The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-16
THELOVEOF WOMAN

IL was carly spring. In the supshiny
corners of the snake fenoes and In sheltered
hollcws the young grass had begun 70
sprout. Patches Of snow still lay ON Tho
bleak sides Of the hills that eDcompasSed
the little Canadian town OF Cartrsfotd,
but these would speedily disappear With
the coming OF the spring rains, which
would swell the river Trent to twice IT.
present size and cause it to rush Angr1ly
away with tho great hummocks OF Ice that
Just now hooted lszily down toward ths
darn. fi1N G WFrfE *aA
Dick Downing stood on the bridge tbat
spans the Trent above the falls and con-
Dects the east and the west sides Of RAM
bling little Cartersford. Just then there
was q rumble Of wheels on the bridge,
and he turned 30 $50 what was coming.
In an instant. his insignidcant 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 Tarrers, and Dicks heart
gave bound at sight Of her.
GOOD morning, Miss Adair, said hc
a. the light wagon passed.
"Oh, good morning." she responded
lightly, with the faintest possible tosS Of
her bead. Then, glancing back over her
shoulder, she called with smile, "Don't
forget the choir rehearssl tonight"
"NO; Ill surely be there," responded
Dick, with q pleased hush. Then ElJen
and the dappeS FArrers were gone
Dick was not o favorite with the girls
at Cartersford, . few of whom did not
hesitate TO let him know it--a way girls
have sometimes when q man offends them
by being small and slight and plain. But
as for Dick, lie had his work at the cloth
factory-where he was bookkeeper-to o.
oupy his mind, and be did not care straw
about the girls They might do a. 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
IL 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 at half
past failed to make her appearance.
BY these signs and tokens any one with
half an eye oan pasosive t1hat DICK wss In
love with Ellen. And sbe-well, Ellen
thought, or belisved she thought, Tom
Wallace, who sang In the Presbyterian
churoh choir on Sundays and olerked 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 ho 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 a storm.
EYES," she assented with a shiver, as
cold blast swept up the road, lit does feel
like rain. Good night"
"Good night-Ellen'-- And Dick put
Ouo hAS AhhA ohu OOOh hSIS, nOlQiuB ~ lOT
a moment and then letting it 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 IL rained, and the next and
tho next. And the timid grass in the
sheltered corners was drenohed and sod
dened, and there was not patch Of snow
left anywhere at tho end of the second day.
AS for the river, IL swelled and rushed
and foamed. It ran into the cellars of the
people who lived on Its banks. 1t carried
away part Of the railroad bridge mile
above the town. 1t uprooted trees and
whirled them along It's ever widening
banks. It bore great cakes of Ice, loosening
from calm, deep places, and hurried them
without ceremony to the same destination
1t hurried everything else-the rapids.
And after the rapidsY Well, the Toe came
out churned into small bits and the trees
bereft Of their branches.
For three days and nights the rain fell
In torrents The fourth day broke glori-
ously fair and mild. Spring had really
como. The sun shone down warmly upon
the misohievous, turbulent river and tried
TO dry the wet roads and the sodden hills,
and every ono In Cartersford was happy.
Ellen Adair was out bright and early.
So was Dick Downing, no was Tom Far
rers, so was everybody. Tom Farrors
would be busy all day, but he was sure to
would be fne-wouid Ellen go
Tor drive with him thenP And Ellen
sssontcd with blush.
Tomorrow would be q half holiday, |
Dick said q little later. Would Miss Adair |
let him drive her up TO SEQ the broken
railroad bridgeS But Miss Adair replied
,oldly that she had "previous cngngc-
ment;" so Dick, who did the blushing
his time, turned away with a heavy
leart
Shut up In his little ofilce In tho factory,
no pondercd upon tho strangcnoss of hu- |
nan nature In general and of feminine
nature I'm particular. He had actually |
thought tho other night that Ellen did not
lisliko him, and hero, this very morning, !
he had coldly and unsmilingly listened
% his invltatlon-ycs-and had seemed
quito pleased 10 refuse IL.
What arc those people doing on the
'ridger" asked Edwards, tho foreman,
! ks.s "a - Nh