Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1897-07-07

ndQ never SeGll hin lOOhlu like Iudl
afore. His face waz as white as a
sheet, an it jest made my heart ache
ter see that look o. sufferin an agony
in his deep-sunken eyes. l started to
say somethin-to inquire what had
happened-but he raised his hand with
a sort of desparin motion an sed, in
a hoa1se, choked voice:
Don't Josh-don't speak yet fer
awhile"
We walked slowly down the lane,
neither of us speakin', an neither of
us seemln' to know WHARF we waz go
in. Bimeby we got as far as the
barnyard gate an stopped an leaned
misery-fer Sis misery made me mis-
cradle, too,
wal, Josh" sed he after awhile,
without looldn' up an speakin in a
onnatral sort O. voice, cts all over"
"What?' SEE I guessin what he
meant has Sally refused yeh?"
"Wuss" seq he, tryin' to force back
a groan.
What could be wusscr'n that, SIP"
l asked.
"She told me-" sed he, Jest above a
Whisper, that she is goin' to marry
Zeb Ward next month. l didn't put
the question to her-it's we'll didn't
She invited me to the weddin 1t
nigh killed me. Josh"
wal, consarn the --" l began, as
mad as fury at what seemed her hirt-
in ways, but ST raised his hand an
stopped me.
"Don't-not a word agin her JOSH"
he sed, farm up. Remember, I love
her!"
1t want in me to hurt his feelln's,
an l asked, consid'ably cooled down:
Does she know yer feelin's, Si?"
He shook his head 81 didn't tell
her-I couldn't. She jest looked on me
as friend, l reckon. She must never
know, Josh, 1t might Spite her hap
piness," he sed an then neither of us
could find anything to say for long
time; jest stood thare, a-lookin at the
stars way off 'mongst the flynn clouds
an tryin' ter swaller a big lump that
kept risin' in our throats. Somehow
81 never had seemed quite so near and
dear to me as he did in them silent mo-
ments O. mutual misery. l edged up
closer to him an he to me an our
hands got together in a tight, warm
grasp that sed more than all the words
we could hev spoken in a lifetime.
1t must hev been mighty nigh mid
night afore We left the barnyard gate,
although we hadn't sed more'n a dozen
words. We jest stood there a-holdin'
onto each others hands an tryin' to
think, but always losin' our reckonin'
in the heavy clouds O. sorrow that
hung ever us.
Don't take it too much ter heart,
ST. Try ter be brave-try ter mlks
the best of it," l sed to him as we
parted. He didn't answer me. He
tried to, but all of suddint he gave
my hand a powerful wrench and hur-
ried away with pitiful look o. an
guish on his white face.
l didn't see quite so much o. ST after
that as afore. Every two or three
days, though, he'd come to the house
looked paler an thinner an more de-
spairin' every time we met. We didn't
often speak o. his sorrow, but we'd sit
sometimes fer hours a-holdin' hands
an lookin' in each others faces an I'M
derstandn' each others feelin's bet
ter, reckon than If we'd tried ter
! put our thots inter words One day
,fter we'd been sittin' in this fashion
fer quite a spell, ST kinder reused him.
self up an sed:
sally an Zeb are ter be married ter.
morrow"
YES" sed 1, wonderin' why het
spoke Of it.
Coin, l s'pose?" he added
81 reckon So sed 1.
Then we'll go together" sed he an
look o. sharpest sufferin' came il
his pale face, which hurt me more'n
know how ter tell
"Dye think it's best, SIP" l asked
as gentle as 1 could.
Yes" he answered, heavin' sigh
"She might think it queer II 1 stait
away; besides, I'd like to wish her an
Zeb happy life"
didn't say any more. 1t would he
done no good, an maybe 'twould he
hurt him If I argued against his goin'
so the next day me an ST went to tn
little meetin' house together, jest a
we had done in our boyhood days
when we used ter go to Sunday schoo
though we never waz so silent an sa
an thortful in them days. We sat il
the same pew too, WHARF we used tie
sit years an years ago, an l thort a
1 looked now an then at Sis thir
white face an droopin' tigger that L
never seen him look quite so miserabl