The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-08-12
WHEN INEVITABLE LOVED,

|
quite forget hor Ovor their tea cups
aud the famous pictures, sudden now
| nght LCamo into her eyes, and the
match making spirit inheront In eyerv
happily married woman quietly began
It's doNtorOus work. >.
Things went on famously. It was
tho Major who advised that the collec.
tion of paintings bo kept for time
and exhibited ono day in tho week for
tho benefit of the orphans. When Miss
pointed out that the children would be
the gamers In the ond, and 80 sho re-
| lontcd. That winter found tho whole
| ncighborhood in tho throcs Of an OK
| travagant social whirl, for there was
IN unusual number Of pink-and- whito
dcbutantcs, with tho still more unusual
accompaniment of handsome, eligible
| men. Before sho know it, Miss Hop
kins found herself IN tho very m!ds. Of
tho mad jollity, even laying aside her
all-black gowns for those with hints of
violet about tho throat and wrists. No
tea was quito perfect without tho dear
little artists presence; no girl felt
quito satisfied if sho had not had u
chat with Miss Hopkins between tho
dances, and even tho brOadshOuldcrcd,
frcsh-voiccd boys liked to croep into
tho softly shaded little studio to ac-
company it's owner homo at dusk. Her
Monday afternoons grow famous, and
tho orphans on tho corner had cnoush
now Shoes and quilts and real putlIings
for Sunday dinners to make thcm uvor-
lastingly grateful to tho happy hearts
in tho tiny brown house on tho next
street.
Miss Hopkins always had tho prot
ticSt girl in town to pour on these oc.
caSsions and generally some one with Il
really good voice or an unusually skill
full touch ON the violin could be- found
to mako music. Then, too, tho
pictures themselves could boar rc.
pcatcd visits, for tho poor, sweet old
man grew very dear to them all now
that he was not there in flesh to
trouble them; Furthermore, 1T was
almost rs good RS going to confession
to creep up, stilly and gently, before
the last OF them all, whcrc Miss Hop
kins always kept u bunch Of fresh vio-
lets standing beneath tho sweet little
canvass, with its 1.-Two morning glorics
and its sleeping man.
And the best thing of it all to little
Miss Hctty was the Major, tho tall,
courtly Ma jor, who was SO attentive to
her and seemed to enjoy being with
her moro than any man in all her life
bad done. When woman waits till
she Is thirty-siX before she loves, tho
result is going to be terrible in its in
tcnsity. Mrs. Wilmarth SAW it and
trcmblod, excepting for the fact that
he" brother really seemed to SEQ no
one else but Miss Hctty, except, Of
course, the girls-all that seasons buds
who ilockcd about the Major bccausc
he was SO different from ordinary mon.
Miss Hctty knew it and held her
breath. The boys and girls saw it and
smiled gleefully. In fact, everybody
cd tf,
himself, who went blind'y on, hcaping
poor, luttcring Miss Hctty with com
plimcnts and making open love to all
the young girls who gavo him his tea
aud sat in Open-cyed admiration as he
related his thrilling stories Of army
life on the Western plains.
But at last oven the Ma jor know it.,
and his great, manly. innocent heart
fell like lead. 1t was one clustering
evening late In tho winter and that
mighty military man was tramping
raliautiy along the street on his way
to Mrs. Wilmarth's. But as he passed
the little brown cottage he noticed the
light within and, turning up the un-
even board walk, he rang the oldfash-
ioned bell bravcly; for the puzzled
Majo had all at once made o mighty
resolve, and when he once decided to
do thing he mover retreated whether
it was to take an enemys camp or to
brave q woman.
Strange to say, he found Miss Hetty
alone there in the warm, rosy little
room, with its queer old china, glisten-
ing silver, odd pictures and rich russell
bound books. The tiny little hostess
saw the determination in her callers
face and sank into her deep chair,
knitting her thin, beautifully kept
fingers together in desperate hope and
fear.
The Major refused tho protfcred tea
almost gruitly, thrust his hands into
his pockets, tried another chair and
finally strode across TO tho tiny low
window and, with his back .bravely
turned toward her, he began:
"My dear-friend, I-er-I want to
ask you something to-night-I feel that
we have known each other we'll
enough for me not to be afraid now.
My dear Miss-Miss Uetty,' and he
wheeled about, facing her 50 abruptly
that she almost gasped, tell me
honestly, as though you were speaking
| for yOurself-tell mo. am | too old to
marry?'
She had been hoping for 1t for
months, but when it came she felt the
little brown house rock cruelty. The
| open fire, against which her great,
handsome Major outlined like magni-
| hceht rock OF rouge, sWam before her,
and her own voice seemed miles away
when she finally found courage to
answer:
| 1--WE love with our hearts, Major,
and hearts never grow old"
She saw the fine, strong face beam,
and he came to her, very close, it
seemed to her, although she could not
have put out her hand and touched
him. anG tue soft lamplight fell on his
beautiful silver hair like a holy bene-
diction. Immediately her thoughts
went back 10 that far-oif day of long
ago, when this same hair was heavy
and brown and he had kissed her.
Then his voice recalled her to the
present, and she heard him say:
you can never know how glad you
have made me by saying that, for there
is no woman in the world whose opin-
ION | value more. SLill in all my dOu bt
this winter | have often feared that 1t