Adair safely to her home. But the
fates were kind and held off the rain, and
Dick fingered a moment at the gate before
bidding her good night, making some
feeble reference to the weather-to the
probability of storm
Eyes" she assented with shiver, as q
cold blast swept up the road, ''it does feel
like rain. Good night.
GOOD night-Ellen' And Dick put
out his hand and took hers, holding it for
moment and then letting 1t drop as q
sudden sense of his temerity overlook him.
Good night, Miss Adalr. -
The light flashed in his face as the girl
opened the door, and then Dick hurried
down the road.
Next day it rained, and the next and
the next And the timid grass in the
sheltered corners was drenched and sod
dened, and there was not patch of snow
left anywhere at the end of the second day
AS for the river, it swelled and rusbet
| I s,,&a oot1, - ~.
people who lived on It's banks. 1t carried
away part of the railroad bridge mil,
above the town. 1t uprooted trees ant
whirled them along its ever widening
banks 1t bore great cakes Of ice, looseninl
from calm, deep places, and hurried then
without cerem6hy to the same destination
1t hurried every thing else-the rapids
And after the rapidsS Well, the ice cam
out churned into small bits and the tree
bereft of their branches.
For three days and nights the rain fel
In torrents. The fourth day broke glori
ously fair and mild. Spring had reall,
come. The sun shone down warmly upol
the mischievous, turbulent river and trie
to dry the wet roads and the sodden hills
and every one In Cartersford was happy.
Ellen Adair was out bright and early
So was Dick Downing, so was Tom Fan
rers, SO was everybody. Tom Farrer
would be busy all day, but he was sure to
morrow would be flne-would Ellen 6
for drive with him thenf And Ellie
assented with blush.
Tomorrow would be half holiday
Dick said little later. Would Miss Ada
let him drive her up to see the broke
railroad bridgeP But Miss Adair reptile
. coldly that she had previous engag