Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-06-16

OF other years seemed trivial 10 hin
now, in the rapture of this great, un
sought gift that had come TO him aftel
he had ceased 10 hope for it. He WORKED
briskly and steadily, with an energ,
he had never shown before. lie pui
aside the threadbare blue suit be hat
been wearing for best, and bought q
new black one. Everybody noticed ths
change in him.
slave yeh noticed how Lias /,
sprucin' up since he got to keepin' com
pany with the Wilder Warner?" people
would ask each other; II see he's got
new harness, an had his buggy var.
nished, an he's painted the house an
built a new front-yard fence. He's
worked like a niger all summer, an
earnt lot o. money. tell yeh, she's
smart, an like as not, she'll make quite
teller outer 'Lias, yet"
The days slipped joyously by. They
were to be married in September. 1t
was late in August. when, one morning
a boy brought him a letter from Mrs.
Warner. 1t was the first letter she had
ever written him, and he felt that some
thing unusual had happened. 1t was a
pitiful. detected, blotted and misspelled
little letter. with tears and heartaches
rewritten between its lines. Elias
spelled it slowly through.
Dear Elias: / rite this because cant
bare TO look you In the face and tell you
] most wish | was dead ! feel so mean
But am awful happy for Martin Green
come back yesterday. / loved him be-
fore ! marrid Silas, but we had truble
and he went West / never hurd Tiothin
of him and thought he wouldn't ever come
back but he has and he wants me- He
never has loved any one but me. Elias
forgiv me l love him and / cant marry
you now. You are so good and i liked
you and pitied you when you was lone
sum. I wanted TO maik you happy, but
have maid II wors for you. Dear mel
cant do no other way. We shall go West
to live and l never shall come back hear
TO maik you fele bad. Good-by. God bless
you. MARY WARNER"
Elias sat motionless for some time.
looking yacantly at the letter. His blue
eyes looked duh and gray. He was try
ing to rally his thought from the chaos
of despair. His hope of happiness was
broken again, and he felt that it had
been his last hope. He had thought he
loved before, and now he knew that this
was the one enduring love of his heart
He pictured to himself her face, with its
great, gray. earnest eyes and rings OF
soft, brown hair. There was no other
face so sweet and beautiful in the world,
and no other would ever have any
charm for him. If he must lose her.
then he wanted no wife. He must drag
on. in the lonely, miserable old way.
a life so joyless that he would gladly
step out of il, altogether. slow tear
splashed upon his hand. He was cry
ing! He started up, ashamed. 1t was
not the way of his world TO parade the
even to ones self. That tear
warned him of his weakness, and
aroused the sturdy manhood that slept
within him. He resolutely put away
the pieces of his pretty, golden dream
and bravelv faced the future. Then he
was surprised at its aspect. Not
blank, as he had thought it would be.
nor a weary succession of unmeaning
events. His heart thrilled with tender
for all humanity, and hun
dred new interests arose in his mind |
He could not understand why, now that
he had lost his happiness. life should not |
once more look as undesirable as it had |
been 10 him.
But love. the beautifier. had crept into |
his soul. and was looking through his |
eyes at the world. He would never find |
t uninteresting again.
He felt half vexed at the puzzle with
n himself. 1T seemed 10 him like kind |
Of disloyalty TO his love that he was not
utterly crushed and miserable. So he
icoldcd himself, as he had often
'elt obliged to do, since his mother died.
What fool BET" he muttefed. Sc
Ferely. II was jest cut out for an old
zach. anybody can see that, an, here
I've been all my life tryin' to get mar
led in spite o. fate. An now. when I
ind ont. for the fourth time, ] can't
IN silly enough to blubber. ] better
ct the women folks be, now, guess,
IN mind my own business"
lie went to his bedroom. got Lis new
'lothes and carried them up to the attic,
where he carefully put them away in
chest. Guess my blue clo'es'x an
wer spell longer. was irwin to be
90 smart" he muttered, with grim
mile. Then he took his old straw hat
nd went TO the barn TO do the chores.
And yet before he slept that night.
e wrote little note and tucked it I'M
er the sash of her window. where he
new she would find and read it before
he went west. She did read it. and its
omely, unselfish tenderness ached in
er heart as long as she lived.
Don't you feel bad about me. You
int TO blame. was jest cut out for ar
Id bach. an Tn goin' to be one. / can
IAN II now. ELIAS"
N. Y. Ledger. II