The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-21
THELOVEOF AWOMAN

l $1,000 LIZ - vi n w Ouuhl
1t was early spring. In the sunshin
corners Of the snake fences and In sheltere
hollows the young grass had begun
sprout Patches Of snow still lay on I'll
bleak sides Of the hills that encompass
the little Canadian town of Cartersfort
but these would speedily disappear wit
the coming of the spring rains, whic
would swell the river Trent to twice II
present size and cause 1t to rush angril
away with the great hummocks of Ice tina
Just now foated lazily down toward tn
dam.
Dick Downing stood on the bridge tina
spans the Trent above the falls and con
nects the east and the west sides of ram
bling little Cartersford. Just then Their
was rumble Of wheels on the bridge
and he turned to see what was coming
In an instant his insignificant face wa
aglow and his eyes shone. Ellen Adail
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 Affair."" said be
as the light wagon passed.
| "Oh, good morning." she responded
lightly, with the falntest possible toss Of
her head. Then, CHANGING back over her
shoulder, she called with smile, don Z
forget the choir rehearsal tonight"
mo; I'll surely be there" responded
Dick, with a 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 man offends them
by being small and slight and plain. But
as for Dick, no had his work at the cloth
factory-where he was bookkeeper--to o.
oupy his mind, and he did not care straw
about the girls. They might do as they
pleased-all except one, and how no wished
that she would please to think him good
for something better than to be snubbed
and leased 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
1t night had come and the electric lights
-Cartersford has electric lights--gleamed
IN the streets. But the stars did not come
out, and the moon that was due Mt half
past failed to make her appearance.
By these signs and tokens any one with
ha1 an eye can perceive that Dick was in
love with Ellen. And she-well, Ellen
thought or believed she thought, Tom
Wallace, who sang in the Presbyterian
church choir on Sundays and olerked for
Mr.. Collier, the village lawyer, the rest of
the week, was the embodiment of nanli-
ness and chivalry. Toms preference for
the doctrines Of Calvin was cause of Sc
oret 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
voioeS.
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
10 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
Diok fingered moment at the gate before
bidding her good night making some
feeble reference TO the weather-to the
probability of a storm.
Yes, " she assented with SILVER, as
cold blast swept up the road, ait does feel
like rain. Good night"
Good night-Ellen"- And Dick mt
out his hand and took hers, holding 10 for
a moment and thon letting 1t drop as
sudden sense of his temerity overlook him.
"Good night, Miss Adair."
The light flashed In his face as the girl
opened the door, and then Dick hurried
down the road
Next day 1t rained, and the next and
the next. And the tiInid 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, 1t swelled and rushed |
and foamed. 1t ran into the cellars Of the |
people who lived on its banks. 1t carried |
iway part of the railroad bridge mile
above the town. 1t uprooted trees and
vhirled them along its ever widening
oanks 1t bore great cakes of ice, loosening
rom calm, deep places, and hurried them
Without ceremony to the same destination
. hurried everything else--the rapids.
And after the rapidsP Well, the ice came
nut churned into small bits and tho trees
'ereft of their branches
For three days and nights the rain fell
q torrents The fourth day broke glori-
usly fair and mild Spring had really
ONE. The sun shone down warmly upon
be mischieyous, turbulent river and tried
dry the wet roads and the sodden hills,
nd every ono in Cartersford was happy.
Ellen Adair was out bright and early.
10 was Dick Downing, SO was Tom Far
srs, 80 was everybody Tom Farrers
'ould be busy all day, but he was sure to-
borrow would BIO flne-would Ellen go
'r drive with him then2 And Ellen
scented with a blush
Tomorrow would be half holiday,
lick said o little later. Would Miss Adair
It him drive her up to see the broken
Iilroad bridgeP But Miss Adair replied
IDLY that she had "previous engage.
ent;" SO Dick, who did the blushlng
lis time, turned away with heavy
cart.
Shut up In his little office in the factory.
} pondered upon the strangeness of hu-
an nature in general and of feminine
lturo in particular. He had actually
ought the other night that Ellen did not
slike him, and here this very morning,
c had coldly and unsmilingly listened
his invitaton-yes-and had seemed
lite pleased to refuse it.
What are those people doing CD the
idge?" asked Edwards, the foreman, '.
no stood at Dicks window.
Watching something coming down the
'er, suppose" replied Dick drearily,
liking up from the task of crasing a
,her he had placed where two should g
We been. "By Jovo--" with sudden
are shouting to some one C
the riverl Come" v
lipl- Of, 81, l